Ashley & Rafael
AshleyGoncalves
&RafaelValentin
August172024
Sparta Township, NJ
Our Story
How We Met
Ashley and Rafael met when they worked at the same laboratory at Rutgers University. Rafael had just completed his Ph.D. and Ashley was about to start the pursuit of her own in Miami, Florida. They had expected to part ways once Ashley left for Miami with a tearful goodbye, but ended up calling one another every day to talk for hours. Not long after, Rafael visited Ashley and they took an impromptu trip to Key West, where they realized they were in love.
The Proposal
Four years later, Rafael invited Ashley to a "New Years Eve" trip to Niagara Falls to visit their close friends in Canada. Little did Ashley know, Rafael had been planning their engagement, having her custom ring made in secret, and that the trip was actually a proposal. On a rainy evening before the illuminated Niagara Falls, Rafael got on one knee and asked Ashley if she would like to spend the rest of her life with him - and she said yes!