Kristin Maria Cahill and James Ernest Iñiguez were married Dec. 21 at the Atelier Ballroom in Jersey City, N.J. Jaimee Lynn Nelson, a Universal Life minister and a friend of the couple, officiated.
The bride, 45, is the founding principal of H.E.R.O. High in the Bronx. She graduated magna cum laude from the University of California, Berkeley and received a master’s degree in public affairs from N.Y.U.
She is the daughter of Susan N. Cahill and Thomas Q. Cahill of Manhattan. The bride’s father is the author of “How the Irish Saved Civilization,” and “Gifts of the Jews,” both published by Doubleday. Her mother, also an author, wrote “The Streets of Paris: A Guide to the City of Light in the Footsteps of Famous Parisians Throughout History,” (St. Martin’s Griffin), and the novel, “Earth Angels,” (Popular Library).
The groom, 50, is a family lawyer at James E. Iñiguez & Associates, a law firm in Manhattan. He graduated from the State University of New York at Albany and received a law degree from New York Law School.
He is the son of Miriam Menendez of Miami and the late Ernest Abelardo Iñiguez, who lived in Costa Rica. The groom’s mother is a psychoanalyst in private practice in Miami. His father was a police officer in Hialeah, Fla.
The bride’s first two marriages ended in divorce, as did the groom’s previous marriage.
The couple were introduced by a Manhattan family court referee in September 2015, who assigned Mr. Iñiguez, pro bono, to serve as Ms. Cahill’s court-appointed lawyer in her effort to adjust ongoing issues with visitation. At the time, she lived in the Inwood section of Manhattan, and he in Astoria, Queens.
At the start, Ms. Cahill didn’t very much like Mr. Iñiguez.
“The only time I can meet with you is between 12 and 6 a.m.,” she snapped at him. “I’m a single mom of three kids and I run a school, so I don’t have any time to do anything!”
Mr. Iñiguez was all business. “I was there to do the job,” he said, “not to make friends.”
They met that same month, and as it turned out, Ms. Cahill was impressed with Mr. Iñiguez. “His unassailable integrity and right-on powers of assessment allowed him to act as a highly effective advocate for me.” she said.
In January 2016, just as they were developing a rapport, a new judge was appointed to Ms. Cahill’s case, and in turn, Mr. Iñiguez was let go, as it was determined by that judge that Ms. Cahill’s salary did not warrant the services of a pro bono lawyer.
“We had gotten to know each other a bit during those six months,” Ms. Cahill said. “He had grown up in New York City, like I did, and he was also separated and we had many mutual friends.
“What I was going to miss about him most was that he was someone who listened to me,” she added, “and someone who believed in me.”
As they parted ways, Mr. Iñiguez told Ms. Cahill to call him if she ever “needed advice or anything.”
Two months later, she did just that. “I had a child-care issue and needed his help with a few questions,” Ms. Cahill said.
Later that night, she found him on the dating app Tinder, and asked him one more question: “Would you like to go out with me for a drink?”
Mr. Iñiguez, who said he had “no idea any romantic feelings were involved in our case,” accepted her invitation, and they met at a Manhattan bar a few days later.
“It was the best first date I ever had,” Ms. Cahill said.
Mr. Iñiguez was in full agreement. “I saw her in a completely different light that night,” he said. “I’m the type who gets bored easily, but there was absolutely nothing boring about her.”
They talked about life and their children (Ms. Cahill has three, Mr. Iñiguez one), and began dating sporadically before turning a serious corner in December 2016.
“Ultimately, he was someone I could trust,” Ms. Cahill said. “There was no other person in my life who made me feel as comfortable as he did.”
In May 2018, they found an apartment in Ms. Cahill’s neighborhood in Inwood Park big enough to merge two families under one roof. In December 2018, they were domestically partnered.
“At times when we drifted apart, I would send her a picture of me or a text just to remind her that I exist in this world,” said Mr. Iñiguez, his voice beginning to crack. “I have never been loved the way she loves me.”
