I Do!: Catherine Leftwich and Louis Christensen of Sayville
![Catherine Leftwich and Louis Christensen on their wedding day.](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.newsday.com%2Fimage-service%2Fversion%2Fc%3AZjc5MzJiNjgtOTM0Mi00%3ANjgtOTM0Mi00NDg2MTYy%2Flfwedding240421_photos.jpg%3Ff%3DLandscape%2B16%253A9%26w%3D770%26q%3D1&w=1920&q=80)
Catherine Leftwich and Louis Christensen on their wedding day. Credit: Imagine Studios
When Catherine Leftwich downloaded the Hinge dating app in April 2019, the last thing on her mind was finding her lifelong partner. That is, until she matched with Louis Christensen.
From the start, Leftwich said she knew Christensen was “the one.”
“I was tired of dating around, and we were both settled in our careers,” said the senior construction project manager, 34.
But Christensen, a head school custodian who had never been in a serious relationship, needed some convincing. Even though he said the pair were a “perfect fit,” it wasn’t until Leftwich met his mother and sister, and the three hit it off, that he knew he was ready for a long-term commitment.
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Three years after they started dating, Leftwich said she knew he was planning to pop the question. But she was still taken by surprise when he proposed on Labor Day in 2022.
With her parents looking on, Christensen got down on one knee and proposed on Leftwich’s front lawn.
“I told her how much I cared about her and how happy she made me,” he recalled. “Then I asked her if she would marry me.”
“I told him, ‘I love you. You are my lion heart. Of course, I’ll marry you,’ ” she said. As he slipped an engagement ring on her finger, her parents wiped away tears.
Christensen, 30, is a volunteer firefighter with the West Sayville Fire Department. The couple knew they wanted to have their wedding and reception at Land’s End Waterfront Catering in Sayville, where a number of firehouse functions had been held. When their preferred November 2024 date was not available, they booked Feb. 3.
The highlight of the reception, Leftwich said, was when a couple of their 220 guests lifted her atop the speakers as the DJ pumped “She Had Me at Heads Carolina” by Cole Swindell through the sound system. “I was dancing on top of the speakers to our favorite song as everyone else was on the dance floor.”
Reflecting on the reception, she said, “Not a thing went wrong. I loved that all of the most important people showed up and were fully present throughout the day.”
Catherine Leftwich is a senior construction project manager. Her job title was incorrect in an earlier version of this article.
WEDDING VENUE
The couple married and had their reception at Land’s End Waterfront Catering in Sayville.
WINE AND DINE
Lovin’ Oven catered the reception.
HONEYMOON
The couple plans to visit Irelan
d and England in October.LET'S DANCE
“Yours” by Russell Dickerson.
FAVE RAVES
Five things Leftwich loves about her spouse: His patience, his kindness, his love for his family, his work ethic and that he “shows me love every day.”
Five things Christensen loves about his spouse: She works hard, she’s helpful, she shares his love of ice hockey, she’s a good cook and she has an adventurous spirit.
HOME BASE
Sayville
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