Jeffrey Sankovich and Sara Sankovich invite you to attend our Wedding Celebration on June 28th, 2008 at 12:00PM. Our celebration will be held at Collingwood Presbyterian Church located in Toledo, OH. We built this site to offer more information about our wedding day.
Please feel free to view more information about the wedding ceremony and reception, picture gallery, rsvp online, and to view our registry. We look forward to renewing our vows, and getting to spend it with all of our closest friends and family.
How We Met
We first met in the Falcon Marching Band at Bowling Green State University, where Sara played clarinet and I played the bass drum. As the days went by we began to notice each other from a distance, usually with a friendly smile. The days turned into weeks and I still could not gather the nerve to speak with her during practice. We officially met each other at a friends apartment, she was sitting on a couch in the kitchen/living room and I decided that I was going to introduce myself. I don't recall what I said during our short conversation, but I do remember feeling awkward kneeling down in the kitchen talking to a total stranger. "You're cute, keep it up," I said as I patted her on the knee and walked away. I thought I was sly, she thought I was a bit goofy.
I didn't expect much to happen after that, but I had decided that I would ask her on a date. I saw her walking up the stairs within a few days of the introduction and I caught up to her and asked for her number. I was surprised that she actually gave it to me. She could have easily said no, told me to get lost, and that would be the end of it. I am lucky it wasn't.
So I have her number, now what? Once again, nerves played a huge role. I searched the internet for hours on "How long should you wait until you call?" I also thought about not calling altogether, because I was worried about what we would talk about and how much I hate talking on the phone. Once I made the call, it was like talking with someone I knew for years. After a few phone calls and many short walks around campus, we decided it was time for a first date.
Anybody that met me at college knew that I had no luck with dating. In about four years I had a grand total of three real dates. So when Sara came along, even though my hopes were high, my expectations were not great. Everyone I dated seemed to have a "one date and your done" policy and because of this my friends were very protective of me. Before the date began, Sara was blasted from all sides from my friends saying things like, "You better be good to him." Friends are great!
The first date came on Saturday, November 2nd and consisted of dinner at the Olive garden and a front row seat at Connextions Comedy Club. We came to see some no-name comedians and the headliner, Greg Morton. Comedian after comedian picked on me all night, it was like I was wearing a bullseye that said "I'm on a first date, make fun of me." It must have worked, because Sara laughed all night long at my expense.
The next day came quickly and I had made a decision that I wanted to ask her to be my girlfriend. I called her up, she said "No." She had just dumped an idiot boy and was not ready for a relationship. I was sad and crushed once again. Erin Pavolko, the maid of honor, came to my aid with some comforting words: "You don't need her anyways." That cheered me up a little bit. It seemed like my "one date and your done" policy was in full swing again. Then one day, I walked into my apartment and on the desk sat a dozen yellow roses decorated with baby's breath. She had changed her mind about me.
Our Engagement
I have never seen anything quite as beautiful as this place. We were halfway though our week long trip in Colorado when we pulled up to the toll booth at Rocky Mountain National Park. "Fifteen Dollars," the park ranger said as I reluctantly pulled my credit card from the wallet. At this point in my life, fifteen dollars was a huge amount of money... especially when I had just spent a grand on the engagement ring tucked away in my pocket.
Not too long after the gate we found our eyes glued to the beauty of the place we were in. Herds of elk, literally within arms reach, filled us with excitement and a sense of fear as we drove by. We were drawn to stop at a mountain spring to explore and wonder why it took us so long to come to this place. As we made our way through the park, I couldn't help thinking about the question I would ask at the end of this adventure.
We started up a mountain road to a place called Bear Lake; this is the where I would do it...this is where I would ask. We parked the car and Sara and I started towards the trail. The snow, packed from past travelers, was slippery and deep. The lake was in site as my hand clutched the ring to make sure I still had it in my pocket. Sara looks at me and says, "I'm cold, let's go back to the car." "Ahh," I replied, "Um....." . "Your gonna do it aren't you," Sara interrupted. "Yeah." Then I got down on my knee in the cold snow and said "Every Morning when I wake up I'm so happy because I know you love me." "Sara Hardie, will you Marry Me?" The rest is history!