Photos:  Windau Photography

Meet German Village area residents, Rob, a claims adjuster & Chis, the owner of Manifesto, Inc an interior design firm.   Here they share their backgrounds, meant-to-be first encounter, romantic journey together and recent spectacular nuptials in NYC. 

OUR STORY:
​Once upon a time, as all proper love stories begin, two men were busy living very different lives: one in hiking boots, chasing the next wild trail, the other in polished loafers drawn to light and form. That is, until a dark and stormy night… but let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Rob’s childhood was a symphony of rustling leaves and birdsong. Nature was his habitat, and if something chirped, neighed, flew overhead or slithered underfoot, it likely held a special place in his heart. His adult life mirrored that energy — active, intentional and full of purpose.

Chris’s world was filled with imagination and delight. He adored architecture, history, and art, and loved bringing order and elegance to any space he touched. His drive matched Rob’s — joyful and always in motion.

As the years passed, they became the men who could meet each other with clarity.

Rob had known deep love. He built a life rich with joy, growth, and partnership. When he lost his beloved to cancer, he entered a season of grief and healing - one that forever shaped his capacity for strength and grace.

Chris, meanwhile, was curating beauty and kissing a few frogs. He made homes more beautiful and events unforgettable for clients and friends who adored him - all while quietly wondering if he’d ever create something lasting for himself.

Then came a blustery night when friends brought them together, sensing something neither man expected. The rain fell, conversation sparked, and something quietly, unmistakably shifted.

They started spending time together, their conversations that unfolded like chapters. It wasn’t perfect timing (is it ever?), but it was easy. And slowly, what began as a flicker grew into something steady and bright.

A year into the new romance, life delivered another challenge: Chris was diagnosed with CML leukemia. It was terrifying, surreal — and strangely clarifying. It would’ve been understandable for Rob to retreat. But he didn’t. In a life that had already taught him how fragile love could be, he chose to love harder. And Chris, in turn, felt something he’d always created for others but never fully had for himself: sanctuary.

These days, their worlds move fast - full of motion and meaning. But no matter how busy life becomes, they always find their way back to each other with the kind of steadiness that only comes from having lived, and waited, and chosen well.

And now, we’ve reached the part of the story where the circle completes - where love, having taken the long way around, gets the celebration it deserves.

And now? They’ll live - not perfectly, but wildly, gratefully, beautifully — ever after.

All because once upon a time, two men set out on very different journeys.

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​WHO                                   Rob & Chris NYC Nuptials                                      ISSUE LIX