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ALEXANDRIA, Va. - When Jenn Meffert and Zach Quinn decided to make their relationship official, they didn't plan a surprise proposal. They planned a day — a whole Alexandria day — and did it together.
On July 11, the city's 277th birthday, the Old Town North couple moved their matching Claddagh rings from their right hands to their left. It was a quiet, deliberate gesture — no down-on-one-knee moment, no secret kept — that said everything about how they operate. That evening, they joined thousands of neighbors at Oronoco Bay Park and stood in the rain watching fireworks arc over the Potomac.
"Our relationship is very egalitarian," Jenn said. "There's no better way to represent that than to both be able to say and show that we love each other and want to spend the rest of our lives together."
The rings carry their own story. In March 2024, while still navigating years of long distance — Zach completing his MBA in Spain, Jenn in Florida — the two met in Dublin and made their way to Galway at a friend's insistence. The Claddagh ring, born in Galway centuries ago and engraved with the symbols of love, friendship and loyalty, resonated immediately. Its versatility sealed it: worn one way, you're taken; moved to the other hand, you're committed. "The most analog thing we could imagine," Jenn said.
The story begins earlier, though — and farther away. The two first crossed paths through work in 2017, but it was a November 2021 night in Los Angeles that changed things. Zach had flown out specifically to see Rufus du Sol, his favorite band. Jenn had never heard of them, but she was always up for something new. A mutual friend made the introduction, Zach made his case for the music, and they exchanged numbers. Three months of texts, calls and FaceTimes followed. When Jenn came to Washington to visit friends, they met for dinner at Maydan. "The effortless nature of our relationship came alive in real time," she said.
They moved to Old Town North in 2024, and Alexandria did the rest.
So when it came time to mark a deeper commitment, they built their engagement day around the neighborhood they'd already claimed as their own. It started, as nearly every morning does, at St. Elmo's Coffee Pub, where baristas Andres and Didi have their order memorized. From there, bagel sandwiches at Chewish, then the monthly Founders Park cleanup — not an add-on, but a fixture of their lives since arriving here.
The afternoon unspoiled slowly, deliberately. Sur La Table for coupe glasses — they'd be making Bee's Knees that evening, a cocktail woven into their courtship. Old Town Books for a gift for Zach's new niece and a hunt for Waldo. Lavender Moon Cupcakery, where they found him in the storefront window and left with two cupcakes as the shop finished assembling hundreds of cakes for the evening's crowds. Wine Gallery 108 for a sparkling tasting — they'd been members since a waiter at Landini Brothers pointed them there the week they moved in. Tatte for a chicken pita. The Lee-Fendall House garden, where Jenn is training to become a docent.
And Your Hobby Place, the game shop that has become what Zach simply calls his "third place." He rediscovered Magic: The Gathering while in business school in Spain and found a community waiting for him in Alexandria. He plays Commander on Tuesday nights. Some of their closest friendships in this city were forged there.
Back at their apartment, they broke in the coupe glasses. Then Maydan — where it started — for dinner. Then fireworks in the rain with friends.
"Alexandria pushes us towards community," Jenn said. "Anyone who lives here knows there is rarely a holiday that doesn't coincide with a parade, an opportunity to see a founding father reenactor, or the pipers and drummers making an appearance. We love these events because it gives us an excuse to get out into the town."
They did, on this particular July 11, have something extra to celebrate.
Congratulations to Jenn Meffert and Zach Quinn of Old Town North.
Zach Quinn and Jenn Meffert documented their engagement day stop by stop on a Fujifilm Instax camera. (Courtesy Jenn Meffert and Zach Quinn)
