10.09.2021

The two of us grew up in families that both loved to host a good party, which we think is one of the many reasons we click so well as a couple! As soon as we became engaged, we both had so many ideas of what we wanted to do, who we wanted to be there, and all the little details that we hope to make the event special for everyone. When we began the wedding planning process, we both decided that we should go about things as if everything was "normal" (e.g. as if we weren't in the middle of a global pandemic). We had - and still have - very high hopes that by the end of Summer 2021, we would be able to travel and have large gatherings again. And as we're writing this message in February 2021, we are still of that mindset. We are very conscious of the fact that our country's situation surrounding COVID-19 could all change very quickly; that restrictions could be tightened such that we would be unable to even have our wedding this year, or that restrictions could be lifted entirely. So as we near our date, we will be updating our website with any changes that we may encounter. Please do not hesitate to contact either of us with any questions or concerns you may have. In the meantime, we will continue to hope that we will be able to share our wedding day with our family and friends - like we've always wanted to! With love, Emily + Gordon

Dearest Friends and Family, It is after careful consideration of our country's situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic that we lovingly and respectfully ask our vaccine-eligible guests to remain at home if they have *not* received the a full dose of the COVID-19 vaccine (per CDC guidelines) by the date of our wedding. We have made this decision based on a number of factors, some of which being the new data on vaccine efficacy; the now widespread availability of the COVID-19 vaccine; and, most importantly, the safety and wellbeing of our vaccine-ineligible, our elderly, and our immunocompromised guests. We will dearly miss those who will not be able to attend due to these circumstances, but we sincerely thank you for your cooperation and understanding during these difficult times. With love, Emily + Gordon

7.16.2016 Sometimes Emily tells people that we met at the Blues Festival in Rockland Maine. It’s only half true - we technically met at a bar (The Pearl) during the Blues Festival pub crawl. I was lucky enough to meet her at the bar and we sprung up a conversation. We had a drink or two and ended up dancing to the live blues band that was playing for a bit before I walked her back to her family’s home. We might have visited a few other destinations downtown Rockland has to offer along the way (who remembers Myrtle Street?). I asked her on a date that night, and we took a trip downriver to the Dip Net in Port Clyde later that week. It was tough knowing she would be going back to Texas with her family at the end of the summer, but we kept seeing each other and stayed in touch. We decided to try a long distance relationship and visited each other several times over the fall and early winter. She took me to the State Fair of Texas where I wore my father's cowboy boots, which I realized was a painful mistake after trekking a few miles through the fair with her. That same winter, Emily applied for a permanent position in the Portland area and got the job! That was one of the happiest days of my life. We have done a lot together and learned a lot along the way, and I honestly couldn’t be happier.

7.16.2016 I was in Rockland, Maine for the summer after just graduating from The University of Texas. My family and I had been coming up to Rockland to spend the summer ever since I was in middle school. But other than the friends I made at summer camp, I never met anyone my age all those years of staying in Rockland. That is, until Liz. My mom actually met Liz first, who ended up inviting me out one night with a group of her friends. Excited to have a night out with people other than my parents, I was totally down. I met up with Liz downtown at a bar called The Pearl, and she immediately starts introducing me to friends she graduated high school with. That night was the height of the Blues Festival, a weekend in Rockland entirely dedicated to the music genre. The shops stay open late, there is dancing and live music in the streets... The little town of Rockland comes alive. Among those Liz introduces me to, is Gordon. He and I immediately hit it off. He's tall, well-spoken, and, best of all, he's not wearing flannel! (Joking, but not really.) We keep chatting and at one point he invites me to dance. I pause, because there is no one else dancing and the only music playing is a live blues band at the back of the bar. The vodka soda in me said yes. Little did I know that Gordon was known around his friend group for being an amazing dancer - I'm talking classic swing dancing. He starts twirling me around the tiny dance floor, and people start watching and clapping for us. I was living in a dream. The night progresses into sneaking beer out of the local dive bar, dancing to the fading music in the streets of Rockland, and sharing our first kiss. He walks me home, asks for my number, and then asks me on a date for the following weekend. True to his word, he took me out on a boat down river to Port Clyde that weekend. And the rest, my friends, is history.

Emily's engagement ring is truly something special to the both of us. It is a symbol of adventure, family, and unity. In March of 2020, Gordon, his sister Kathryn, and their mother Nancy all got together to go through Nancy's jewelry to see which stones they could piece together for a ring. They came up with a pair of diamond earrings that Gordon's father, Jeff Armstrong, had given to his wife; and the center stone, an aquamarine, that was given to Nancy by Jeff's father, Robert Armstrong. Robert was said to have purchased the aquamarine during one of his travels - we speculate it might have been India or Brazil, but we can't know for certain. Either way, this stone is a story in and of itself! The stones were then sent to Edith Armstrong, Gordon's cousin and owner of Folia Jewelry in downtown Portland, who mocked up designs and ultimately crafted the perfect setting. The setting, two round diamonds accenting the oval center stone, just so happens to be the exact setting of Emily's mother's engagement ring. To have elements from both our families made into this ring is incredibly special, and for that we are truly blessed.