Francesca and James of New York City, New York, are set to wed on November 7, 2021 at Glen Manor House in Portsmouth.
How We Met
Our story began a decade ago in our senior year of high school. I met James through a mutual friend group at the time. One day, everything was peaceful until a long-haired, sixteen-year-old boy in a white tank top, boot cut jeans and timberland boots burst through the door. He flipped the nearest chair backwards, straddled it, ran his right hand through his long mane and nodded, “Sup?” Fast forward that entire summer of 2010, and we found ourselves drawn to each other. We began to spend more time together, but not without denying our feelings. My best friend, Eve, was the true supporter of this budding relationship; she made us soon realize that we were being silly and should just tell each other how we felt. But he had other plans and didn’t formally declare the relationship ‘official’ until one cold December day, exclaiming, “Happy One Month!” in a text to me, who had absolutely no idea we were officially dating. Thus began the start of ten very chaotic yet absolutely incredible years together.
Our Proposal Story
At the start of 2020, we had planned our first international trip to Paris together but quickly had to cancel due to the impending global pandemic. All the while, James was planning an entirely separate surprise on the side (a secret Parisian engagement). When his plans were foiled, he quickly observed and researched different ways to pull off the next big step in our relationship. We finally were able to plan a weekend getaway and on Sunday, July 5, 2020, in our favorite city, at our favorite spot — Ocean Drive in Newport, Rhode Island — he popped the question! He’ll tell you that I didn’t exactly say yes, I just shrieked and said, “OH. MY. GOD.” But I was too distracted by his teary-eyed proposal. I confirmed that it was a “yes” shortly after at dinner and via social media post.
