Chris was born in Morristown, NJ, just a few blocks from the wedding venue, and grew up in scenic Chatham Borough with his parents, Len and Carol, and younger sister, Emily. As a Chatham Cougar, Chris sought out the arts via musical theater (he's quite the thespian), and athletics via track & field (also quite the javelin thrower). As a noted Man of Science and a born Aquarius, naturally life would lead him towards the water engineering industry.

A graduate of the prestigious School of Engineering at Rutgers University, Chris' time on The Banks of the Ol' Raritan were some of his fondest, with just as much learned outside the classroom as in it. He is a licensed professional engineer, and proudly a third generation water/wastewater engineer.

Chris is outgoing, energetic, and always eager to pursue good vibes with his friends and family. As an Aquarius, he loves being near the water, whether it be for beach days at the Jersey Shore, catching frogs at a local pond, or fishing with his dad and friends.

While Shakira will always be Chris' true love, his first love has always been sports - especially football. A diehard Philadelphia Eagles fan, and a long-tortured supporter of his beloved Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Chris is at his happiest (and sometimes saddest) when watching ball with the fellas and Shak. He shares a special talent with his father and his Best Man of knowing a bit too much information about individual football players (did you know former Kansas City Chiefs RB Charcandrick West went to Abilene Christian University? Well, now you know).

Shakira Mimi Tara Badshah (AKA Shak, Shakie, etc.) is from Basking Ridge, NJ, and grew up in The Hills with her parents, Mickey and Nisha, and older sister Simone. A natural bookworm, you could always find Shakira reading a new book everywhere she went. Shak honed her linguistic and argumentative skills on the Ridge High School Forensics Team, which is probably how she is always able to win any discussion with Chris. Shakira graduated from The College of New Jersey and is a sister of the ΦΣΣ sorority, where she made many of her lifetime friendships.

After graduating from TCNJ, Shakira sought out a teaching role at a local daycare, as she loves children and cannot wait to have a family of her own, and soon after pivoted to an exciting management role at a pharmaceutical advertising agency.

Shakira is a voracious reader who can run through a novel faster than you can believe (she read over 200 books last year!). When she's not reading, her favorite activity is mixology, as she loves making fun cocktails for her friends and family, and her signature drink at the wedding is one of her favorites to make!

Shak loves music, dancing, and spending time with her friends, so you can always catch her at a concert or festival in the Tri-State area.

He was a boy, she was a girl, can I make it any more obvious?

Chris and Shakira met through friends (shoutout Alex), became friends, and quickly fell for each other. When they first met, Shakira found Chris to be genuine, kind, and devilishly funny (Chris wrote this part). Chris found Shakira to be positively enchanting and brilliant, and was especially impressed by her penchant for whiskey and dancing.

The couple officially began dating in February of 2017, conveniently being able to combine Valentines Day and anniversary gifts every year. The couple has witnessed many personal milestones together, whether it was Chris graduating and receiving his PE license or Shakira landing a pharmaceutical advertising role and moving into her first post-grad apartment. Chris and Shakira both credit the other as being their core support pillar during these big events, and through this support they grew even closer.

The couple shares many favorite activities, including vintage record shopping, visiting new breweries, and seeing as many new movies as they can. As everyone knows, relationships are also all about sacrifice, so Chris and Shakira always make sure to experience things that one side may prefer to the other. Shakira loves punk rock concerts with singers that tend to scare Chris a little bit, while Chris loves dragging Shakira around an aquarium whenever he can to touch the stingrays.

At the end of the day, and after 7 years of love, really they just want to be with each other any time they can. Catch us on the dancefloor!