We are so thrilled to have you join us for our big day! Ceremony & Reception: The Aloft Downtown Cleveland, 1091 West 10th Street, Cleveland, OH Attire: Formal Please RSVP using the RSVP tab by August 17th. We're guessing you probably need some more information, and so we've provided details in our FAQ section that we think will be useful. If there's any info you were hoping to find that we haven't provided, please contact Alyssa or Joey.

As many of you know, Alyssa and Joey originally met where most relationships tend to begin at Ohio University, the back bar of The Crystal. After a few date parties and a nice dinner at a quaint little Athens, OH restaurant known as ZOE, Joey finally mustered up enough confidence to ask Alyssa to be his girlfriend. The date was September 30, 2014, the beginning of their Junior year. And so the countdown for wedding bells began right? Well, for those of you who went to school with Joey, you know he likes to procrastinate. Upon graduation in late spring of 2016, the two would move down to Florida where they lived for 3 years before eventually moving to Orange County, CA in July of 2019. Now it's wedding time right? Procrastination can be quite the drag. Once settled into Orange County, Alyssa started to become restless. Her Instagram feed became filled with couples' engagements & weddings who had known each other for only a fews years. Alyssa wasn't jealous of those couples, she was confused at Joey's lack of action! Then the global pandemic hit. Time slowed down, lockdowns ocurred, and people were getting engaged left and right. But still, no ring. Alyssa's father visited that August of 2020, and Joey knew deep down he had to ask for his blessing while he could. So he did the obvious, ask Mr. Podlogar for his daughter's hand in marriage while dropping him off at his gate at the airport. Reluctantly, that strategy worked.

September came, and Joey knew that this was a truly special month in their relationship, the month Alyssa first said "yes". He quickly phoned his best friend Riley Boylan, and with urgency, exclaimed that the time was now to get engaged. The world was about to end due to COVID-19, and Joey knew he couldn't wait any longer. Riley, with the help of his girlfriend and fellow Ohio University Bobcat Brooke Starner, concocted a plan to host Alyssa & Joey at their place in Oxnard, CA, where Joey could propose on the beach. Riley & Joey rushed to Bakersfield, CA, (known for its diamonds, obviously) to pick out the perfect ring for Alyssa. Upon return to Oxnard, Riley was more eager and nervous than Joey to "get the damn thing done", but Joey reminded his friend that it was September 11, and they should perhaps wait one more day. That morning, the crew got up, and decided it was time to take Tessie the Daschund for a walk. It was now time to seize the moment and overcome procrastination. There they all were, positioned perfectly for photos & videos, Alyssa oblivious to what was to come next, Joey trying to tame his excitement, Brooke with her smart phone at the ready, and Riley holiding Tessie so she could witness the moment. Then the moment came, and as it came, Brooke took beautiful pictures & videos. The videos were so telling of the moment, that the camera even caught Tessie taking a dump and a random guy in the background who joyously cheered the moment as he realized what was going on. After a few seconds of Alyssa gasping in awe, and Joey asking, "So are you going to say yes or....", she finally did say yes on the morning of September 12, 2020, making Septmeber all that more special of a month for the couple.