Our Story - Becoming Benni
On a cold night in January 2018, a roommate of Jenni's asked her to come along with friends to Red Bull Crashed Ice in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota. Jenni was not in the mood for a night out and *almost* stayed home, but decided at the last second to be a good friend and go along. As Jenni and friends settled in at Patrick McGovern's Irish Pub, she ran into a few more mutual friends who introduced her to a guy named 'Ben'.
Ben was out celebrating a new job offer that would be moving him from his beloved Midwest roots to the East Coast of Philadelphia, PA in just a few short months. Despite leading with a not-so-smooth, "Hi, I'm Ben and I'm moving to Philly!", Jenni stuck around for some casual conversation and a vodka-soda with lime. Looking back on this initial meeting, while they each tried to play it cool at the time, they realized that it really was 'love at first sight'!
From that first introduction and for the next few hours of the night, they couldn't stop talking and even shared a giant soft pretzel off the late night bar menu. By the end of the evening, Ben was asking to see Jenni again. Ben insisted they go on a date later that week, and Jenni happily agreed! A first official date to Red Cow in Uptown followed just a few days later, and within two months they were officially "boyfriend & girlfriend."
Ben did move to Philadelphia while Jenni stayed home in Minnesota, beginning their first of 3+ years of long-distance. Distance grew shorter in year 2 when Jenni made a big move of her own to New York City, fulfilling a lifelong dream of hers! The two traded off weekends in Philly and NYC, making amazing memories along the way. In year 3, they were once again separated by 1000+ miles when Ben accepted a new job back home in Minnesota (we just couldn't stay in one place!). In year 4, Jenni decided to also move home to MN and, finally, the couple was living in the same state! Year 5 saw the two officially move-in together and, not long after, in February 2023, Ben asked Jenni to marry him - one of the happiest days of each of their lives.
Our relationship endured and our love grew despite spending years of long distance in separate cities. We found comfort in the old adage - distance makes the heart grow fonder. We chose to find the silver lining in those long distance years, capitalizing on a shared love of traveling to create memories and experiences that strengthened our love.
Given the important role of distance and our fondness for traveling, we thought what better way to say "I do" than with a beautiful destination wedding alongside our families and closest friends in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico! Each and every one of you has played a special role in our lives and we sincerely hope you can join us in paradise to not only celebrate our wedding, but enjoy a vacation for yourself, too!