Most love stories begin where the bride and groom first met – a party, a bar, online, or some romantic love at first site saga. Blake and Bari’s story began without Blake in the picture, and it wasn’t Blake who hit it off immediately with Bari. While Blake was up in Vermont celebrating the Fourth of July weekend with his Union College friends and their annual “Blake at the Lake” tradition, it was Janna, Blake’s mom, who met Bari at a Fourth of July party in 2020.

Bonding over their similarities, both teachers in Bergen County, and putting together some mutual connections – Janna called Blake from the party and told him that she had just met his future wife. An Instagram follow from Bari, a clever DM from Blake – a first date had been planned for a couple weeks later, July 17th 2020. In the peak of COVID, Blake picked Bari up after work, and the two headed to dinner at Zack’s in Hoboken. After knowing Blake already had his mother’s approval, and after Bari got Blake to agree during dinner that he would be open to learning how to ski the upcoming winter, the rest could now be history. Blake and Bari began seeing each other weekly, checking off their wish lists of Hoboken bars & restaurants, followed by walks up and down the water and around the piers – on September 24th, Blake officially asked Bari to be his girlfriend at Pier A by the water.

This would eventually be the exact same spot, exactly three years later, during the height of tropical storm Ophelia, that Blake would ask Bari to marry him and spend the rest of their lives together. During that three year span, Blake and Bari moved into Hoboken together, Bari taught Blake how to ski, and the two have spent countless weekends traveling up to Vermont, and have taken trips to Aruba, Lake George, Portugal, and up and down the East Coast.

Moral of the story.... mothers are ALWAYS right!