It’s hard to believe it’s already the end of February! Welcome back SKFJ readers, Sophia here (Social Media and Marketing Manager) and we’re back again with a Love Story – the one of Minna and Justin. These two first came to us for Minna’s engagement ring, and then again for their weddings bands. While they were local to us back then, these two have just made the move back East to New York! We’re thrilled for this new chapter of theirs, and are excited to share more about their relationship.
Read on for their sweet romance!
Minna Lee Jamison & Justin Lee Jamison
Current location: Just moved back to the NYC area from LA!
Meeting date + location: We met in NYC, July of 2018
Wedding date + location: Audrey’s Farmhouse in Wallkill, NY – upstate!
Back to the start of all of this – how did you lovebirds meet?
We met through Hinge.
Tell us about the first date!!
Minna: We met on good old Hinge, but there’s a little funny detail here– he liked one of my photos, and when I went to his profile, it listed his workplace. The name rang a bell, as I realized that was the company my sister just started working at. Naturally, I screenshotted his profile and texted my sister immediately, asking if she knew him (and if he was normal)– she responded that he was super nice!
Justin: I had suggested a very cool / hipster meetup location in Williamsburg, BK, but immediately after meeting there, we could both tell that neither one of us was into the whole loud-music/party vibe, so we decided to just walk around Williamsburg and chat. Eventually we made our way into a quieter location, where we quickly dove into very meaningful and deep conversations. It was one of those dates that felt like it was only a couple of hours, when in reality, we talked the entire night (past midnight). I remember not wanting the night to end. I knew that I needed to see Minna again and I didnt care about the unwritten dating rules… I sent her a text on my walk home telling her how much I loved our date and that I would love to see her again soon.
When was the moment you knew you loved your partner? Who said “I love you” first?
Minna: I didn’t have a concise moment of realization, but after about 6 months of dating, I knew I loved him for who he was. I said I love you first with no expectations for him to say it back– and thankfully so, because I knew he might take a bit longer to say it back, which he did haha!
Justin: First off, I knew pretty early that I loved her, but I definitely struggled with saying it out loud at first. Minna said I love you first, and one of my early regrets was not being able to respond with the I LOVE YOU TOO in that moment.
The proposal – please tell us the story!
Minna: For a few days back in October after my birthday in September, I felt like Justin was being more affectionate than usual– he’s always affectionate with me, but a few times I caught him staring at me randomly, and then lots of random “I love yous,” more than usual. Then, he said that we should go out for breakfast and coffee to a few of our favorite east-side spots, and go exploring maybe a light hike or something… I had the girl instincts and thought MAYBE it might be happening?? We had breakfast, coffee, and then walked up this beautiful little path that looked over the LA skyline– then he said something to which I responded, “well aren’t you so lucky,” and then he knelt down and said, “well, I’d be the luckiest guy in the world if…” and I don’t remember too much after that because I blacked out in excitement!
Justin: First, I wanted to make sure that I had Minna’s mom’s blessing. They are incredibly close, so I wanted to make sure that she approved (thankfully she did, with the caveat there would be a no return policy). The next important step was finding the right ring. We had identified Sofia Kaman very early on because we had both discussed marriage and what styles of rings Minna liked. She had visited the store before and just really loved the experience and the people, and I’m a big vibes person and that’s something that I felt as well. When it comes to the ring, I couldn’t be happier with the engagement ring that we had come up with for her, so I just couldn’t wait for the moment to happen. Minna’s birthday is in September (which is when I got the ring) and I didnt want to propose around her birthday, so I picked a fall day in October to plan a small sightseeing/hike. When we got to the top of a trail, overlooking LA, I told Minna that I already felt so incredibly lucky for life that we have, but I asked if she’d make me the luckiest man by marrying me.
How or when did you know that your significant other was the one?
Minna: Kind of like how I knew I loved him, it didn’t happen in a single moment– it was an ongoing collection of experiences and growing alongside him that made me realize that I could not only love him forever, but also have a fulfilling, loving partnership in life with him. Life isn’t always fair or easy, so for me, it was super important to choose a partner that had the same level of commitment and willingness to grow (as individuals and as a couple) as I do. The biggest thing for me was also that Justin is the type of person that really tries to better himself at whatever he does– whether it be his work, creative pursuits, relationships, personal growth, etc. I also deal with two chronic health conditions, one of which is Endometriosis, which can be very hard to manage and can be disruptive in a lot of life scenarios– how he has supported me through that really showed me that he was someone I could grow old with.
Justin: I just knew by the way that we go about our lives together. Every step has just felt so natural and I just couldn’t imagine those moments with anyone but her.
What is your favorite thing about your significant other?
Minna: I love that at his very core, he deeply cares about people and he treats anyone he interacts with the same respect and undivided attention across the board.
