Feature Friday with Corey & Dan Prince
Happy Friday! This week’s Feature Friday is a married couple who love the life they share together in their upstate NY town. They discuss how a break years ago saved their relationship, how easy it was to decide who’s name to take, and a certain obsession with a certain Queen B. These guys seem like they would be a blast to hang out with, and we think you’ll agree. Take a look below to see what we mean…
Where are you from? Corey: I am from a little town in Upstate New York called Hoosick Falls lived there until I was 6 then moved to Hendersonville TN until I was 10 then moved to Ohio until I was 15 and back to good ol’ Hoosick Falls and have been in New York ever since.
Dan: I grew up in a town just outside of Albany, called Colonie New York and have lived there my whole life.
Where do you live? We bought our first house together last August in one of our favorite places Troy, NY. Its like a mini Brooklyn in Upstate. Cute shops, and wine bars, and restaraunts. Always something new going on from farmers markets and summer concerts but somewhere that’s just nice to walk around and see the buildings and history.
Instagram handle: Corey: @CORBOR2, Dan: @dprince2
Age: Corey: 26, Dan: 27
Where is your favorite place you’ve ever travelled to and why? Corey: This is tough. Before Dan I never travelled. The furthest I had gone was Maine and Florida. When we first met Dan begged me to go on a cruise and I was in school at the time, but I went and realized there is much more to the world than both Maine and Florida. But my favorite place is called Shorelands Guest Resort in Kennebunkport Maine, it’s just a little place with cute cottages that has bikes that you can take down a road with horses on the way and to a very secluded beach. I have always just felt so relaxed and collected there.
With Dan being a travel agent on the side of his full-time job we are always looking to go new places and see new things so maybe our favorite place is still out there. A lot of the world to see!
Dan: Playa Mujeres, Mexico. Rightfully so my favorite destination was where we went on our honeymoon. I am an independent travel agent and was always searching for the perfect place, but it was a task to find a gay friendly resort. The Finest Resort by Excellence was everything we wanted. Playa Mujeres is just north of Cancun. It was relaxing we met another couple Liz and Tina there and got invited to their wedding earlier in October. We couldn’t go but the memories there and the treatment and relaxation made it my absolute most favorite place.
How did you two meet? Oh goodness, well I was talking to his best friend at the time, we hadn’t met but once before that but then things didn’t work out with him and then Dan and I were talking to the same person not knowing it and then we realized, and he apologized for talking to the same person I was. It wasn’t long after that he asked me to a movie and the rest is history!
Who proposed to whom? Corey: We always planned a getaway for my Mimi and Aunt’s birthday and we went to Old Orchard Beach in Maine in 2015. We told Dan’s family about it and so by the time we were actually booked we had about 20-25 family members and friends on this trip and it was my Aunt and Uncle’s 17th wedding anniversary and a few birthdays so we got some champagne and went out to the beach to do a cheers and Dan was saying the cheers and then he stopped and was like I also have another cheers I would like to do and he pulled his shirt off to reveal another shirt that said Feyonce got down on his knee and asked me to marry him.
Of course, I said yes!
The next year we planned a trip to Kennebunkport and we took a trip back to the beach that we got engaged at with a smaller group but in the same spot a year later I proposed to him 😊
How did you decide who's name to take? Oh, that was a no brainer. Dan’s last name was just easier, Prince. My last name just wouldn’t have worked. I don’t think it was even a thought of like hyphenating or him taking my last name and who doesn’t want to be a Prince?
You two took a break in 2014. What happened? Corey: I was so young when we met in 2011 and I was starting to not feel a connection or feel happy so as hard as it was for both of us I needed to make sure that this is what I wanted. it was about a month a half that we weren’t together still would talk occasionally. We met one day for a “first date” and opened about why we felt certain ways and made a pact to always be forward, honest, and not let feelings build up. It was rough. That’s never an easy thing to go through and we worked together and got through it and here we are living a beautiful imperfectly perfect life together.
What did you learn from the break? Corey: That communication is key. That things are not always rainbows and glitter. Relationships take work and compromise. It gave us a new start to learn about each other and build in new ways.
Dan: A break in a relationship can sometimes save it and can lead to a more fulfilling relationship.’ While a break doesn’t always prove to be a good thing, it can work to help you discover what you really want. If you’re questioning taking a break from your relationship, don’t be put off by the fact it may mean the end. Because it may also mean the beginning of getting your relationship back to the way it should be.
Tell us about the wedding! (click here to see their wedding pictures) The wedding! With keeping the theme of Dan’s last name, we went with The Royal Wedding theme. We were looking for every way to take a traditional wedding and flip it. We had looked at multiple castles in New York and Vermont and reached out to them to check availability and take tours. We ended up looking at Highlands Castle in Bolton Landing New York. Absolutely stunning, we called, and we had too many people for there, so he said, I have a friend in Altamont who owns a castle… don’t we all? So, we found Breitenbach Castle. The owner was an artist Thomas Breitenbach who built the castle from the ground up out of the rock from his land. Very talented. So, we did it. booked it in 2015 and chose the date of 9/9/17. We loved every aspect of planning. We had so much time to do it the right way where we didn’t put any stress on ourselves to plan something on a large scale in a short amount of time. I pitched the idea to Dan about doing a surprise wedding. Have the guests not know where they are going, give them the address on the invitation to the caterer’s venue and hotel where our room block was. We rented trolleys and had everyone shuttled in to the castle. It was a gamble. But it left everyone trying to figure it out for 2 years only like 10 people knew. It was magical. We just had the best day. The weather cleared up right around our ceremony, our amazing 18 groomsmaids, friends, and family all together celebrating love just made us want to go back and restart the minute it was over.
What is your favorite thing about one another? Corey: This is gonna sound so cliché, but Dan is truly one of a kind. He is so handsome, He is so passionate about everything he touches or does. He is organized. He is so responsible in every aspect. He supports my Beyoncé obsession. He just wants the best of life. I am honestly and truly very lucky that I get to call such a genuine, true human being my husband. I could go on…and on.
Dan: We both share a passion for an alternative life. We are happy homeowners and are proud parents to our wonderful chocolate lab named Blue Ivy Prince! We are great at compromising with decisions. Not all the time! But most of the times. We both have the want to see what the world has to offer. Our home is our pride and joy. Constantly making updates, as you know it never ends. Although we share a lot in common Corey has this crazy Beyoncé obsession, the first thing he does in the morning is google her to make sure she didn’t drop an album or a new picture or something while he was asleep. and I am completely opposite country music is my lane. I always tell him all my country concerts for a summer would take 2 years to pay for his one Beyoncé ticket. He usually says, “look at who we are talking about here sir”. Our differences set us apart but make for a great team that will just go with the flow. He is kind, caring, supportive, and compassionate. What more can you want?
