Wedding Ceremony & Reception 

Our Wedding

Hello everyone! We are so happy and excited to share our special day with you, and so appreciative for all who are able to join us on zoom. Thank you so much for taking the time to be part of this special moment in our lives, and we look forward to seeing you after on zoom!   Meeting ID: 870 8153 0784 Password: V&K1116 Ceremony time: 4:00EST

Zoom Information

Victoria’s Story

Growing up, my parents, Joe and Lisa, always encouraged me and my two younger sisters, Olivia and Isabella, to set spiritual goals. Being born and raised in Staten Island, NY, we had the wonderful opportunity to be surrounded with so many loving friends in the congregation, even regularly having Brooklyn Bethelites over our home for hospitality each week. This, along with memorable unassigned territory trips, trips to Bethel, and summer vacation pioneering with Mom each year, really instilled in us a love for spiritual things and a desire to give our very best to Jehovah. I was baptized at 11 years old and, thanks to the sacrifice of my parents who allowed me to homeschool once I began high school, I started regular pioneering with my mom when I was 16. One by one my sisters started to pioneer as well, and now, years later, we have the indescribable privilege of serving as commuter Bethelites together at Warwick.&nbsp; Now I also have the love and support of Kian’s family, who have given so much of themselves to me and treated me as their own daughter. Regardless of the distance, they have made every effort to be there for me and have made me feel so welcomed into their beautiful family.&nbsp;

Kian’s Story

Even as a young child growing up in Florida, I had set Bethel service as a spiritual goal thanks to the encouragement of my parents and a circuit overseer. My parents, Mitchell and Michaela, supported me through the years in all of the little steps that led me to that goal, starting with getting baptized at 13. I can remember my younger brother Connor and I, who were homeschooled, accompanying my mom when she would auxiliary pioneer during Memorial seasons. I started regular pioneering when I was 18, and joined LDC less than a year later. With the help of my parents, grandparents, my brother, my loving congregation back home in Florida, and the many friends I made while working with LDC, I was able to reach my goal of Bethel Service in May 2021. Since then, Jehovah has rewarded me with some of the greatest blessings of my life, and the prospect of many more. In addition to all those back home in Florida, I have received the help and care of Victoria’s family who have taken me in like a son, and have helped me immensely in this new chapter of life.

How We Met

Our story begins with Bethel. As young children, both of us had the goal to serve at Bethel due to the encouragement and invaluable support we received from our parents and many dear friends. This guidance and good association helped us to pursue many avenues of service such as pioneering, LDC, Assembly Hall work, and Special Metropolitan Public Witnessing in order to stay focused on our goal.&nbsp; Victoria was invited for a Bethel assignment during the construction of Warwick. After the project was completed, Victoria and her family moved to the Warwick area so that she could have the opportunity to commute to Bethel, fulfilling this lifelong dream of hers. Happily, she started to serve as a commuter - first at Wallkill and then at Warwick.&nbsp; Kian received his invitation to serve at Warwick Bethel just before the pandemic started, and so he started serving there one year later, first in the Laundry department and then in Bethel Office. Who would have known that the grand opening of tours at Bethel after the pandemic and Victoria’s return to her assignment would set the stage for so many prayers to be answered?&nbsp; We found ourselves assigned to work in the same department - Kian in Bethel Office (Lobby Support) and Victoria in Tours. We quickly realized how much we enjoyed working together and became good friends. Victoria soon started to observe many endearing qualities in Kian. His humble, mild demeanor, his kindness and empathy, and the way he would put himself out for others, patiently listening when they needed him, made her realize what a treasure she had found in him. The more she came to know him the more she appreciated his spiritual insight, and the more her feelings grew, to the point that one day while watching him care for some guests she thought in her heart, “I love this man.” Little did he know he had a secret admirer—

