Eileen and Alex first met for a coffee on Charlottesville’s downtown mall on a sweltering summer day in June 2021. They were initially set up by the magical algorithms of the internet, specifically due to their mutual thoughtfulness when responding to one another’s messages via an online dating app. Eileen and Alex both had expectations that were dirt low on that first date, because of their mutual disappointing online dating experiences prior to meeting one another. Each of them had an “out” for that first meeting because neither wanted to get caught in yet another dead end dating experience. However, this first date did not end up being the complete and utter social dumpster fire that they had anticipated! In fact, Alex and Eileen both walked away thinking that they might be able to tolerate each other, at least enough to try a second date. And then a third. And then, eventually, a permanently delightful life together.

A year into their dating relationship, Alex moved to Morgantown, West Virginia to pursue his post doctoral work at West Virginia University, which is 4 hours away from Charlottesville, where Eileen continued to live. For 18 months, they persisted through the challenges of navigating a long distance relationship, with Alex remotely working from Charlottesville one week out of every month. While being apart certainly was far from easy, it helped Eileen and Alex to solidify their dedication to one another, confirming that they definitely wanted to be in it “big time” with each other. They would often talk about getting engaged with such regularity that they might as well have been discussing the weather. Alex proposed to Eileen over a batch of pumpkin pancakes in October 2023. In January 2024, Alex started a new job at The National Radio and Astronomy Observatory in Charlottesville, whereupon he moved home permanently. They are happy to report that they have been thriving in mutually shared domestic bliss ever since, happily nesting in their Charlottesville home. Alex and Eileen initially considered themselves to be “poster children of the slow burn,” staying open to each other, but with a healthy dose of slow-paced skepticism that was challenged and proven wrong over the course of many shared experiences and interactions. They have come to see the wholeness of one another over countless home cooked meals, fawning over their two calico cats, and losing time during many hikes and outdoor adventures on their stand up paddle boards. Not a day goes by where you one or both members of this couple doesn’t say with utmost sincerity, “We have such a good life!” There are many times when Alex and Eileen drift off to sleep listing the wonderful things that have happened over the course of the day that just passed. Alex and Eileen’s shared life is dynamic, expansive, ridiculously fun, and full of connection to the land and people that surround them in their Charlottesville home. They can’t wait to share all of this goodness with you, dear guest, over the course of their wedding weekend in October 2024.

We have chosen to have a small, intimate, wedding ceremony with 24 of our closest loved ones. This decision was made with the intention of being able to maximize time with as many of our guests as possible. You will not see groomsmen or bridesmaids because, honestly, we weren’t feeling that particular wedding tradition. You WILL see a beautiful collective sense of community, eat amazing food, and bask in the glory of the newlywed’s post-nuptial glow. And what is there not to love about that? There will be a brief portion of our ceremony where we will open up the floor, and leave space for guests to share words of support or wisdom with us before we exchange our vows. This is meant to be a reflective space with no pressure or expectations on our guests to share anything, unless they feel moved to do so.

We are getting married in a music production barn space, behind the home of Suz Sleazak and David Wax, two local Charlottesville musicians who are members of the band David Wax Museum. This space has historically been used for music performances, and to produce records for the band and their friends. Our event is the first wedding that will take place in this venue. We are so thrilled to exchange our vows in this space that is the home to many musical and creative projects.