I grew up in between Boston and Cape Cod. After high school, I moved to Virginia to attend James Madison University, where I majored in (get ready for it - it's a mouthfull) Media Arts and Design with a Concentration in Corporate Communications and English. I also studied abroad in(and fell in love with) London. After graduation I moved to Washington, DC to take a job in sales and marketing. Three years later I met Dan, who grew up in Pittsburgh, attended Penn State (We Are!), who also moved to DC post graduation. He took a job on Capital Hill and later moved on to a Government Contractor. We currently live in Arlington, Va with our two furbabies, Olivia & Zoe.

On a beautiful May night, I headed to a popular bar in Georgetown with some friends. That group decided to leave, but having just bumped into a college acquaintance, I stayed behind. After spending a few minutes catching up with her and scoping out an old boyfriend, I felt someone approach me - a familiar looking guy with all the confidence in the world said, "I see you out everywhere; I'm sick of seeing you out without me." I laughed at his cheesy pick-up line but decided to give him my number anyways. Doubting I would ever here from him I continued on with my night. The following day, as I was decorating for a friend's 25th birthday bash, I was shocked to receive a call from the cute boy from last night. He suggested we get together that Sunday to watch his favorite hockey team in the playoffs. Never a stranger to sports, I accepted the invitation and met him out. He spent most of the day preoccupied with the game, but I held my own. After the big win we decided to grab dinner together with Dan's friend, (and now groomsman) Tom, who was visiting from California. Before leaving, Tom remarked that he thought he'd be seeing me again (I guess he was right!). Later that evening, I offered to drive him home in my convertible. As we approached his house, he asked me to step outside my car to say goodnight. The top was down, oldies were on the radio, and in classic cheesy (or as he would say, smooth) Dan-style, he grabbed me and we began to dance in the middle of the street...and the rest is history!

It only took a few dates to realize that Cara was the girl for me. I had a suspicion that she felt the same way and soon enough we began having conversations about our future together; as neither of us could envision much of one without each other. It was wonderful to know that we were heading in this direction, but it also left me with a big problem: how and when would I surprise Cara with a proposal? I didn't waste much time before I got to work. I told both of our parents how I felt and gained Cara's father's permission to marry her over a trip to Boston in November. Now the only thing left was to acquire that elusive ring and come up with a plan to give it to her. In June, I found a ring that I thought Cara would love. It was then that I began forming my plan. Before I even met Cara, my mom, who has a love of lighthouses, rented a historical lighthouse in Pocasset, Massachusetts for a week in July of 2009, only a short distance from where Cara grew up. I was certain that I wanted to propose before we left for the trip so we could celebrate with both of our families on Cape Cod. It was time to put my plan into action. Anyone who knows Cara understands how difficult it is to surprise her, so I knew I would have to catch her off-guard. The Tuesday before we left for the Cape, Cara and I had plans to grab drinks with our friends, Katie and John, so I decided to enlist their help. After Katie called Cara to "re-schedule" for Wednesday night, I began contacting our friends in the DC area to see if they could meet us that night at the same bar at which I had met Cara. My plan would be to walk Cara through a new park in Georgetown, propose to her, and then take her to meet "Katie and John." When we arrived, a large group of our friends would be waiting there to celebrate with us. On Wednesday night, Cara and I came home from work to change and eat before meeting Katie and John for drinks. Not wanting Cara to get suspicious, I put on quite the acting performance, telling her that I really wanted to stay in and suggesting we eat leftovers - hardly the actions of someone about to propose! To avoid detection, I hid the ring in my sock on the cab ride to Georgetown. When we arrived, the beautiful park I had planned to propose to Cara in was still under construction and filled with dirt and equipment. Knowing that I had a bar full of friends waiting on us, I decided to walk Cara down toward the water, sat her on the edge of a fountain, got down on one knee and proposed. I remember her asking me repeatedly, "is this really happening right now?!" Before I could finish speaking, a group of foreign tourists began ooh-ing and aww-ing and asked if we wanted our picture taken. I was thinking, "yeah pal, you mind letting me finish first!" But Cara, never one to miss a photo-op, excitedly fumbled through her purse and handed them her camera. After a few hectic moments and an awkward photo, I was able to finish proposing and Cara said yes! Cara was in shock and still under the impression that we were meeting "Katie and John" as I walked her to the bar where we first met. Upon entering we were greeted by our friends and Cara burst into tears for the first of many times that night. We had a memorable evening celebrating with our friends and later that week left for a wonderful vacation with our families!

We have chosen to get married in Cape Cod, close to where I grew up. Our Ceremony will take place on a private beach at the Chatham Bars Inn, with our reception to follow at their open-aired restaurant. The theme for our wedding is casual elegance.