Wedding and prom season are upon us, and the inquiries regarding what to wear and were to shop are starting to pour in. So, we’ll be bringing you some formal wear inspiration in the coming months to empower you to be the most confident dashing dapper you can be. First up this wedding season, we’re celebrating the very dapper nuptials of Eren and Jennifer:
Jennifer and Eren’s Love Story:
Proving that love happens when you least expect it and can sometimes catch you off-guard, Jennifer and Eren met in the summer of 2005 when Jennifer was already in a relationship and Eren had just gotten out of one. At the time, Eren was content to stay single for a long time. “I was in college pursuing a Journalism degree and one day had too much time on my hands. As a prank, I decided to set up an online-dating profile for my shy best friend. I would browse dozens of badly written profiles every day trying to find dates for her. As fate would have it, I came across the most beautiful person I’d ever seen who had a well written, clever and charming profile. She was more than just beautiful, something about her felt ‘familiar’ to me, as if I’d known her before,” said Eren.
Eren immediately saved the profile and never showed it to her friend. After a few days of not being able to get the beautiful face out of her mind, Eren just had to reach out. So, she sent Jennifer a message. Eventually, Jennifer responded and they became great friends. “We laughed, we learned everything we could about each other and inevitably, we fell in love,” Jennifer stated.
After a few months, they decided they were soul-mates and just had to be together, so Eren and Jennifer officially became a couple.”We had a beautiful romance. When I graduated university, we bought a house together in Atlanta. Life was wonderful,” said Eren. But, being a bi-national couple (Eren is originally from the Bahamas), their life together was permeated by short separations and immigration battles. In 2013, they experienced their longest separation ever as they endured an intense immigration process. Jennifer stated, “After DOMA was struck down it finally became possible for me, as an American citizen, to sponsor Eren for her green card. We were thrilled, but the process took a lot longer than we’d expected.” Thankfully, their petition was approved and, after being apart for more than a year and a half, Eren returned to the US in September of 2014. “Being separated was unbelievably hard but I knew as soon as I got back, I would be asking her to marry me. I couldn’t wait! I had an engagement ring that was burning a hole in my pocket! Finally, after all we’d been through, we would finally be together forever never to be separated again,” Eren stated.
The Proposal:
On the ninth year anniversary of their first meeting, Eren made arrangements for a fancy dinner and a romantic ride on Atlanta’s huge Ferris wheel that overlooks the city. Erin stated, “I’d planned to get us a private gondola and then get down on one knee as we reached the very top of the ride. Unfortunately, Jennifer had had major surgery a few weeks before and was still recovering. Nearing the end of dinner, I could tell she was tired and that my plans for the Ferris wheel would have to be ditched. I was slightly disappointed but I also knew that I HAD to propose that day; I couldn’t wait any longer. So, even though I knew all she wanted to do was go home and take a nap, I convinced her to come with me to our favorite park.”
Jennifer responded, “It was a gorgeous fall day. We sat for a while and then Eren asked if I would go for a little walk with her before we went home.” Eren spotted the perfect location: a bench in a secluded area of the park that was facing a gorgeous, still lake. As geese marched around them and the trees rained yellow and red leaves down on their heads, Eren dropped down on one knee and proposed. “I was completely surprised and so happy! We’d talked about marriage so long and both knew it was inevitable. We were already planning the wedding! So, I didn’t think that an actual engagement, with her on one-knee and a gorgeous ring, was going to happen. She really surprised me. Later on I found out that she had to alter her original proposal idea. But, even though it wasn’t 20 stories above Atlanta like she’d planned, it was still beautiful and absolutely perfect,” Jennifer stated.
The Wedding:
Eren and Jennifer traveled to Charlotte, NC (where Jennifer is originally from) and were married on December 22nd, 2014 with a few family members and friends by their sides.
On Eren’s Effortlessly Chic Wedding Outfit:
Erin: I pride myself on dressing well; Some would say, meticulously. Yet, I never want it to SEEM that I spent too much time fussing over my outfit. Like most brides, I spent a long time before the wedding deciding how I wanted to look and chose my outfit carefully. Because my wife and I were getting married in an intimate, daytime ceremony at a courthouse, I knew I wanted to look great, but also that I needed to keep the outfit toned-down for the setting and time. I bought each piece individually and put the outfit together myself. I chose a black velvet Alfani blazer and had it inexpensively tailored so that it would fit me perfectly. It’s not that easy to see in pictures, but the white shirt (Tasso Elba purchased at Macy’s) I paired with the blazer had a touch of color and pattern, just to keep things interesting. To fit our winter theme, I chose cranberry pants by LENA that I found at a department store and my Brogues came from ASOS. My Cranberry bow-tie was handmade by a fantastic Etsy seller. After the lapel flower I was originally going to wear didn’t work out, my wife actually handmade one for me on the morning of our big day. She’s crafty that way and I love it! Luckily, I’m pretty tall, so most men’s clothing fits me well without needing to be altered too much, if at all. But, there are times when that perfect, made just for you, fit is essential and that’s when a good tailor comes into play. Jennifer and I plan to have a larger reception in the Fall and for that occasion I’d like to have a custom suit made.
