Kimberly Ann Mannino and Glenn Stuart Alterman were instantly attracted to each other when they first met on a beach in Montauk, N.Y., in July 2020 through their mutual friends, Emma Silverman and Jeff Shocket.
They all happened to be in the Hamptons for the weekend, staying at various hotels. Mr. Alterman and Mr. Shocket lived in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, although they were not roommates, while Ms. Mannino and Ms. Silverman rented separate apartments on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.
“When Emma and Jeff introduced us, I noticed Glenn’s bright blue eyes and thought to myself, ‘How have I not met him before?’,” Ms. Mannino said.
“I thought that Kim was really cute and had a bright smile,” Mr. Alterman said. “I wanted to find out who she was.”
The two had casual conversations throughout the weekend while hanging out with a common group of friends at beach picnics and bonfires, but they didn’t exchange contact information.
“I was interested in Glenn but didn’t know when and if we would see each other again,” Ms. Mannino said.
That August, Mr. Alterman rented a house in Montauk with another mutual friend, John Costelloe, for the month and said that he was looking for an excuse to connect with Ms. Mannino. “I invited Emma to stay in our spare room for a weekend and told her that she could come with a friend if she wanted, hoping she would bring Kim,” he said. “Lucky for me, she did.”
Over drinks in the backyard of the summer rental. Mr. Alterman and Ms. Mannino shared stories about their upbringings and swapped jokes. “We laughed a lot and clicked,” Mr. Alterman said.
Ms. Mannino made other weekend trips to the Montauk rental for the rest of the summer, with she and Ms. Silverman sharing a spare bedroom. “I looked forward to seeing Kim more and more as the summer went by,” Mr. Alterman said.
By late August, it was evident that their connection was more than a passing flirtation, and over Labor Day weekend, they shared their first kiss. “We were at the house with a bunch of other people, but at one point, Glenn and I found ourselves standing alone in the kitchen,” Ms. Mannino said. “He grabbed the opportunity to go in for a kiss, and a flutter went through my body.”
“I wasn’t sure how she would react and was relieved and excited when she reciprocated,” Mr. Alterman said.
Ms. Mannino, 35, who is from Newtown, Conn., works as a senior public relations manager for Marriott International She has a bachelor’s degree in strategic communication from High Point University in High Point, N.C.
Mr. Alterman, 36, grew up in New Rochelle, N.Y. He is a vice president for fixed income investor relations at the bond insurance company Assured Guaranty and has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Harvard.
When Mr. Alterman and Ms. Mannino settled back into their city lives in September, their relationship became more serious. Their first solo date was on Oct. 1 at Traif, a restaurant in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. They sat for more than four hours on the patio and conversed about their shared love of travel, aspirations and favorite New York restaurants. “By the end of the night, it was clear that this was something special,” Mr. Alterman said.
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Over the next two years, their courtship intensified. They attended friends’ weddings and vacationed in Aruba and the Amalfi Coast.
In March 2022, Ms. Mannino’s mother, Mindy Mannino, died suddenly from a stroke. “I was devastated and relied on Glenn for emotional support,” Ms. Mannino said. “The fact that he was by my side every step of the way made me realize that we were in it for the long haul.”
“The tough time brought us closer, and I knew I wanted to marry her,” Mr. Alterman said.
In November 2022, Ms. Mannino moved into Mr. Alterman’s Williamsburg apartment, where they still live. The couple began looking at wedding rings.
On Dec. 13, 2023, during a vacation in Punta Mita, Mexico, Mr. Alterman asked Ms. Mannino to go on a pre-dinner beach walk. As the sun set over the Pacific Ocean, he stopped her in the sand, bent down on one knee and proposed.
On Dec. 14, Mr. Alterman and Ms. Mannino wed before 165 guests at the Miami Beach Edition, in Miami Beach. Russell Thaw, a close friend of the couple, who was ordained by Universal Life Church for the occasion, officiated. Their ceremony included Jewish traditions such as exchanging vows under a huppah and taking seven circles, where the bride circles the groom seven times before entering the huppah.
In honor of Ms. Mannino’s mother, the couple released butterflies into the sky to symbolize transformation and connection with deceased loved ones. Ms. Mannino surprised Mr. Alterman with a personalized 30-second video from his favorite band, O.A.R., a Maryland band whose initials stand for Of a Revolution. Their first dance, to O.A.R.’s “All Because of You,” followed.
“Our wedding was truly magical,” Ms. Mannino said, “and I can’t wait for that magic to continue for the rest of our lives together.”
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