Allison and Jay: A Decade in the Making

Sometimes, I get to learn about my awesome customers after they give their gifts to loved ones. After Allison gave her husband Jay a pair of our custom quote cuff links, Jay wrote to me about his relationship with Allison. There's something about hearing a love story from the man's perspective, that I find incredibly sweet. It's clear that Jay admires Allison completely. The couple met while Allison was visiting her brother, Craig, at college, and a glimpse of their future ensued. Here is their love story, in Jay’s words.

How We Fell in Love

2004 was a big year for me, not just because it's when Allison and I met, but also because it's when her twin brother, and Best Man, Craig and I became pals. That's not only important because all friendships are such, but also because it facilitated me meeting my future wife, as ignorant to that as I was at the time. When I learned that she would be visiting to experience this Doo Dah Day (essentially a campus-wide College party), I think it's safe to say just about everyone's interests were piqued, but I had resolved in myself that any romantic ideas I had about Allison were best left suppressed for obvious reasons...but I'm a weak man when it comes to her.

Craig came over to the Delt house with Allison early and that resolve I mentioned earlier went right out the window as soon as we met. To hear Allison tell it, I couldn't really get a word out so I sort of just hovered nearby with a goofy grin on my face. When Craig and Allison were about to leave the Delt house I panicked, concerned I may never see her again, I decided the best course of action was to physically lasso her. That's right, I found some sort of rope, fashioned a lasso, and got it around her waist. Then I let her lead me around campus for some unknown amount of time.

That's how we met. That probably would have been the end of the story, but for some reason her family didn't mind my company so I was incredibly fortunate to be invited back, again and again, for holidays and the like.

Fast forward to 2014, I'm in seemingly perpetual bachelorhood and Allison is the queen of NYC. At Craig's wedding the year prior I think my interest in Allison was reawakened, and with unrelenting encouragement from Allison's mother. I decided it was worth my while to subject her to my patented brand of awkwardness, and holy cow, it worked! It only took one trip to New York and I was done for. Allison had moved to Chicago, for me of all people, within months, and within a year I made the best decision of my entire life and popped the question, and wouldn't you know it, she agreed to put up with me for the rest of our natural days.

I couldn't be luckier, in all seriousness. To have a friend like Craig leading to a wonderful family accepting me for absolutely no significant reason and have that lead to ending up with someone that I frankly don't deserve, well, you could call it poetic. I can't wait to have all of you there to witness it becoming official.

The Wedding Day

We got married on a fall day in November, in Northeast Ohio. Pretty risky if you ask the locals. The weather can vary from mild to 6 feet of snow. You never know what you're really going to get. The weather in the morning was overcast and drab but by the time Allison walked down the isle, the clouds parted and the sun came pouring into the large church where we said our vows. Family the center of our lives, so to have each and every person we love in one room was an incredible feeling.

Allison and Jay's reception venue, La Vera, is a beautiful banquet hall. Matt Swetel Photography captured the couple's ceremony and celebration. When I look at these photos, I'm struck by the elegance of the occasion. The graceful details all correspond beautifully.

The Dress

Allison bought her gorgeous dress on consignment from Nearly New. It is a Pronovias gown, in which she looks stunning. Allison is the founder of Tattered Glamour, a Chicago-based travel and fashion blog. She wrote about her dress in the article, Something New. Her blog has a ton of great content about affordable travel and fashion!

The Honeymoon and Anniversary

Allison writes:

We spent our first anniversary on a weekend getaway in the picturesque town of Galena where we stayed at an historic Bed and Breakfast and went winery hoping, much like the way we spent our honeymoon.

I wanted a cool, unique gift to give my husband. I got the custom quote cufflinks with a song from our wedding first dance song, Lay Lady Lay by Bob Dylan. We played the song throughout our travels when Jay moved me across the country from NYC to Chicago to start our life together.

If Allison and Jay's love story is any sign of their future together, we know it will be bright. We wish them a Happy anniversary and many more wonderful years together.