Jersey City, New Jersey
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A warm spring evening in Jersey City with Kim and Ross! Apparently we skipped straight from gloomy, rainy to spring to warm, toasty summer because it was hot hot HOT during this session — but these two kept it cool and effortless from start to finish. Although I lived in Jersey City for several years, I haven’t done too much exploring of the Paulus Hook area, so I was excited for Kim and Ross to show me some of their favorite spots.
This sweet couple first met in the summer of 2017. As Kim tells it, “I had just started grad school and was looking for a job while I was in school. I wanted to check out this restaurant Ninety Acres because I knew the food was good and it was super close to my house. My twin sister, Jen, recommended reaching out to Ross since she knew he had worked there for a few summers, SO I went to apply in-person and of course standing right behind the bar was my knight in a shining green apron — ROSS! We chatted for a bit, I submitted my application and then started working there not too long after. One day, we both got cut from our shift since there weren’t a lot of reservations and it was raining, so I asked him if he wanted to go to the mall with me to look for an outfit for the Hunt; it was the next day and we were going with the same group of people. I guess this means I made the first move?! We went shopping, even though I secretly already knew what I was going to wear, and then went to dinner.”
“I would say I liked Ross immediately and just knew that I wanted to get to know him more. Our relationship just came very easy. Apparently I even told my mom that I was going to marry him not long after we met. What’s funny is that in high school I was friends with most of his friends (Ross was a grade below me) and everyone would always say how amazing this infamous “Ross” guy was, but for some reason we just never crossed paths. The world must have been saving the best for last. We’ve been together for six years now and have made Jersey City our home for the last three.”
Ross officially popped the question in November of 2023! Ross told Kim he had booked a cooking class for the two of them at Ninety Acres, where they first met. Kim was immediately suspicious, and assumed it would just be dinner and — potentially — a proposal. However, she was wrong (kind of!). “We went to an American Polish cooking class and I was so stuffed from all the pirogies and stuffed cabbage (delish), basically rolling out the door, that I didn’t think Ross was going to propose on this day anymore. As we were heading out of the restaurant, we ran into a bunch of people we used to work with and I stopped to talk to all of them. Ross kept rushing me through these conversations which is very unlike him, so I knew something was up. We finally made it to the exit, walked out the door, Ross bent down on one knee, I started sobbing, a photographer emerged, my sister, her boyfriend, and their dog emerged from the bushes — and the rest is history.” Not only that, Ross put together a surprise engagement party afterwards with their friends and family at their favorite spot in Jersey City, Satis Wine Bar! “It was cozy, intimate, and absolutely perfect. I couldn’t have dreamt of a better day or man to spend the rest of my life with.”
Together these two live in the Paulus Hook neighborhood of Jersey City and love going out to eat and cooking together, playing pickle ball and going for long walks, and having a lazy Sunday on the couch watching movies and ordering Bobwhite’s.
Jersey City is such a special place to Kim and Ross, making the setting for their engagement session all the more meaningful. “We’ve lived there for the past three years and love it so much. We love all of the older brownstones, the way the trees look in the spring, and how much charm all of the neighborhoods have. It feels very authentic to us and our relationship.” We even took photos at Satis Wine Bar, their favorite spot and the location Ross wisely chose for their surprise engagement party. From start to finish, this engagement session was the perfect summary of Kim and Ross’s love story — and I’m so excited to document their special day next May at Hamilton Farm Golf Club!
