Kristen & Tim: The Silo Story

The Perfect Proposal: Kristen and Tim

*Disclaimer: This post is particularly special to me as a writer. Not only did I play matchmaker for this couple, but Kristen is also my sister and Tim is about to be my brother! As a result, the post is told in the first person by me.*

The beginning: The story of Kristen and Tim is one that began, surprisingly, without Kristen. One night, in the winter of 2015, Tim was hanging out with one of his best friends, Shane (my boyfriend at the time and now husband). Tim was describing his ?perfect girl' to me because I couldn't understand why such a nice guy was single. When he finished explaining how he has a ?thing' for short girls with dark brown hair, and girls with a bit of a wild side (who are also sweet and smart), I said: "you just described my sister." He laughed it off and so did Shane, probably getting a bit embarrassed by me. I didn't care. I put Kristen's number in Tim's phone and shared Tim's contact with Kristen. In the summer of 2015, Tim and Kristen officially met at a BBQ I hosted. As I suspected, they hit it off, and reconnected a few weeks later at a Kenny Chesney concert. Around this time, Kristen went back to The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) for her senior year but, being the overachiever she is, she was also studying for the Certified Public Accountant (CPA) exam. Tim made the trek to Ewing multiple times in order to visit Kristen and take her out for beer towers or dinner, whatever her day of studying called for. She told me he was the one thing, the one person, who was keeping her sane and making her laugh. He was the one break she had from her grueling academics, and I knew then that he was the one. It's hard for Kristen to give herself a break, but Tim came into the picture just when she needed it most. I think Kristen came at the right time for Tim too. He was beginning his new career as a Wall Township Police Officer and needed someone to keep him in line. Since then, the two have been inseparable. They bought a house two blocks away from me and Shane in Wall, Tim's hometown, close to us and Tim's family. Kristen now works as a CPA for KPMG and Tim is still a police officer in Wall with Shane. While patrolling the streets of Wall Township three years ago, Tim found an abandoned bulldog strolling the highway. He and Kristen adopted the pup whom they named Sargeant ("Sarge" for short) and he quickly became the love of their lives.

The Perfect Proposal, according to Kristen: Kristen had been wanting this engagement for quite some time. Her and Tim have a house together; they have planted their roots, they own a dog, and they are both in stable careers. Kristen couldn't understand what Tim was waiting for. Little did she know, Tim was getting the plan in the works, hiding his location from her (yes, they share each others' locations), driving to Staten Island, buying the ring, making phone calls, talking to our dad, getting an idea together, etc. Because Kristen is so crafty, Tim had to get a bit creative, and a little sneaky, in order to keep his big surprise a secret. Kristen explained, "Tim asked me to take the dog to play at the Silo where we take him every weekend. We were throwing the ball to Sarge and Tim asked me to throw the ball. Once I threw it and turned around, Tim was down on one knee asking me to marry him." What Kristen left out was that Tim had Shane and I hide on a bench nearby to capture the whole moment. Tim's brother and his partner flew in from Chicago to celebrate. Tim's parents flew in from Florida. Tim had called Kristen's Oma, Pop Pop, Nanny, parents, and his sister. Together, the families set up a beautiful and intimate engagement party at Tim's parents' house. There was champagne, more booze, food, drinks, and dogs. After that, most of us went to Kristen and Tim's favorite local bar, Harpoon Willy's, to celebrate, which was then followed by a bonfire with more champagne, more booze, more food, and more dogs at Kristen and Tim's house.

The ring: When I asked Kristen "what kind of ring is it?" she answered, "a perfect one." She had been sending Tim (and me) videos with immaculate descriptions. Tim, who was extremely nervous, said he felt really confident and happy with his decision after choosing a ring with Pete's help. Kristen loves an oval shape diamond set in a classic pave setting. Tim picked an amazing diamond and put it in the perfect setting! 

The future: Kristen and Tim already have a date set and a venue booked. The two will be married at Tim's church, St. Mark's, in Sea Girt, New Jersey on 05/01/21. The wedding reception will take place at Windows on the Water at Frogbridge. Congratulations to my sister and best friend. All of us at Gerald Peters were so excited (and are so excited) to be part of your special day!