Kathryn and Jonas got married on December 12, 2025 at The Grand Hotel of Cape May.

Their Story

Jonas and Kathryn met on Hinge during the pandemic — “which basically makes us the poster children for romance in the time of social distancing,” she says. “Not exactly the stuff of classic love stories, but apparently the algorithm knew what it was doing.”

Their first date was at The El Bar in Fishtown, “a place that can best be described as a dive that knows it’s a dive and refuses to apologize for it.”

“Over multiple Miller Lites and the kind of conversation that just refuses to die, we realized we had a ridiculous amount in common,” recalls Kathryn. “It was so easy to talk that it felt like we had accidentally skipped the awkward early dating phase and jumped straight into ‘we’ve been friends for years’ territory.”

Less than three months later they were officially dating, proving that love can indeed thrive in a pandemic, at a dive bar, and fueled by cheap beer. “And the rest is history — or at least a very millennial version of it,” she says.

The Proposal

“Our engagement story is proof that sometimes the most romantic moments happen on the least romantic days,” says Kathryn. “Case in point: it was my birthday… and it was also a Monday. I had just gotten home from work, mentally prepared for nothing more exciting than leftovers and sweatpants, when Jonas surprised me with a steak dinner, a charcuterie board loaded with all my favorite treats, and a bottle of red wine. A strong showing for a Monday, honestly.”

“We poured the wine, played some music, and hung out like it was any normal weeknight while he finished cooking. At this point, I had been hoping he would propose sometime soon, but I certainly did not have ‘Monday night birthday in our kitchen’ on my bingo card,” says Kathryn.

“Then, in the middle of our extremely regular evening, Jonas mysteriously left the room for a moment (which I did not question because, again, it was Monday). When he came back, he got down on one knee, pulled out a ring, and asked the question. Zero preamble. Zero flash. Maximum impact.”

Choosing the Venue

“Choosing our wedding venue was probably the easiest decision we made in the entire planning process,” says the bride. “The Grand Hotel of Cape May has always been a special place for my family. My great-uncle on my father’s side bought the hotel many years ago, and ever since then it has basically served as home base for every milestone imaginable — weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, and even the occasional funeral (because in my family, we gather for everything).”

“My parents were married at The Grand. My brother and his wife were married there. A good portion of my cousins were married there too.”

“Some families hand down heirlooms — apparently mine hands down wedding venues,” says Kathryn.

“Growing up, I spent countless weekends running around its hallways, getting scooped up by relatives, and celebrating whatever occasion brought us all together. So for me, choosing The Grand wasn’t really a choice at all — it was a no-brainer.”

And on top of the family history, it doesn’t exactly hurt that the place is gorgeous.

Details of the Day

“We like to describe our wedding as a winter wedding with a pop of Christmas — emphasis on pop,” says, Kathryn. “Not full holiday takeover, just a tasteful seasonal cameo.”

“We used fresh winter greenery draped across the tables, and layered in a mix of candles so the whole room glowed.”

“White-light Christmas trees were tucked around the space for extra ambiance, and each place setting had cutlery tied with a thin red ribbon and a sprig of rosemary.”

“Every champagne glass had frozen cranberries for a festive sparkle, and we even added a glass of milk with a cookie balanced on top for the kids — because children demand whimsy and we respect that.”

Kathryn’s “pop” of Christmas came through in the details—a Naughty + Nice seating chart, ornaments as our guest book so people could leave notes we could hang on our tree for years to come, and Santa made a surprise appearance with a bag of goodies for the kids after dinner.”

“Our flowers were simple and classic — white roses with winter greenery tucked underneath, and we included white and red poinsettias around the room.”

“It was seasonal, cozy, and a little bit cheeky — not quite Christmas, but Christmas-adjacent in all the best ways.”

Favorite Moment

“There were honestly too many favorite moments to count, but two in particular live rent-free in our heads, both of which took place on the dance floor,” says Kathryn.

“The first was when ‘Mr. Brightside’ came on and, without warning or reason, several of our friends decided it was time to physically launch us into the air. No coordination, no safety protocols — just pure Millennial instinct.”

“One minute we were screaming the lyrics, the next we were crowd-surfing wedding edition. 10/10 would do again.”

“The second was toward the end of the night and the dance floor was packed. All of our closest friends and family linked arms in one massive, slightly sweaty circle and proceeded to belt ‘Piano Man’ at the top of our lungs.”

“It was chaotic, nostalgic, a little off-key, and sincerely one of the best feelings in the world. If we could bottle that moment, we would.”

Wedding Day Attire

The bridesmaids wore mismatched black dresses with fur shawls, and the guys were in black tuxes.

Jonas also wore a black tux. Kathryn wore Blue Willow, a dress in Anne Barge’s Collier collection.

“It was long-sleeve, off-the shoulder, and all lace. I also wore a cathedral length veil with lace detailing around the trim for church.”

Advice For Other Couples

“If we had any advice for other couples, it would be to have fun,” says Kathryn. “Wedding planning takes an absurd amount of time, energy and emotional bandwidth, and yes, it can be stressful. But the day itself goes by in what feels like one very well-dressed blink. And honestly — how many times in your life will all of your favorite people be in the same room at the same time, with good music, and an open bar?”

“Relish in it. Relish in them. But mostly relish in each other. It was the best day of our lives and we only wish we could live it over again.”

Honeymoon

For their honeymoon, they went to Peru for two weeks. They left two days after the wedding.

“Neither of us had ever been to South America before, and I’m not entirely sure when the idea first came up — it just sort of became the destination and suddenly we were booking flights.”

“But between the archeological sites, the food, the culture, and the views, it ended up being the perfect place for us.”

“The highlight (and the most humbling part) was a four-day hike on the Salkantay trek to Machu Picchu. It might be the coolest thing we’ve ever done — equal parts breathtaking and ‘wow, we are absolutely hiking uphill again.’ Challenging? Yes. Worth it? A thousand percent.”

“Would recommend Peru to anyone who likes adventure, panoramic scenery, and really REALLY good food.”