Celebrate with us!

It was summer of 2008. The great hall of Sempervirens Outdoor School was packed for the Community Music School of Santa Cruz's Teen Celtic Music Camp final concert. The air inside was buzzing with tuning strings, noodling winds and the squeaking of ancient plastic school chairs as parents fumbled to find the best seats facing their campers. Her shoulders sticking to the back of a brown vinyl seat, 13-year-old Frannie balanced her cello between her knees as a hush fell over the hall. The first band of campers was ushered on-stage to perform the set of traditional Celtic tunes they had been practicing with their cabin-mates all week long. A boy with aviator sunglasses and floppy blond hair spilling under the sides of a black newsboy cap sauntered to the front to introduce his ensemble: “Hi there, I’m Adam Hendey. This is my brother, Eric. And we’re the child prodigies of Fresno.” Yikes. • Needless to say, it was a first impression that resulted in more eye rolling than sparks flying (those came later). But fast forward to Teen Camp 2009 and we were as thick as thieves. After that, for one week every summer our friendship was defined by a shared love for music, tea and rambling jaunts through the California Redwoods. The 51 other weeks of the year, we stayed close in touch despite living 800 miles apart, talking almost daily over the most cutting edge social technologies of our time (Skype and Facebook). As is the case with most couples who begin as great friends, it’s hard to pinpoint exactly when those sparks finally took a rosy hue. But in the fall of 2012, the two of us became (as the kids say) “boyfriend/girlfriend.” We spent our senior year of high school traveling back and forth to spend Christmas breaks, proms and graduations together before moving to Eugene, OR., where we both attended the University of Oregon.

When we arrived at the University of Oregon, we had no idea what the future held in store, but we were determined to face it together. As we each changed majors several times, we made our way through college side-by-side, supporting each other every step of the way. Walking along the Willamette. Talking late into the night. Crowding into noisy venues. Eating waffles on Sundays. Riding bikes across town. Watching movies at the charmingly pretentious local cinema. Making time to meet for lunch between classes. Wishing each other good luck before a big test. Comforting each other when things didn’t go the way we thought they would. We learned more about ourselves and about each other. We found wonderful new friends in Eugene who have proven to be lifelong companions. We found new challenges and daunting obstacles, and the strength and determination to meet them head-on. We found ambition. We found that our love grew deeper with each passing day. After four years, we knew one thing was certain - we make a great team!

As Frannie wrapped up a formative stint at NPR Headquarters in Washington, D.C., Adam completed his Master’s degree program at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Bringing a long year apart to an end, we moved to Boston, MA. Frannie became the sole producer of WGBH’s award-winning program Under the Radar with Callie Crossley, and Adam quickly established himself in the city’s thriving traditional music scene. Though we found ourselves in a big new city, we weren’t on our own. Frannie’s sister Heather joined us on the top floor of a charming apartment in Brighton near the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. Completing the cast were two more roommates, the world’s all-time cutest cats Waldo and Stella! Adam spent summers touring around the United States with his band The Fire while Frannie and Heather enjoyed living together again after five years apart. The early years in Boston were full of dinners and parties with friends new and old, day trips around Massachusetts and the Northeast, and good music all over the city.

We spent New Year’s 2020 together in Los Angeles with Adam’s family where, unbeknownst to Frannie, he had already started planning the biggest adventure of our lives. Frannie accepted a new position with the team at WBUR’s Project CITRUS, and Adam spent the final three weeks of January performing around California and making arrangements for the two of us to travel together to Amsterdam. On February 21, 2020, we woke up early to visit the Vincent Van Gogh Museum (Frannie’s favorite artist) and in front of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers (Frannie’s favorite painting) Adam proposed! But the world was quickly changing around us. As we flew back to Boston from Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, we saw every flight to and from Italy cancel before our eyes. Troubling reports of a new virus brought a lot of uncertainty, but we knew that, no matter what happened, we had each other - and we had a wedding to plan! As Frannie’s team transitioned to working from home, Adam started teaching private music lessons remotely. Even in the midst of a global pandemic and sheltering in place, the residents of a red house on Chestnut Hill Avenue still managed to find ways to have fun. Adam began recording and producing new music, and Frannie continued pursuing her passion for art and started sharing her work online! And every day, our commitment grew stronger and stronger. It wasn’t the engagement we thought we’d have - it was an engagement like no other! But this is our life, and we wouldn’t change a moment of it. We can’t wait to be married, and we can’t wait to share this beautiful day with you!