For Alex Costa and Shannon McManus, the 2nd time would be a charm. The two met last year at the University of Delaware, where they were in the same freshman dorm. They dated off and on and stayed friendly. Ten years later, once they reconnected in New York, they “realized quickly that it was intended to be,” says Alex.

The couple has been sharing a 400-square-foot studio apartment in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for under a year in August 2020 ball gown wedding dress when Shannon surprised Alex by popping the question one normal, pandemic-style evening aware of a ring that blew her away.

“I think my jaw hit the ground when I first viewed it,” says Alex. “It was the precise ring I would have selected for myself.” Shannon had spent months dealing with her favorite designer, Jemma Wynne, in secret around the emerald-and-diamond Toi et Moi design, and somehow kept it under wraps regardless of their being quarantined the entire time in their tiny studio. “In typical pandemic style, we celebrated around the couch in sweats with takeout and champagne,” Alex says.

A little over annually later on August 10, 2021, they held a colorful and customized celebration at The William Vale in Williamsburg. The couple invited 60 guests to become listed on them for an evening that incorporated common elements of their life together in Brooklyn, from strolling the economic waterfront for you to getting ice cream at Mister Dips' food truck. Bright, happy colors and frothy, floaty textures ruled your day, from Alex’s bouquet and romantic, billowy gown to the couple’s rescue pup, Luna, who stayed by their side the entire day and, inside a fluffy outfit of her very own, doubled as Alex’s something blue.