WE DO...AGAIN!

We knew we had found someone special in each other at our very first date during Dayton Startup Week in the summer of 2017. Bryan had just landed a significant role at a prestigious cybersecurity firm; Arielle had just pitched her startup, Curafied, and won over some investors, so there was much to discuss and celebrate. Our mutual love of tech, entrepreneurship, and travel plus the admiration we had for each other in overcoming our own obstacles in life really sealed the deal and we've been inseparable ever since. In December of 2019 Bryan proposed in a picture-perfect moment during a horseback riding tour of the beaches and rainforests of Rio Mar, Puerto Rico. The tour group cheered as we rode back down the mountain a newly engaged couple. That very same night, we tandem-kayaked on a bioluminescent bay and saw millions of twinkling stars in the sky.

The pandemic was especially heartbreaking for us when we had to pull the plug on the December 2020 destination wedding we were planning in the Bahamas. Throughout the entire year we had been asked about our new wedding plans with nothing new to to say but, "we don't know." It was when we masked up to eat at a local restaurant on what would have been our original wedding date, that we mutually decided to stop letting the pandemic put our lives on hold. We did some research the next day and discovered that the Oakwood courthouse, just a few miles down the road, was not only gorgeous, but also had an opening a few weeks later for us to have a private civil ceremony. Everything was in alignment: The date was 1-21-21 and even the harsh, Ohio winter weather cooperated - we got the one, rare day of sunshine (and a little warmth!) of that entire week.

First, the Bahamas wedding getting cancelled; then, an impromptu civil ceremony with just the two of us. Although things didn't work out the way we originally planned, we are so happy with (and grateful for) how they've turned out. Not only do we finally get to have a "real" wedding ceremony and reception with family and friends, we also get to do it at Arielle's latest venture, a wedding venue in the Historic Huffman District in Dayton called The Lift. To celebrate our union in this way, but even bigger and better than we initially imagined, is something we can't wait to share with you. We especially look forward to reuniting with friends and relatives we haven't seen in so long over the three-day MLK weekend in the city we now call home. Thank you so much for your patience, your love, and your support over these past few crazy years. We'll see you at #CassidyIDoPartTwo in 2022!