Justin + Shaina
Our Story
Not one perfect moment, but thousands of little ones that kept pointing us back to each other.
Follow our story
Two sides of the same love story.
Start at the beginning and read our story from start to finish, or jump straight to either of our perspectives.
Where it all began
It started with Fringe.
Maybe the universe has a sense of humor.
“What is your favorite TV show?”
During one of our very first conversations, someone asked us that question. Without planning it, and at the exact same time, we both answered, “Fringe.” Out of every show we could have named, somehow we said the same one in the same moment.
It was small, funny, and strangely perfect. Looking back now, it feels like the first little sign that there was something different here, and that maybe we really were meant to find each other.
Choosing her, again and again.
From the beginning, there was something about Shaina that felt different to me. She liked me too, but she certainly was not going to make it easy. She made me pursue her for an entire year because she wanted to know how serious I was, how far I was willing to go, and whether I truly meant it when I said I wanted a life with her.
Looking back, I am grateful she did, because that year taught me something I will carry into our marriage forever. Loving her was never about winning her over. It was about showing her, again and again, that I would choose her.
And now, standing here at the beginning of forever, I can say with my whole heart that every step I took toward her was worth it.
My favorite person.
Shaina is my favorite person to laugh with, talk to, annoy, make memories with, and come home to. Somehow she can make an ordinary day feel like one I will remember forever, and there is nobody else I would rather do this crazy, beautiful life with.
The biggest memories matter, of course, but so do the random nights out, the trips, the jokes that get funnier every time we tell them, and all the little pieces of life that only mean something because we are in them together.
The in-between moments
The life inside the love story.
Best friends first.
One of my favorite things about us is that underneath all the wedding planning, big dreams, inside jokes, and everyday chaos, we are genuinely best friends.
I do not just love Shaina for who she is. I love who I am when I am beside her, and I love the life we are building together. There is comfort in knowing that the person I am marrying is also the person I want beside me when nothing special is happening at all.
The little things are the big things.
If our relationship has taught me anything, it is that the best love is not only found in the huge moments. It is in the looks across the room, the stupid jokes nobody else understands, the late-night conversations, and knowing that whatever life throws at us, I get to face it with her.
Out of everyone in the world, somehow I found my person, and I still cannot believe I get to marry her.
Her side of the story
Shaina, on Justin.
The Fringe experience was a beautiful beginning, but it wasn't until our first date that I knew Justin was truly special.
A heart of gold.
Justin went out of his way to make our first date incredible. Instead of taking me to the standard dinner and a movie, he found a Doors cover band—one of my favorite bands—and even got me a T-shirt.
It was awesome, with the exception of three older, very drunken ladies who were a little too wild, spilling their drinks and bumping into me constantly. While I was irritated by the debauchery, Justin, without missing a beat, said, “Geez, I hope they are okay.”
He went over to talk with them, and eventually they found seats and rested. Justin has a heart of gold. In that moment, my perspective changed a little, and my heart grew a little bigger.
The bet at the claw machine.
A few dates later, Justin took me to an arcade and started playing a claw machine. I laughed because no one actually wins those games, but Justin, with his charming, glass-half-full energy, said, “Wanna bet I will win one?”
“If you actually win a stuffed animal, I'll marry you right now.”
To my surprise, the claw grabbed a stuffed animal and carried it all the way across the box—but dropped it just before the prize door.
Apparently, that claw machine was a little early with its prediction. The prize did not fall that night, but the bet would eventually come true.
A million little moments later.
Fast-forward seven years, and my love for him has grown every day. In addition to admiring his kind heart, he is my light, the calm to my fire, and the laughter and hug I need after a long day.
It seems that claw machine was right all along. We just had to live a million more moments together before that bet came true.
From building careers and buying a home to experiencing parenthood and all the little moments in between, Justin is my rock, my safe space, my best friend, and my home.
Thank you for reading and for celebrating our love with us!
“Out of everyone in the world, somehow I found my person.”
Justin + Shaina