Krista moved back home to Parkwood in 2007 and landed a job with Headline Promotions, a marketing company.
In August 2009, Sarah invited her for a Nantucket vacation.
"My friend Chris and I are at our favorite bar in downtown Nantucket, and in walks a group of women who are raising all sorts of hell and whooping it up," said Jason. Among them, he instantly recognized Krista.
Krista recognized Jason, too. She still thought he was cute, and after a few minutes of furtive glances between them, Krista asked if she could buy Jason a shot.
"A beautiful woman says, ‘Can I buy you a drink?’ How often does that happen to a guy?" Jason said.
They talked a little while, but Jason and his friend had been on their way out.
Luckily, Nantucket is not a big island.
That Friday night, Jason and friends were celebrating his brother Scott’s birthday when Krista and her crew walked in. "I offered to buy Scott a birthday shot … just to talk to Jason," she said.
They wound up leaving to take a walk together. "We stopped at a bus stop bench, and sat and talked there for an hour or so," Krista said. "A bunch of his friends kept driving by the bench and beeping at us, and yelling and being dumb guys," she remembered.
"I fell in love with her five minutes after we left the bar," Jason said. "I think she was a little bit behind me, but by the time I drove her home, she was pretty smitten."
Krista confirms her smitten state. "He is very funny, and he knew how to make me laugh and smile," she said. "I just heard things from people that he was a kind person, and a good, decent guy. And I really love his cute nose."
Jason said he knew what he was looking for, and talking to Krista, he knew she was it. Krista is well-spoken and knows what she wants out of life, he said. "She was also one of the first persons to tell me that I deserved something good in [my life]," Jason said.
The two saw each other a few more times before Krista headed home. They exchanged numbers and talked every night for hours. That October, Jason came for a week’s visit, and wound up staying two weeks. On Dec. 23, 2009, he moved to Philadelphia.
Jason, who now works for Brillman’s Rental Barn, a Newtown party rental company, even switched his hockey allegiance to the Flyers.
"I had to," he said. "I wouldn’t survive down here as a Bruins fan."
Said Krista: "He wouldn’t survive in my house."
How does forever sound?
In July 2011, Jason and Krista, now both 30, went on a Nantucket vacation.
Their first night on the island, Jason arranged for all their friends to meet up at the Rose & Crown bar. So Krista was confused when he asked her to leave with him.
Jason drove out to a place they call Honking Frog Pond. They talked, and listened to the frogs, and looked up at the stars. Jason suggested they head back to their friends, but then stopped her in the exact spot where he first told Krista he loved her.
"I wanted to be with you here, in this place, so that I could tell you that I love you now, with all my heart, and I will always love you. And that will never change. Will you marry me?"
Krista was bawling her eyes out, but she croaked out a yes.
It was so them
The couple were married outdoors in a simple ceremony. Sarah, the friend who introduced the couple, was Krista’s matron of honor. Jason’s brother Scott was best man. Krista’s nieces were flower girls. Instead of a pillow, Krista’s nephew, the ring bearer, carried her late Pop-Pop’s Mummers hat, which her family calls "The Grand Poohbah Hat" and brings to every celebration.
At the reception, the couple were introduced to their 120 guests as "Knock Knock," the Flyers’ victory anthem, played.
This was unexpected
During his toast, Scott told the story of how his brother and Krista, newly smitten, sat on a Nantucket bus stop bench, and how Scott and their friends drove past to harass them. Then two friends brought out something big, under a table cloth.
It was the very same bench.
Scott had refinished and painted it, and had written their names on it.
"It was a pretty cool gift," Krista said.
Awestruck
Before the wedding, Jason stood facing the golf course. All was quiet until he heard the clicking of a camera.
"I knew she was coming," he said. "But when you turn around and see your soon-to-be wife behind you in a dress you’ve never seen before, and she’s looking how she looked, that’s pretty spectacular."
Krista was amazed to see tears in the eyes of a man who doesn’t usually display his emotions.
Krista will also never forget what her father said when the officiant asked, "Who gives this woman?"
"He said, ‘Her mother and I choose to share her with Jason.’"
Discretionary spending
A bargain: The chairs, linens, and napkins were all free. They were part of the wedding gift from Jason’s company.
The splurge: Krista fell in love with photographer Jenny Castro’s work, but her price was beyond the couple’s budget. "If you really want her, we’ll figure it out," Jason said. The photographer worked with them. They exceeded their original budget by about 20 percent.
The getaway
The couple, who live in Parkwood, plan to spend at least seven days in St. Lucia later this year.
