Alexa Jayne Nicolette and Mladen Vasic each labored for about eight months in the identical workplace constructing in Midtown Manhattan, however their paths by no means crossed till in the future in early Could 2014, once they shared the identical elevator.
They mentioned howdy and awkwardly smiled at one another. “As quickly as I bought out of the elevator, I texted my two finest pals a less-than-flattering image of how I appeared that day and mentioned, ‘I believe I simply met my future husband wanting like this,’” mentioned Ms. Nicolette, 34, now a licensed realtor for Signature Premier Properties in Huntington, N.Y.
Mr. Vasic was impressed nonetheless. “The primary time I met Alexa, she was magnetic,” he mentioned. “We had solely mentioned howdy, but I used to be so drawn to her.”
A few week later, the 2 had one other elevator encounter. Ms. Nicolette was coming down from her workplace on the showroom for the style designer Yigal Azrouël, whereas Mr. Vasic, a gross sales advisor for Strategic Consulting Providers, was ready for the elevator within the foyer.
“The doorways opened and we exchanged a smile,” Ms. Nicolette mentioned. “He briefly stepped into the elevator and hesitated earlier than turning round to comply with me out. We exchanged numbers.”
“There was chemistry,” Mr. Vasic, 32, added, “and I knew I didn’t wish to be with out her.”
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Their first date was a spontaneous lunch in Bryant Park close to their workplace constructing throughout a workday in late Could. “The climate was stunning, so we determined to sneak away from work,” Ms. Nicolette mentioned. “I sat there being captivated the entire time by how variety and genuine he was. Evidently, our lunch break ran properly over an hour as we sat within the park holding palms and kissing.”
In 2016, after two years of courting, Mr. Vasic moved into Ms. Nicolette’s studio condo on the Higher East Facet of Manhattan. And in 2021, they purchased a home in Centerport, N.Y., Ms. Nicolette’s hometown. “I needed to be nearer to my household and we determined to construct a future collectively there,” she mentioned. “We knew for some time that we needed to marry one another, however didn’t wish to rush to the altar. We needed to perform our profession objectives and develop collectively earlier than making it official.”
On Sept. 10, 2022, Mr. Vasic took Ms. Nicolette to their favourite vineyard, Del Vino Vineyards in Northport, N.Y. “We each usually labored on weekends, and whereas at work that day, he texted me utilizing the pretense that it was the final weekend Del Vino was serving frosé, which I really like, and we must always go after work,” Ms. Nicolette mentioned. “It was a beautiful fall-like day, so I couldn’t resist.”
When the 2 arrived on the vineyard, they had been met by a photographer whom Mr. Vasic had employed, unbeknownst to Ms. Nicolette. The photographer informed them that she was taking pictures of tourists for the vineyard. “She took some pictures of us in the course of the winery after which she wrapped up the session,” Ms. Nicolette mentioned. “Once I turned to Mladen, he was down on one knee. I believe I blanked out from the thrill and requested him afterward if I mentioned sure.”
The photographer, who pretended to have left, had secretly stayed and brought pictures of the second.
After the proposal, Ms. Nicolette realized that Mr. Vasic had requested her father for her hand in marriage three months earlier than he died of cirrhosis, in July 2022. “That basically touched my coronary heart as a result of Mladen knew how necessary it was to me that he ask my dad for his blessing to marry me,” she mentioned.
The couple selected Sept. 23, the autumn equinox, for his or her wedding ceremony date. “To us, it represents steadiness and concord — when darkness and light-weight completely coexist,” Ms. Nicolette mentioned. “We thought it was significant for our wedding ceremony.”
The couple exchanged handwritten vows throughout an intimate ceremony on the Barn at Topping Rose Home in Bridgehampton, N.Y. Ms. Nicolette’s finest good friend, Audrey Shaffer, who was ordained by the Common Life Church for the occasion, officiated in entrance of 75 visitors. A reception adopted within the Studio at Topping Rose Home.
Rising collectively has been on the core of the couple’s relationship. “We had been younger and in our 20s once we met, and our bond grew as we bought to know one another all through the years,” Ms. Nicolette mentioned.
She has a bachelor’s diploma in retailing and shopper science from the College of Arizona. Mr. Vasic, now a monetary advisor at New Begin Capital in Midtown Manhattan, has a bachelor’s in finance from William Paterson College.
“Our life objectives and values aligned, and we have now been by means of virtually a decade along with so many ups and downs,” Ms. Nicolette mentioned, “however life has been a lot extra fulfilling and simpler to navigate with one another.”
Ms. Nicolette usually jokes that Mr. Vasic gave his finest elevator pitch once they met. “With over 8.5 million folks in New York Metropolis, I really feel so fortunate to have run into Mladen,” she mentioned. “I all the time knew I’d meet my husband by likelihood like at a grocery retailer — or in an elevator.”
