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04/12/2018 12:00 AMKelly and Chris Becker of Madison
Married May 26, 2012
Paris is called the city of love, and that is especially true for the Beckers. After dating for six months, Kelly and Chris Becker went to Paris (where Kelly had lived previously) to visit old friends. The two were sitting in a park by a fountain, and when Chris was about to ask the big question, Kelly saw people littering and tried to get them to stop. At the same time, the park was starting to close and the security guards were telling them that they had to leave and Chris pulled her onto the grass (which is not allowed in Paris), got down on one knee, and proposed. Later Kelly learned that he had been carrying the ring in his pocket for weeks waiting for the perfect moment to ask her to marry him.
Robert and Chelsea Messer of Guilford
Married Aug. 10, 2014
The Messers were engaged in the happiest place on earth. Rob proposed while on vacation in Disney World. The two had a caricature taken of them before they were going to have dinner and Rob had asked Chelsea to get him some water. When she came back, the artist turned the caricature towards her to reveal the message "Will you marry me?" with Rob on one knee. As she said yes, people around them began to cheer. "I never knew Disney could get more magical or that it could mean more to me than it already had," says Chelsea. The two celebrated that evening with dinner and champagne at a Disney Resort and later enjoyed the Magic Kingdom's fireworks display. "It was the most incredible day I have experienced," adds Chelsea.
John Johmann and Marc Deaton of Madison
Married Sept. 13, 2014
It was about 19 years ago when John Johmann spotted Marc Deaton on the C Train in the New York City subway. John gave Marc a come hither look as John exited the subway car, and Marc quickly followed after him. They went for a drink and, despite some initial misgivings on the part of John, a corporate executive who was concerned about dating an artistic type like Marc, they fell in love. Not too long after it became legal for gay couples to wed, John asked Marc out to dinner at Chamard Vineyards in Clinton. "And he put this beautiful box with a beautiful ring on my dessert plate, and there it was," a custom ring studded with precious stones, Marc says. The two married, settled in Madison, and went on to found Madison Lyric Stage. At what point in the relationship did John overcome his concern about having a relationship with an artistic type? "Still waiting!" Marc says, laughing.
Morgan and Adam Hugoboom of Guilford
Married Oct. 2, 2016
Despite her living out of state due to her husband's career as an active duty Marine, Morgan Hugoboom has kept a special place in her heart for Guilford. "Even though I lived in Virginia when my now-husband proposed, he knew how much my hometown of Guilford meant to me, and he made sure that he proposed in one of my favorite places in the world: the Guilford Green," she says. During a trip to visit her parents, the two were having a breakfast picnic when Adam proposed. Afterward, they went back to Morgan's parents' house where they were embraced by family. And even though they were living in Florida when they got married, the couple returned to Guilford to have their wedding at Dudley Farm. "No matter where we might live, I will always be a Guilford local!" says Morgan.
Sean and Colleen Kelly Alexander of Madison
Married June 12, 2010
Sean and Colleen's love story started from the time they were teenagers. The two were high school sweethearts, and then, after splitting up for a few years, they reconnected on Facebook and got back together. When it came time to get engaged, the two took a trip to Daytona Beach, Florida (where they had grown up) to visit family. One day, they went for a run to the hotel where they had gone to prom years before, then later to the docks where they had shared their first kiss, and finally to where they had taken their prom photos. "He created this beautiful walk down memory lane, then got down on one knee and said 'You are a part of my roots and my soul, will you be my wife?'" says Colleen, who said yes.
Joel and Lani Gargano of Branford
Married April 22, 2017
When Joel and Lani, who own the Italian restaurant Grano Arso in Chester, began dating, they loved to celebrate their anniversary by going out of town and spending time together, which also included cooking. For their one-year anniversary, they went away to a cozy cottage in Woodstock, New York. "On our last night, he surprised me while I was sitting on the couch, on one knee, opened the ring box, and he uttered those precious four words," says Lani. And, of course, food was included in the celebration. "To top it all off, Joel made for dinner beef tenderloin topped with at least an 8-ounce foie gras and finished it with a generous shave of black truffles. It was surely a memorable meal," she says.