Justin: How much she cares about everyone and everything she does. She’s so passionate, and that comes out in every aspect of her life — From her work, to her hobbies, to her loved ones.
Do you have any notable stories that have stood out over the years – hilarious, sentimental, anything!
Minna: Well, this goes into how we met a bit– so as I mentioned earlier, my sister worked with and knew Justin, but Justin had no idea that I was his co-worker’s sister. After we matched and started messaging each other on Hinge (but hadn’t gone out yet) and we had agreed to go on a first date, their company had a big (and very libation-filled) summer pool party. My sister ran up to Justin later into the party, and said, “SO I HEAR YOU’RE TALKING TO MY SISTER!” Justin had no idea or context, so he was so confused at first, but they eventually figured it out. We laughed about it on our first date– and Justin said he was thankful my sister didn’t push him into the pool!
Justin: (A bit of a downer alert) I received news that I lost my dad while I was at her place. My dad and I had a complex relationship, so it was really hard for me to process, but I will always remember how Minna was right there for me following his passing. I just felt loved.
What’s your go-to date night idea?
Minna: We both are suckers for a stellar mezcal margarita, so we generally gravitate towards a great cocktail spot for that and small bites. Ever since getting our pup though, we have also become big fans of a very early-bird special dinner and the 5pm reservation– because we can go for dinner and drinks, but then come home in time for our little boy’s playtime and dinner. We also love doing coffee morning dates at new local coffeeshops, since we are coffee nerds!
Justin: Minna and I are both food lovers. We get really excited about great food, especially if it’s a restaurant that we’ve been dying to try (or just a favorite that we’ve been craving. A perfect date night to me is one that also reminds me of our first date, one that has us diving into conversations and checking in with each other on a different level — sharing great food and conversation.
Let’s talk jewels – how did you choose this ring?! Who took the reigns on designing or choosing your ring? give us all the deets.
Minna: After we talked about getting engaged in the near future, I had come into SKFJ to try out a handful of rings, just to see what I gravitated towards and what looked good on my hands. I loved the look of multi-stone rings, and an oval-shaped center. I also was obsessed with the unique beauty of champagne diamonds. After noting those things, Justin went to SKFJ, and worked with Lisa to create a bespoke ring for me! I was so stunned by it when he proposed, it felt SO me.
Justin: First of all, shout out to Lisa! I had a really good idea what style I wanted, but Lisa and the SK team was literally perfect in every part of the process. They had all of our previous notes from past visits and I was able to look at mock-ups within a day and or so of my engagement ring consultation visit. The ring is exactly what I had pictured and Minna still looks at her hand all the time and talks about how much she loves it.
How was wedding planning experience? What’s was different about wedding planning than you imagined?
Justin: The wedding planning process was fun because I feel like Minna and I were in agreement on pretty much everything. Our wedding was small and intimate, but I think the thing that surprised us the most was the cost of everything, even for a small ceremony/reception.
(Minna says the same!)
If married, what was your favorite part of your wedding? If engaged, what are you looking forward to most about the big day?
Minna: My favorite part was simply that we were with all the people we love most in the world, and how intimate our wedding was– so we truly got to spend quality time with everyone of the span of the weekend, and I have never felt so celebrated and loved in my life! It was really one of those things that you’ll remember forever.
Justin: My favorite part was seeing all of the people that we love in one place. Friends and family from different sides of the country — our families finally meeting for the first time! Seeing all of those people in one happy group made our day.
Will there be a honeymoon involved? Tell us more…
Minna: At some point, we’d love to take a honeymoon to Europe– Italy, France, or Portugal, likely, but it’s so hard to be away from our son (Benny, @bennybthecorgi) for too long!!
Justin: Eventually! It didn’t make sense for us to do our honeymoon after the wedding, but it’s something that we still continue to talk about and plan.
Alright – so what does the future hold for the two of you? Is there a five-year plan in the works?
Minna: We don’t know exactly what the future holds, but what we just did (bought a house in NJ to be closer to some family and our close friends!) is a big step in that direction. We are treating this as our forever home and hope to really root ourselves with our people there.
Justin: I think that there’s always a five year plan, but the most important thing for me is maintaining a healthy, strong, and constantly growing relationship.
Finally, if you could add any piece to your SKFJ collection, which one would it be?!
Minna: Everything is beautiful, so that’s tough to choose! I’m a big earring girl (and Justin actually got me SKFJ earrings for my birthday last year too!). I tried on the medium melt hoops and they were gorgeous– the Hermosa diamond chain earrings and Tiny mosaic huggies are pretty spectacular too.
Justin: I recently made another trip into Sofia Kaman to buy Minna a birthday gift, and ended up buying her some beautiful earrings that caught my eye right away. However, I also saw some gorgeous and unique diamond earrings that I’ll have to add to Minna’s collection in the near future.
