Home PeopleBridal This Couple Had 2 Local Engagements — 1 in Front of the Jersey City Courthouse

This Couple Had 2 Local Engagements — 1 in Front of the Jersey City Courthouse

by Samantha Impaglia
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Samantha and Stephanie Hagans are a Jersey City couple that has lots of local ties in their love story. The duo has been married for four months now and lives in Jersey City with their three cats after a Hinge date turned into a 7-hour hangout. From one partner moving from NYC to Hudson County to the local vendors they used at their wedding, read on to learn more about Samantha and Stephanie’s journey.

engagement wedding jersey city courthouse

Hoboken Girl: What do you both do for a living?

Samantha + Stephanie: Samantha is a K-12 school psychologist and Stephanie is an emergency manager with NYU.

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HG: When + why did you move to JC?

S+S: Sam moved to Jersey City in 2017. She was working in NYC and had been commuting from down the shore and just wanted to be closer but still live somewhere that felt like there was a sense of community. Stephanie moved to JC in 2020 to move in with Sam. Originally, Stephanie said she would never move to the Jersey side of the Hudson, but Sam was adamant that she would love JC. After a lot of convincing, Stephanie finally caved and she has never looked back. We love that Jersey City is such a tight-knit community, everyone is always looking out for each other and supporting each other.

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HG: When/where did you and your partner meet?

S+S: We met in March of 2019 through the dating app Hinge. We were thankfully working only a few blocks from each other in NYC, so we wound up meeting at a local bar for happy hour drinks – which turned into a 7-hour date.

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(Photo credit: Grace Brown Photography)

HG: How long have you been together?

S+S: We have been together for three years and married for four months.

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HG: Was there an instant connection/chemistry between you two?

S+S: Yes! It truly felt like love at first sight. We never ran out of things to talk about and still, three years later we learn new things about each other every day and we love it!

Read More: This Couple Got Engaged at Pier C With the Help of Hoboken’s Mayor

HG: What are the qualities you love most about each other?

S+S: Stephanie loves Sam’s sense of humor and her ability to make friends with literally anyone. She also loves that Sam sings everything and anything, chores, to-do lists, whatever can be sung Sam likes to sing. Sam loves Stephanie’s loyalty and passion for things that she cares about. She also loves that Stephanie is such a good cat mom to our three cats and how creative she is.

HG: When was the moment you knew you were meant to marry each other?

S+S: In September of 2019 Stephanie attended a family wedding with Sam where she met her family and all her friends. It was a two-hour drive to Connecticut – which turned into a 4-hour drive because of traffic – and Sam and Steph had an amazing time listening to podcasts and singing, and by the time they got there they didn’t want the drive to end. Stephanie fit in so well with everyone and felt like she truly belonged there. That moment made us feel like this was something that would last forever.

HG: Tell us about your proposal.

S+S: We each proposed to each other. Sam proposed to Stephanie at home on their patio in JC. She decorated it with flowers and candles and then put bandanas on their cats that said “will you marry me”. Stephanie proposed to Sam in front of the Jersey City courthouse because she knew Sam loved that building. She hired a photographer to capture the moment. She also had Sam’s friends in on it because she knew that Sam would not want to leave the house or get dressed up (this was July 2020). So, she had Sam’s friends text her and invite her out for drinks at their favorite restaurant (Luna JC).  Sam complained about having to go, but still got dressed up and went out and was so surprised!

engagement wedding jersey city courthouse

(Photo credit: Grace Brown Photography)

HG: How surprised were you? Were you expecting it?

S+S: We were both expecting it since we each had a part in designing our rings, however, were equally surprised by how it happened and how creative each of us was!

HG: How long were you engaged and what has been the best part about it?

S+S: We were engaged from July 2019 to December 2020. The best part has been the support of four friends and family! We were so thankful for our friends and family who traveled from near and far to be a part of all of our special days. We are both very particular so it was been really fun combining both of our styles and aesthetics to create our perfect vision.

See More: Jersey City’s Newest Restaurant + Wedding Venue: Meet Terra E Mare

HG: Where did you get married?

S+S: We were married at the Ryland Inn in White House Station NJ. We actually found it because we looked at Liberty House in Liberty State Park and were told about all of the different Landmark properties.

engagement wedding jersey city courthouse

(Photo credit: Grace Brown Photography)

HG: What part of the wedding planning process were you most excited about and not looking forward to?

S+S: We enjoyed working with our vendors and most of the creative parts, like flowers and invites! Choosing local vendors has been so amazing. We had a hard time mitigating our stress and making sure we still took time for just us to enjoy the experience!

HG: How many people did you have at your wedding?

S+S: We had 120 people and it felt like a perfect amount.

engagement wedding jersey city courthouse

(Photo credit: Grace Brown Photography)

HG: Do you use any local vendors? If so, which ones and why them?

S+S: Yes! We used Karma Florals, The Hair Room JC, Love Locked for rings and jewelry, MoxieFox for details, and Grace Brown Photo. Kerry from Love Locked has been such an amazing part of our wedding planning process, she helped us design our engagement rings, wedding bands, and all of our bridesmaids’ jewelry as well. As soon as we met her we were completely blown away by her beautiful work!

Kristyn with Karam florals completely understood our vision and we were blown away by her work at our wedding, our guests are still talking about it four months later!

We met Erin Fox during one of her pop-ups at Kanibal and loved her work. She created the most beautiful signature drink board for us that captured our three cats so perfectly.

We truly cannot speak highly enough of Grace Brown. She is professional and personable – by the end, we just wanted to be her best friends. All of our friends and family cannot believe how beautiful our photos have come out. Sam hates being in front of the camera and Grace was able to make everyone feel calm and really capture both of our personalities. She handled delicate family situations and high tensions with “grace” (lol) and professionalism while still capturing beautiful and timeless photos.

engagement wedding jersey city courthouse

(Photo credit: Grace Brown Photography)

HG: What are you looking forward to most as a married couple?

S+S: We are excited to be able to have our lives together and hopefully buy a home within the next year as well as start a family.

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