It was a winter’s day like any other in New York, 2017. The sun was shining, the birds were tweeting almost as much as the influencers and love was in the air - among other indescribable Manhattan odours.
After accidentally scheduling our first date on Valentine’s day, we met for the first time in an East Village bar called The Scratcher. We had a great first date, even though Johan failed to bring the half eaten box of chocolates as promised.
The bar was just around the corner from the New York University journalism building, where Esmé was studying for her Masters degree. Johan was working in a business intelligence consultancy in Manhattan, and living with two roommates in a studio apartment in Brooklyn.
We had only been together for a few months when Johan had to return to Sweden to get a new US visa, leaving Esmé in the US searching for a job after graduation and living in 4 different apartments in one memorable summer.
We decided to stay together despite it being uncertain if Johan would be able to come back to the US, and happily in September 2017, he had his visa granted. We moved in together to a 1-bed apartment in Queens, conveniently located on the same street as a stationery shop and a bagel shop.
In Christmas 2018, our families met for the first time when Johan’s parents flew over to northern England to spend Christmas with the Montgomerys.
Missing our families, in February 2019 we decided to move a bit closer to home and came back to live in London, with frequent trips to Sweden.
While a difficult year for everyone, 2021 was also a good year for us as we got engaged in February 2021.
Since then, around two career changes (Johan to software development and Esmé to government communications), we’ve been excitedly planning our wedding.
We can’t wait to celebrate with you in June. Thank you for sticking with us throughout the years.
Esmé & Johan
E&J 2022