Come celebrate with us at one (or both) of our casual receptions! Horsham, PA: Fall 2021 (date TBD) Lake Johanna, MN: August 28, 2021 Find more details on the next tab.

In April 2016, Grace had been living in China for about a year, and had recently decided to spend another year there to teach English at a university. Brian was just arriving in China after deciding to spend a year abroad before going to grad school. For a brief time, they overlapped at a preschool in Xiamen. After introductions and a few conversations, Grace offered to help Brian get a bus pass and figure out Xiamen public transit after work. After going from one end of the island to the other, they ended up at the beach, where they accidentally talked until 1 am. About a week later, Brian asked Grace out on an official date (using a pun, of course). They have been together ever since.

After an adventurous, travel-filled first year of dating, Brian was getting ready to head back to the US to begin grad school at the University of Pennsylvania. Grace was also feeling ready to leave China, so the couple decided to begin the next phase of their relationship in Philadelphia.

In lieu of Christmas gifts, Brian and Grace planned a trip to Williamsport, PA to visit a favorite brewery and go hiking. Brian's original plan had been to propose while hiking that Saturday, but after pouring over the forecast for a week, he realized hiking wasn't going to be an option that weekend. Instead, he decided to propose to Grace at home before leaving for the trip. (She said yes.)

Prior to the pandemic, Grace and Brian had planned on having a wedding at a brewery in PA during summer 2021. However, as the pandemic dragged on, they decided they didn't want to continue planning a wedding amidst so much uncertainty. Having no reason to postpone the wedding longer than necessary, they decided to make the best of the situation and elope in Acadia National Park, in Maine. They ended the day by hiking up a mountain and celebrating the start of their marriage with a local Philly beer.