We’re getting married!

I was living in Cambridge and David was living in South Boston, aka “Southie”. A friend from college invited me to watch the Celtics game at the bar “Lincoln” in Southie . Even though it was across the city, I decided to go, along with my friend (and bridesmaid!) Isabelle. I don’t remember if we even made it in time for the game, but we had a blast drinking the night away and celebrating my birthday, which was the next day. We eventually found ourselves in the same corner of the bar as David, who it turned out knew my friend who had invited me out that night. We gravitated toward David’s group once we heard the accents of his Australian friends who were visiting! 😜Before I knew it, I looked up and David was standing right in front of me. He introduced himself in an Australian accent… which I doubted was real given his Red Sox hat and otherwise American look… so he gave that up pretty quickly and I was so happy to find out he lived in Boston. From that moment on, life has truly been brighter in every way. We talked nonstop until the bar shut down, exchanged numbers, and went on our first date at The Beehive in Boston the following week!

A few of my Australian friends that I met in Melbourne while visiting Julian (our officiant & groomsman) were in Boston, and we went to a Red Sox game. As fortune would have it, every bar around Fenway was completely full, so I decided to take my friends back to Lincoln Tavern in Southie. I walked towards the back of the bar and did a double-take when I first saw Kara. I was trying to figure out how I could go speak to this beautiful girl and noticed a friend of a friend standing next to her. That was all I needed, and I brought my friends over to say hi. All of my friends introduced themselves first with their cool Australian accents, so I obviously had to have an Australian accent as well. I tried to keep it going as long as I could, but I could tell this stunning, smart, and confident girl was picking up on my fib. Finally when I admitted I was not Australian, she said "Obviously, you are wearing a v-neck and a flat brim and look American". Time seemed to freeze, and we talked about anything and everything until the lights came on. We exchanged numbers and went on six dates in two weeks. I'm not sure if I'd call it love at first sight, but I have never once felt the way I did when I made eye contact with Kara the first time, or the way I did jumping for joy walking back to my Southie apartment with my friends, excited to have met Kara and gotten her number.

Over our first two years of dating, Kara finished graduate school, David changed career paths, we skiied together in Vermont, visited the New England beaches and small towns in the summer, met each other’s family and friends, and fell completely in love. Year three, we moved into a small Beacon Hill walk-up where most furniture wouldn’t fit up the stairway and we had to go across the street to do our laundry, and loved every moment of it. In 2020, we packed up our car and drove cross-country to San Francisco to take the next step in our careers and experience a new city together. We couldn't be happier with that decision and have had so much fun exploring the Bay Area and beyond!

David proposed at the John Weeks Bridge in Cambridge, MA, which is Kara's favorite place in the city and one we visited many times together. At sunset, David caution-taped both sides of the pedestrian bridge so we would be the only ones on it, and arranged for Kara's friend Isabelle to bring her there. It was a beautiful and intimate proposal, followed by a surprise celebration with our family and friends at Lincoln (the bar where we met), and festivities that continued all weekend.

Our first trip after moving to California was Carmel for the 4th of July, 2020. On the way, we decided to stop at Alta Cafe in Monterey for a coffee for Kara and a beer for David. Sitting in the back garden of Alta on a blue-sky, bright and sunny day, we could see into what we later found out was The Barns, and talked about how it felt like the perfect setting for our wedding one day, if only they rented out the space 😉. David quietly stayed in touch with the venue over the next year, and after our engagement, we made the easiest decision ever to book it!