Watermark’s Wedding Bells: Anthony Paul Citrola & Jeremy Wade

A small act of chivalry ignited a romance between these two.

“Anthony held the door open for me like a true gentleman,” shares Jeremy Wade Citrola, originally from Wellsville, Pa. “We did not have a conversation that night, but we made a generous amount of eye contact. I researched his name and sent him a Facebook friend request the next day.”

“Technically, he’s right,” adds Anthony Paul Citrola, a Merrick, N.Y., native. “The first time I saw Jeremy was walking into SkyPoint in Tampa. I held the door to the lobby open for him and I thought to myself, wow. Sounds silly, but he was in this bright yellow blazer, had a fresh fade and this gorgeous beard. We both walked in and coincidently we were both going to the same party.

“I smiled and we all rode the elevator up. Throughout the night we kept catching each other’s eyes. I remember thinking I should go say hi when he was talking to someone I knew, but the opportunity never presented itself. I thought about him the whole night, and when I woke up the next morning, he had friend requested me on Facebook. We met that night at Alibi for a drink.”

And before too long, Anthony felt it was time to pop the question—in a big way.

Anthony shares, “We had chatted about getting married someday. We had just gotten back from a trip to North Carolina with my entire family. I was going to do it there, but the ring was not ready. We ended up going to Disney that weekend. I brought the ring with me just in case the time was right. I had the ring down my pants and I was so nervous. I kept thinking to myself, I’ll take to the side of the castle where it’s more private and I’ll just ask him. We were walking down Main Street and he grabs me and says, ‘Let’s take a picture in front of the castle.’ I was like, Oh shit, here we go.

“As I walk past the photographer I whispered, ‘I’m going to propose.’ I wasn’t even sure he heard me. I walk to Jeremy, knelt down and asked him, ‘Will you marry me?’ and the rest is history.”

The couple has since eloped and had a private ceremony, just the two of them.

“We discussed putting on suits and heading to the courthouse,” Jeremy says. “The morning of our ceremony Anthony surprised me with matching succulent boutonnières, ties, pocket squares and socks. Later that day we picked out a pot together and planted the succulents from our boutonnières.”

“As the day was approaching, I didn’t want it to be nothing. I wanted it to be special for both of us,” Anthony says. “The day was so powerful. I wasn’t expecting the moment to be so intense. Just the two of us in the courthouse, no other distractions. It was amazing and perfect for us.”

The couple is currently in the process of planning a wedding reception to celebrate with family in New York on July 7, 2018.

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