Jillian & Jared
The Engagement : Four years later , the couple planned a trip to Disney World . When they first arrived , Jillian wanted nothing more than to take a nap after a full day of traveling . Jared , however , had already purchased surprise day passes to the resort ’ s Magic Kingdom . “ I , being overtired and cranky from the flight that morning , was less than amused — I didn ’ t want to go on rides all day ,” Jillian recalls . She eventually agreed to a more leisurely gift shop visit instead , and afterwards they stopped for a photo at their usual spot in front of Cinderella Castle . “ But this picture was different ; Jared proposed !” she says . “ After I screamed and embraced him , I immediately began apologizing for my attitude .” They both laughed and followed up with a celebratory breakfast at Chef Mickey ' s .
The Vision : A lover of fairy tales and a good woodsy / boho aesthetic , Jillian dubbed her wedding theme “ rustic princess .” “ The Pavilion ’ s white canopy tent mixed with little bits of sparkle and lots of flowers fit my vision to a T ,” Jillian says . “ People often say that they , ‘ don ’ t understand why people waste money on flowers that are just going to die ,’ but ours were one of the greatest highlights . People still talk about them today .” And they didn ’ t go to waste , either . After the wedding , Jillian and Jared made sure to replant the florals at their respective late grandparents ’ headstones .
The Process : COVID-19 arrived ten months after their engagement , but Jillian and Jared thought the virus would be long gone by their October 2020 date . “ I watched as other couples postponed and was growing anxious . The restrictions on social events just continued to grow stricter ,” Jillian says . “ But there were no promises of what another year would bring , so we decided to go through with it as planned !” The guest list had to be reduced by more than 100 people , which Jillian says was gut wrenching , but in the end , everyone just wanted the couple to be happy . “ And by downsizing we were able to socialize and enjoy much more of our wedding reception than most ,” Jillian says . “ Also , we were able to save a ton of money that we ended up using for a down payment on our first home !”
The Meet Cute : Both Bay Staters , Jillian and Jared became Facebook friends back in high school after realizing they had many mutual friends in common . Over the years , their regular photo “ like ” exchanges turned into casual messenger chats before gradually developing into more . “ Once we began FaceTiming while I was away at college , we found ourselves talking for hours each night and had to finally meet in person ,” Jillian says . They held their first date at a local bowling alley and the rest , as they say , is history .
The Highlights : “ My favorite part was the ceremony . I had told myself and my buddies repeatedly that I wasn ’ t going to cry … I ’ m not a crier ! But I couldn ’ t help myself . I ’ ve never seen her look so beautiful and I just felt so lucky .” — Jared “ My best friend gave a speech that moved nearly every guest to tears ( myself included ) and everything looked even better than I could have dreamed . After all the stress caused by the pandemic , it was emotional for our wedding day to finally arrive and actually take place !” — Jillian
100 | ENGAGED IN SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND 2022