Kirsten & Neal
A chance meeting through mutual friends led to this adorable love story. Kirsten and Neal met at a DC party with those friends and immediately hit it off. But it wasn’t until 2 years later that they fell for each other and started dating. Seven years later they are engaged and planning a Gorgeous wedding at Airlie!
The two now live in a richly diverse VA neighborhood. “This area has a great combination of nightlife, museums, wineries and more. We just love VA!“They love the variety of food their local restaurants offer and admit they are pretty adventurous when the age old question pops up “What do you want to eat?”
Now let me introduce you to their puppy!
Vivian stole her way right into these two hearts almost immediately! Kirsten and Neal both knew they wanted a puppy from the beginning, so they were already on the search. Later they heard about a litter born at a DC shelter. That is where they met their Vivian. Once they got into the room, it was more like she chose them! And if you know anything about this kind of experience it’s pretty hard to ignore.
So it was no surprise when Kirsten was first in line at the shelter to adopt the next day. Initially the front desk had some bad news: Vivian was already adopted! You can imagine how devastated this made them! My heart would certainly be breaking…the story doesn’t end like this though. There was a mistake with the desk, and Vivian was still there, waiting for her forever family!
The Proposal
Neal told Kirsten that they were going to go for a date early on a Saturday morning in April, as they had her best friend’s engagement brunch later that day (the same friend that helped introduce them seven years earlier!) Kirsten had coordinated her friend’s brunch with a large group, and then Neal had to remake the plans with the same friends but as a secret to Kirsten. They went to Bishop’s Garden at the National Cathedral and walked around the grounds a bit while another ‘undercover’ friend snapped some photos of the moment.
As Neal got down on one knee and took out a jewelry box with his voice (maybe) cracking a little, he asked her for hand to which she replied ‘yes!’ Our photographer friend then revealed himself and the three of them celebrated while they rode to the surprise brunch in DC. As they got there, and with Kirsten thinking that all of the friend’s were going to be getting together later in the day to celebrate her friend’s engagement, everyone revealed themselves and she quickly found out that the brunch had been re-planned to celebrate her!
Did I mention that these two are Major Patriots Fans?
“We usually take the dog for a walk, and make breakfast at home while we listen to music and prepare some food for a long day of Sunday football. Typically we enjoy staying home and watching it among st friends instead of going out – that way we can cheer and support our team without any adversaries. We also can bring a ton of different food and booze and really grub. Ultimately, as long as we get to watch the game together, the day is a success regardless of the outcome.”
