Real Wedding: Hilton Pearl River

The Blind Date ... (That She Never Had)

"Jeff works at ‘Sports Illustrated,’ and I worked there a few years ago. A mutual friend, Meghan, who was at the magazine with both of us tried to set us up for three straight months, but it was never the right time for me. I was dating someone (not seriously). One more bad blind date and I was ready to swear off men altogther.

"A few weeks later, I went out to dinner with friends. We met a group of really nice guys, and one of them was Jeff!

"I’m a big believer in fate and I chose to pursue — which I had never done before. I emailed Jeff, and we emailed for three weeks.

"He made me laugh with his words, and I looked forward to the next email, and the next and the next. You guessed it, I stopped seeing the guy I was dating. I called Jeff shortly afterwards.

"He proposed nine months later. We got home from a casual dinner, and Jeff handed me a poem he had written while away on business. He asked me to read the last paragraph out loud. Barely getting the words out, I read, 'I’d be so lucky and honored if she were my wife ... so tell me Jenny K, what are you doing with the rest of your life?'

"No fancy dinner, no rose petals, no weekend away. Just us on the couch as happy as could be. The diamond in the ring is Jeff’s grandmother’s, the most beautiful ring I’d ever seen.

"With its castle-like outside, the Hilton Pearl River looked like a hotel you would see in Paris. I knew that this would complete our fairy-tale wedding.

Hilton Pearl River, 845.735.9000, www.HiltonPearlRiver.com/weddings

More Hilton PearlRiver Real Weddings: The First Phone Call
The Hilton Pearl River Interview

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