- Mark Owens Michelle Copti -
July 11, 2015
Our Story
Her Story
To this day, I still remember running down a long white hallway, with a big grin on my face, probably laughing hysterically, definitly making a fool out of myself to be introduced to some boy I have never met. Little did I know that December 22, 2008 would be a special day. On that cold winter day, I was so excited to cheer my brother on at his varisty fencing match, against Ramapo High School's rival Don Bosco Prep. I couldn't help but notice a tall boy with bright blue eyes on the opposing team who was losing pretty badly to my brother! As the match ended, I was introduced to Mark Francis Owens in all his smelly fencing gear. I still remember the sweet smile and laugh he had even though his team just got their butts kicked. His St. Don Bosco Medal around his neck caught my eye and had my mom hooked once she noticed it as well. She loved to see a high school aged boy have the courage to show his faith and values (she always knew he was a keeper).
Fast forward to around January 2009! Mark started to tutor me in Mathematics. Little did he knew that I did know majority of the answers to the problems but spending the hour with him weekly was full of laughter, jokes, seriousness and family dinners. I was so happy to have such a great friend in my life. For the next few months Mark and I grew in our friendship more and more. I truly believed that I found my best friend since we could spend so many hours together and never get sick of each other.
April 5, 2009, Mark took that leap of faith and asked me to be his girlfriend in the driveway of my house. Not the most romantic of "dates" he planned but I knew that he would continue to make me laugh for a long time! The next two months of our relationship was full of dates, family dinners, laughter, love, Sunday Mass, and more. I seriously thought I hit the jackpot! It was not until June 29, 2009 when Mark left for Basic Training at West Point that I realized whole heartedly that I found the one guy that could make me laugh in my darkest moments and love me with his whole heart! (I guess mother's intuition is always right).
As years together kept growing so did our hearts. We supported each other through it all. I supported Mark each day of his 47 months at The United States Military Academy and he supported me through Immaculate Heart Academy and my first years at Marist College. After Mark's graduation our paths in life seperated us not just by cities but by states and then by countries. After 4+ years of dating, I knew that no matter where life took us, together or seperately, we would make it through stronger than ever. After 5 years of friendship and over 4 years of dating, Mark got down on one knee and asked me to marry him (scroll down for all the details).
As we gear up for our wedding day, I have to say that I found my soulmate. He is my glimpse of heaven each and every day, no matter where we are in the world. I am so lucky and honored to be marrying not only a faith driven man but a man that has dedicated his life to help others, one person at a time. It is hard to believe that we will have been dating for over 6 years by our wedding day. Time surely flies by when someone gives you the reason to smile each day! I cannot wait to walk down the aisle in my beautiful white gown to my handsome blue eyed Lieutenant waiting to vow our lives to each other!
His Story
December 22, 2008… The day God shared with me a small piece of Heaven that would forever change my life. Growing up in a strong Catholic family, my siblings and I were always told to trust in God’s plan and everything would work itself out, so as long as we believed. As a 14 year old picking high schools, God introduced me to Don Bosco Prep and I believed. As a sophomore searching for a winter sport, God introduced me to fencing and I believed. As a senior competing in one of my last varsity fencing meets, God introduced me to Michelle Rose Copti and I believed… little did I know that her unyielding affection and limitless beauty would one day win my heart, bring me to a knee, and have me waiting beside an altar all in the name of love.
To this day, I still remember the first time I met Micha. She was quite the sight to see in the crowd as she cheered for her brother on the opposing team. Her striking smile, sweet voice, and long brown hair falling softly on a red varsity jacket made her hard miss. I, on the other hand, could be found in an off-white, sweat stained uniform trying to keep my composure as our two teams competed… in other words, definitely not the sight to see as Michelle could surely attest! Nonetheless, our paths crossed at the end of the meet and she introduced herself with a brilliant smile that seemed to light up the room. From that moment on I was hooked and, after becoming close friends over the following months, I couldn’t help but ask her to be my girlfriend… one of the best decisions I have ever made in my life!
Fast forward over five years later… I am now engaged to my high school sweetheart and honestly couldn’t be happier. Michelle has been an unwavering beacon of light in my life. Unfortunately, a significant portion of our relationship and engagement has been characterized by long distance separation due to my profession. However, she has always found the strength and selflessness to support me in my endeavors within the Army through good times and bad. She possesses every attribute a man could ever hope for in a best friend, soon-to-be wife, and mother to our future children.
As we anxiously await the big day when we will share our love and joy with close family and friends, I cannot help but appreciate how blessed I truly am. Michelle is simply one of a kind; my exotic rose; my sunrise and sunset. I am sincerely honored and humbled that she has chosen to spend the rest of her life with me. Although we are living a nation apart, my heart will continue to grow fonder as we count down the months until I meet the love of my life at the altar!
Operation Shiny Finger Ring: December 21, 2013
Within several months of becoming friends, I asked Michelle to be my girlfriend and we have never looked back since. After graduating college and commissioning as an officer in the United States Army over four years later, Michelle and I wanted to take the next step in our relationship before I left once again to continue my career. While on Winter Leave, I therefore planned a surprise proposal with her two closest friends and brother which I hope she will always cherish for the rest of her life.
I began the morning with nothing out of the ordinary as we went out for breakfast and drove to my parents’ house to decorate for Christmas. Around noon, I drove her back to her house and promised that I would return that evening after work. As I pulled away and she entered her house, my surprise began! Without her knowledge, I staged a letter and two roses at the door apologizing that I had work during my Winter Leave and revealing that I had planned a lunch for her and two of her closest friends (which she had not seen for almost a year) while I was away for the afternoon. At the end of lunch, the waitress brought Michelle another pair of roses and a letter which confessed that I did not have work and that this was only Part One of the surprise. Little did she know, I had sent her to lunch at the restaurant where Michelle and I had our very first date as a couple almost five years ago. I then asked her in the letter if I could take her on a “journey down memory lane” and that she would have to find me along the way.
The letter then led her and her two friends to the place where we first met my senior year of high school. Michelle’s brother was waiting there with another pair of roses and a letter. This letter reminisced about the day “God had placed her in my life” and how I would be forever grateful for that moment. It then led her, her two friends, and her brother, to the place where Michelle and I had our last date gazing at stars before I had left for the United States Military Academy. In the middle of the town park, I had made a snow angel in an open field and placed two more roses and one final letter. The letter once again reminisced about our memories together and that “no matter where the Army sent me in the world, I would always think of her when I looked up at the stars.” This final letter ended by telling her to come find me in the park if she hadn’t already.
As she walked along a path I had cut out in the snow, I suddenly turned on a spotlight which lit up several pine trees and an American flag on a flagpole in the background. As she approached the scene, I walked out of hiding from behind the trees wearing my Army Class A uniform and holding the four remaining roses of the dozen throughout the day. As she met me in the spotlight, I knelt down and proposed to the woman of my dreams! Little did she know however, that this was not the end of the surprise. After taking pictures as a newly engaged couple with her friends and brother, we drove to her house to break the news to her parents. As Michelle walked in the door hoping to surprise her parents, the lights turned on and there suddenly appeared not only her parents, but my family and all of her closest friends ready to surprise her with a Twenty-First Birthday Party and now Engagement Party!
It was a night that we will forever hold near and dear to our hearts!
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