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Love: Evin Kozak & Brett Goldhammer

They met in summer 2001, before the start of their senior year at Council Rock High School, when his friend was dating hers.

"During our first dance, Brett gave me this dip," she says. "There we were, having this moment together, and all around us, everyone we love was excited and cheering us on."
"During our first dance, Brett gave me this dip," she says. "There we were, having this moment together, and all around us, everyone we love was excited and cheering us on."Read more

Hello there

They met in summer 2001, before the start of their senior year at Council Rock High School, when his friend was dating hers.

Then school began, and another of Evin's friends asked Brett to be her date to the fall dance. Not understanding his mumbled answer, and, this being high school, she asked Evin to find out Brett's intent.

"I'm going," he told Evin. "But just to hang out with you."

Despite that movie-worthy line, nothing happened at the dance. But Brett and Evin began talking more at school, and hanging out more together outside school.

She was drawn to his confidence, sense of calm, and ability to "cut through pettiness to get to the core of what's important," Evin said.

"She was fun to be around, and we had the same sense of the importance of family," Brett said of Evin. Besides, after he made her a few mixtapes, she grew to love Pearl Jam as much as he did. By senior prom, they were a couple.

That summer, nothing could separate them, until Evin became ill and needed emergency surgery. "I spent a month at Children's Hospital," Evin said. Brett called daily to see how she was doing.

"By the time I got out of there, I knew things were serious between us, and it freaked me out," Evin said.

"She dumped me," Brett said.

Evin was heading to St. Louis to study philosophy at Washington University, and Brett was off to Penn State to study materials science. They would be states apart, and should be free to date others, she reasoned.

That reasoning held as long as there was geography between them. When holiday or summer breaks put Brett back in Newtown and Evin in nearby Churchville, and when Evin spent a semester at Penn State, reason did not apply.

After graduating, both moved to Philadelphia, where he worked at a small publishing company and she waited tables at La Scala's and attended Temple Law School. At times they were together. At times they were apart but in touch, with Evin trying to be just friends with someone she'd always loved, and Brett hoping the next time they dated it would stick.

In 2009, Evin left the city to study in Italy one semester. They missed each other. When she returned, they got back together for good.

"His loyalty and consistency are unparalleled," Evin said.

"She has this kindness and consideration for people she cares about," Brett said, "as long as you don't try to wake her up when she's falling asleep on the couch."

In 2012, just as the couple concluded that Brett, Evin, and her hound, Dela, ought to live under the same roof, a job offer from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office persuaded Evin to move to Arlington, Va. Brett was game. The fantasy sports blog he writes in his spare time interested him more than his technical writing job here. They moved, and he focused on his site BretskyBall.com while earning a certificate in Web development.

How does forever sound?

In late 2015, Brett was hired by the Wharton School, and he and Evin, who remains with the U.S. patent office, bought a house in Wyndmoor. Shortly thereafter, he visited Evin's parents to ask their blessing. He got halfway through his first sentence when her mother jumped out of her chair.

"Yes, yes, yes!" she said, hugging him.

"Since [Evin] was willing to sign a mortgage with you, I think your chances are good," quipped her father.

One day in late February, snow squalls led the couple to reconsider going to Center City. Evin had settled herself comfortably into a big lounge chair next to the fireplace when Brett appeared with his iPad.

"In true Web-developer form, he had made an app that said, 'press here.' When I pushed on it, up popped a love story Brett had written about us."

Evin read, rapt. By the time she reached the end, tears slid down her cheeks and Brett had knelt in front of her.

"Will you marry me?" he asked.

"Definitely!" she said.

The couple, now both 31, "spent a nice couple of hours without telling anybody," Brett said. "It was just us, our dog, and the snow. But then we told the world, and things got busy real quick."

It was so them

Their traditional Jewish ceremony and reception for 300 were held at the Crystal Tea Room. The couple felt lucky to have their family, including her two grandmothers and Brett's grandparents, all in their 90s, with them as they signed the ketubah.

The couple and the 24 other members of their bridal party walked in to the ceremony to instrumental versions of Pearl Jam songs. Brett's twin 9-year-old nephews were ring bearers. After Brett and Evin smashed the glass symbolizing that what had just happened could never be undone, "Smile" played - the song that's Brett's ringtone when Evin calls.

The newlyweds entered their reception to a modified version of Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer" inspired by a high school friend who sang "Goldhammer" to Brett.

While guests might report that Brett fell off the chair they lifted him in for the hora, he begs to differ. "I felt the chair tilting, so I hit the eject button," he said.

Evin's wedding gift to her new husband was a note that said, "We should get a puppy." Gordon joined their family two months later.

Awestruck

The day before the wedding, Evin and her sister-in-law were getting their nails done, so Brett took Dela for a walk around Center City.

"Afterward, we were in the hotel lobby when my cousin, who now lives in California, came up and hugged me. And then approaching from the other side was one of Evin's aunts, her godmother. I introduced them, and we were all waiting for the elevator when the doors opened, and there was one of Evin's friends from college," Brett said. "From that point on, for the entire weekend, every direction I turned there was someone smiling at me or us, wanting to give a hug and congratulations. It was amazing, and seeing Evin enjoying it was amazing, as well."

"I never really understood why people put so much emphasis on their wedding day, but as it was happening, I completely got it," Evin said. For her, one moment encapsulates the feeling of committing to the love of her life with everyone else they love surrounding them: "During our first dance, Brett gave me this dip. There we were, having this moment together, and all around us, everyone we love was excited and cheering us on."

Discretionary spending

A bargain: The Crystal Tea Room cost 30 percent less on a Sunday than on a Saturday, bringing the price for their Center City wedding to less than the suburban locations on their list, Brett said.

The splurge: Rebecca Barger cost a bit more than other photographers the couple considered, Evin said, "but her work jumped right off the page, and since photography will be our permanent reminder of the day, we knew it would be worthwhile."

The getaway

Four days hiking in Vermont, to be followed by a longer trip to parts unknown this spring.

BEHIND THE SCENES

Officiant: Rabbi Saul Grife, Beth Tikvah B'nai Jeshurun, Erdenheim.

Venue: Crystal Tea Room, Philadelphia.

Food: Finley Catering, Philadelphia.

Photography: Rebecca Barger Photography, Jenkintown.

Flowers: Beautiful Blooms, Philadelphia.

Dress: Bijoux Bridal, Ardmore.

Music: Don Eaton Band, Philadelphia.

Do you have the date? Email us - at least six weeks before your ceremony - why we should feature your love story: weddings@phillynews.com. Unfortunately, we can't respond individually to all submissions. If your story is chosen, you will be contacted.