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SEARCHLast May, Columbus, Ohio-based salon owner Lisa Suárez-Brentzel saw her dreams come true when she married the ideal man in the ideal setting: her newly opened salon, Lacquer Gallery
Lisa Suárez-Brentzel
Lisa Suárez-Brentzel
Last May, Columbus, Ohio-based salon owner Lisa Suárez-Brentzel saw her dreams come true when she married the ideal man in the ideal setting: her newly opened salon, Lacquer Gallery. After a whirlwind romance, the couple married one year to the day after they met.
“My husband Jake and I met May 31, 2014. I was trying online dating for the first time and he was the first person to message me,” she says. “Being in a salon and doing nails, I’m surrounded by women 99% of the time. With that and being the single mom of a 5-year-old, it was very hard to meet people.” After that initial message, the two chatted via email for a few days, then spoke on the phone and “FaceTimed.” A week later, they were ready to meet in person. “Strangely enough, when we first chatted online I discovered he was living near Pittsburgh — three hours away. I had set my radius on the dating site for only 20 miles,” she says. Not too long after that first meeting came an engagement followed by some serious wedding planning.
“We thought it would be awesome to be married on a day that was special to both of us, and our one-year anniversary seemed perfect,” says Suárez-Brentzel. That meant a May wedding — and it also meant Suárez-Brentzel’s new salon would be open by then. “My salon is an open space with great hardwood flooring, brick walls, and ornate high metal ceilings with great lighting. [Editor’s note: You can read a profile of Lacquer Gallery at www.nailsmag.com/lacquerprofile.] We couldn’t imagine a better space to start our new beginning than in a place that meant so much to me. It’s been my dream since I was 5 to open my own salon, to be a mother, and to be married by my best friend, so I wanted everything to be combined.”
When the big day rolled around, the couple hosted a small Sunday brunch-style wedding. “Our immediate family came to the ceremony, which was performed by my best friend, while my daughter stood — or danced, really— in front with us. The reception was an open house with family, friends, and even clients stopping by. The day was perfect and exactly what we had pictured,” she says.
“I love that we had the wedding in the salon I worked my whole life for. It’s all a great reminder of how lucky I am, and with persistence and hard work everything and anything can happen.”
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