Harleysville’s Julia Liverton and Marco Santarlasci immediately hit it off after they met two years ago, and they both knew they wanted to marry each other after just a few months, writes Valeriya Safronova for The New York Times.

Two weeks after their first date, Santarlasci’s father died unexpectedly. He knew he wanted Liverton by his side so he invited her to his Brooklyn apartment where his family and friends gathered to mourn the loss.

“Her being there meant the world to me,” he said. “It cemented our relationship. Since that night we haven’t been apart from each other for more than 24 hours.”

Santarlasci proposed to Liverton in April 2023 at their home in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn.

“I’d been driving myself a little crazy with, when will I do it? What’s the perfect moment?” he said. “But all that she cares about is that I say what I want to say.”

The couple were married by Conor Foley, the outreach minister at the First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn, at the Prospect Park Boathouse in Brooklyn on July 20 in front of 108 guests.

Read more about the couple including how Julia ended up in Brooklyn after growing up in Harley’sville in The New York Times.

First Presbyterian Church of Brooklyn 60 Second Trailer

Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on MONTCO Today in August 2024.