Jean and Tommy met on a blind date. Their first outing was to Frederik Meijer Gardens a beautiful place where they quickly discovered they didn’t understand a single piece of art, but completely understood how much they enjoyed each other’s company.

Long before that date, though, they’d already been hearing about each other. Jean’s brothers would come home from weddings talking about “Tommy Doyle,” while Tommy’s side kept hearing about “Jean Crittenden.” Their families had been friends years ago in Grand Rapids, and though Jean and Tommy were too young to remember those early days, their siblings hadn’t forgotten.

As they spent time together, Jean and Tommy reconnected with each other’s families and found themselves falling in love not just with each other, but with the people around them too. (And with two of Jean’s cousins already married into Tommy’s family, things were already off to a strong start.)

A year and a half later, Tommy got down on one knee after making Jean walk through a full-on blizzard. She said yes, and now they’re getting ready to start the new year and their new life together as husband and wife on December 31st.