Our Beginning

As their friendship grew, Kian too began to notice beautiful qualities in Victoria. Her outgoing disposition, hospitable spirit, pattern of self-sacrifice, seriousness for spiritual things, and warm displays of Christian love and care toward all drew a vivid picture of the precious woman that makes Jehovah’s heart rejoice. He began to see her as more than just a friend, he saw her as a companion that he could love more and more each day. Not long after that, Kian asked Victoria to be his girlfriend on February 16, 2024, and we had our first date in New York City two days later. What followed was months of getting to know each other and creating happy memories that drew us closer together. Some of our most enjoyable times have been when we study together. We have started family worship sessions that easily led to hours of meaningful discussions, so much so that we didn’t want them to end! We never could have imagined just how compatible we really are. From the very first night we started dating, we realized that we can talk about things and spend time together endlessly. Time seems irrelevant when we are together. As we enjoyed more and more of these precious moments where we learned one another’s “secret person of the heart,” we both came to realize that we had found everything we had prayed for. Our relationship seemed so comfortable, so natural, right from the very beginning. It was quickly apparent that marriage was “not an ‘if,’ but a ‘when.’”&nbsp;

The Proposal

On August 3, 2024, with the help of our family and friends, Kian proposed to Victoria at Orchard View Lavender Farm. The amount of planning and scheming involved in order to ensure that she was surprised was nothing short of impressive. (Anyone that knows Victoria knows that more often, she is the surpriser, not the surprisee!)&nbsp; A month in advance, Lisa made plans with Victoria to go antiquing that day right after the meeting. The night before, Kian suggested that she go with him to his meeting instead that morning, knowing full well that his Kingdom Hall was in a strategic location for them to go straight to the antique store afterwards (enabling them to remain in their beautiful dress clothes). All that week Victoria had been suspicious, but when they got to the antique store after the meeting, she concluded that she really wasn’t being proposed to that day. An acquaintance who works in the antique store and is always sharing local points of interest mentioned that there was a beautiful lavender farm nearby that would be a lovely spot to have their bridal shower in the future. Victoria thanked her for her recommendation, but thought nothing of it since this was not out of character for her. As they were leaving the antique store, Joe suggested that maybe they should go check out the lavender farm. After all, they were an hour away from home, and why not since they had already come all this way? Everyone decided it was a good idea. Isabella told Victoria she would ride with her to the lavender farm, and as they were driving, Victoria could tell that Isabella was trying to put her in a very good mood. As they pulled up to the farm and parked, Isabella said, “Oh, I’m pale, I’m going to put on some lipstick. You should put some on too!” In that moment, Victoria knew. She put on her lipstick and got out of the car and walked with Kian to a beautiful spot of the property while Victoria’s parents and sisters perused the gift shop.&nbsp; Amongst the lavender fields and gardens, it was the most beautiful setting. Everyone made sure that it was simply perfect, down to the smallest detail. There was no question what Victoria’s answer would be. After the big moment, Victoria realized that Kian’s brother Connor (with Michaela and Mitchell on FaceTime), as well as dear friends and a photographer that Olivia had secretly arranged for, were all hiding and capturing the moment!! Thanks to everyone’s planning and hard work, Kian and Victoria were able to share that special, intimate moment while also having it captured and witnessed by the ones they loved.&nbsp; It has been the most peaceful and comforting feeling in the world to clearly see that the gift you have received in another person is so obviously from Jehovah. The deeper our love has grown, the more we have been grateful to Jehovah as we have realized that he has blessed us with even more than we have ever asked him for. And how could we ever completely express our gratitude for the love, support, and invaluable advice that has been given to us by our faithful family and friends! Thanks to these dear ones we have grown and reached our spiritual goals, leading us to this very day. Our hearts are complete, full of love, and incandescently happy. From the bottom of our hearts, we can truly say that “Eye has not seen and ear has not heard, nor have there been conceived in the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Our Story

First Date 02-18-2024

First Gilead Meal together 03-06-2024

First convention together

Working together at bethel 

Spending time together

The proposal 08-03-24

Photos

Olivia Camera

Isabella Camera

Courtlynn Weldon

Alexa Jock

Josie Sabus 

Connor Giles

Judah Cashon

Austin Tenison

Robert Knoll

Connor Mathey

Chris Redmond

Wedding Party

Q + A

Travel

Things to Do

Registry

Victoria & Kian