Tinder may have introduced Julia and Jacob, but they had already spent years missing each other.
Both crossed paths at University at Buffalo as undergrads and graduate students without meeting. Once they began dating in 2022, they realized how intertwined their lives had been—Julia even spotted familiar faces while scrolling Jacob’s Instagram photos. When they connected, Julia found the match she didn’t know she was looking for.
“Jacob is a really open person,” she says. “His level of response when you’re excited about something is infectious.”
By the time Jacob was ready to propose, the two had settled into the kind of relationship where the big decisions came out of ordinary conversations. They had talked candidly about what they wanted from the rest of their lives. Marriage was part of that conversation; the question was when.
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During a trip to the Ohio Renaissance Festival in October of last year, Jacob planned a grand proposal, but the crowded fairgrounds derailed his plans. Back at their Airbnb, while discussing their life together, Jacob pulled out his grandmother’s ring, saying: “This is what I want.” For Julia, who treasures vintage items, the quiet and personal moment was perfect.
They got married just a few months later. As self-described “winter people,” a January wedding felt natural and allowed them to create a beautiful event without peak-season costs. They kept their guest list intentionally intimate, inviting just over 70 people. “We wanted to feel like we could talk to everyone,” Julia explains.
Day-of details
The food was always going to be central to the couple’s celebration. They chose Binksberry Hollow in Niagara County in large part because of its chef-driven approach, featuring farm-to-table dining, locally sourced ingredients and wood-fire cooking. Its family-style tables and whimsical indoor sculpture resembling a willow tree gave Julia the canvas she was looking for.
“We wanted our wedding to feel like you were in a magical tavern,” she says. “Sitting and laughing with our friends like we would at a dinner party at our house was special and also low stress.”
Julia made the centerpieces and floral arrangements, sourcing flowers from Trader Joe’s with friends before the wedding and assembling everything herself. She incorporated dried flowers, moss and greenery to create an enchanted atmosphere. Vintage pieces were everywhere. Jacob’s parents, who enjoy estate sales, helped hunt for brass candlesticks. “I wanted everything to look lived in,” Julia says.
Foregoing a traditional wedding party, Julia and Jacob walked down the aisle together. Her best friend officiated the ceremony, and the couple wrote their own vows, giving the ceremony an intimacy that matched the rest of the day. Julia also chose to do her own hair and makeup, pairing a romantic braided hairstyle with a 1970s-vintage, French silk gown sourced from Etsy for $400.
After dinner, a DJ kept the dance floor full, and the final two hours of the evening transformed into a karaoke party.
Months later, the couple is looking to the future, excited about growing together and taking on new adventures. Their fairytale, in the end, didn’t require a castle. All they needed was each other.
