“I like to think of our engagement photos as a point in
history — like before we were married and before we
had kids. Something to always look back on.” – Tara THEIR MEET-CUTE: Sina’s and Andy’s love story began at a college party. “I
had been friends with someone who was dating Andy’s brother at the time,
and she invited me to his birthday party,” Sina recalls. Naturally, she and
Andy bumped into each other at some point in the night and sparks fl ew.
But was it love at fi rst sight? “I would say so!” Sina laughs.
TARA and JEN THEIR PROPOSAL STORY: After seven years together, Andy thought it was
about time he put a ring on it during their annual Christmas-time trip to
New York City. “We always make a point to see the lights and everything
at Rockefeller Center, and this time it was packed,” he says, “which made
it pretty-nerve wracking.” But Sina was none the wiser when Andy asked
a stranger to take their picture in front of the tree. “Then I asked him if
he could take one more, and that’s when I got down on one knee,” Andy
recalls. The whole square cheered when Sina said “yes,” and the happy cou-
ple celebrated with pizza and wine on the train ride home.
SARA DREW PHOTOGRAPHY
THEIR WEDDING: Andy and Sina wed on August 27, 2017 at Lake Pearl
Wrentham in Massachusetts. Details included a purple palette (props for
foreseeing Pantone’s 2018 color of the year); a gorgeous gown that Sina
won through a bridal show raffl e; bridesmaid dresses by resident celebrity
designer, Jonathan Joseph Peters; an awesome night of dancing thanks to
DJ Valentina; and delicious black and white cookie favors (“They’re our fa-
vorite and all of our guests thought it was pretty clever of us,” Sina laughs).
“We knew we wanted to have our session in
Westerly because we used to live in an apartment
above one of its downtown restaurants – it was
a huge part of our relationship and we just have
so many memories there.” – Sina
T H E I R M E E T- C U T E : “We had a complicated beginning,” Tara laughs.
Despite once playing on the same softball team and having mutual friends
in high school, the two didn’t really feel the attraction until a few years later
when they ended up working in the same building. “She waved at me as I was
leaving one day and I thought, ‘No way was that Jen,’” Tara recalls. But a sim-
ple Facebook message confi rmed the interaction and the two soon became
inseparable. The only problem? They were both in relationships at the time.
“We ended them right away though,” Tara explains. “And then we traveled
to see each other a bunch while Jen fi nished her last year of school in New
Jersey, moved in together after she graduated and got a devil cat.”
T H E I R P RO P O SA L STO RY: Five years later, Jen wanted to plan out an
extravagant proposal, but surprising her girlfriend proved impossible. “I
knew when she bought the ring; I knew it was coming,” Tara laughs. Even
so, Tara wasn’t prepared when Jen closed the door of their bedroom on the
night of November 27, 2016. “She immediately started crying,” Jen recalls. “I
got down on one knee and said everything you’re supposed to say, but she
just kept crying. I was like, ‘Can you please say something? I need to know
before I can stand back up!’ She eventually said yes.”
THEIR WEDDING PLANS: Jen and Tara will tie the knot on May 19, 2018
at Five Bridge Inn in Rehoboth, Massachusetts. “It’s totally us. We love the
whole outdoor aesthetic,” says Jen about the venue. Some parts of the wed-
ding will be traditional, like parent-daughter dances, while others will be
more modern, like having mixed bridal parties on either side. “We’re also
going to try to do a lot of stuff ourselves, including using succulents for
favors, centerpieces and my fl ower crown,” Tara says. “And we’ll write our
own vows; I’ve been thinking about what I want to say for the past six years.”
18 | RHODE ISLAND MONTHLY'S ENGAGED 2018
SINA and ANDY
DAWN TEMPLE PHOTOGRAPHY