“The minute I turned around on the stairs for our ‘First Look’ pictures and saw Toli, I just had never been so filled with anticipation and excitement as when our photographer told me to turn around,” Erin Boone shared about the wedding to her wife Jennie “Toli” Gintoli. “Seeing her for the first time in her dress was just… amazing. There was something so magical about that moment, and I will never forget it.”
Boone and Gintoli say they met where all 30-somethings meet these days: Tinder. When they matched, Gintoli says she wasn’t looking for a relationship—but Boone quickly won her heart.
The couple’s first official date happened at Rudy’s Sports Bar where they played darts and laughed until the bar closed. Neither of them had wanted the night to end, so they went to Indian Rocks Beach where Boone serenaded Gintoli during a meteor shower.
They both agree it was clear at that point which direction the two were headed.
Boone, who is lead singer and guitarist for the band Rhythm & Boone, later proposed to Gintoli on that same beach. She serenaded Gintoli, set up a friend with a telescope to view the stars and then got down on one knee with a ring she had designed. Boone also presented her with a certificate for a star she had named after them to commemorate their love for one another.
Gintoli, a Registered Clinical Social Worker Intern (Therapist) at Metro Wellness & Community Centers, followed suit two weeks later. She proposed to Boone at Disney on Dapper Day with a wooden ring that had a guitar string laid in it to represent Boone’s passion for music.
Less than a year later the two pledged their love to one another.
“When we stood in front of all our family and friends, Erin never took her eyes off me,” Gintoli says. “She was beaming with love and excitement, and in those moments, I just fell head over heels for her again and again. We kept our ceremony and reception light, filled with love, happiness and laughter, the way we have our relationship. It was perfect!”
The two walked into their reception to “Jive Talkin’” by the Bee Gees. Boone and her parents played and sang a song her father wrote for their “father-daughter time” during the reception.
“When our fathers gave their toasts, their personalities definitely showed,” Gintoli says. Her dad had the DJ play “Respect” by Aretha Franklin at the most appropriate moment.
Boone’s dad gave a list of things she needed to do to make sure Gintoli was happy. Boone says, “AKA happy wife, happy life!”
The couple lives in Largo with their two dogs and three cats.
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Engagement date: April 15, 2017
Wedding date: January 14, 2018
Venue: Holiday Inn Harbourside, Indian Rocks Beach, FL
Colors: Navy blue
Wedding Song: “I Found You” by Alabama Shakes
DJ Service: DJ Shannon C.
Officiant: The Rev. Brad Rice
Cake Flavor: Gluten-free blueberry cake with lemon cream cheese frosting
Theme: Nautical/Rustic
Photographer: Jen Abert Photography
