Why are we getting married in Lexington, Virginia? We met there during law school in the winter of 2021, more commonly known as the height of COVID. True to the times, our first date was a freezing–but (somewhat) appropriately socially-distanced–chat on the porch of a school building, to which Rich brought a thermos of premade Old Fashioneds for warmth. We immediately bonded over our shared love of the arts and outdoors, nerdy senses of humor, passions for what we do, and our mutual connections to the area. Each of us had a special relationship to the Shenandoah Valley: Rich ranks the area as one of his favorites on the Appalachian Trail, and Brenna remembers childhood trips to visit family members in a nearby town right up the road from Lexington. The small town of Lexington is not an easy place to date–even without the attendant challenges that came with COVID, law school, and our one-year difference in law school tenure–but, as Rich will attest from his many, many trips back from Austin to visit Brenna during her last year of school, it’s an incredible place to visit, and we can’t wait to share it with you. Our venue, House Mountain Inn, is also special to us. On one of our earliest dates, we hiked House Mountain before splitting a cacio e pepe pizza from Heliotrope, another local favorite. But you’re a part of this venue too, by the way. When we averaged the geographic coordinates of all your home cities, from California to the Czech Republic and everywhere in between, the exact coordinates were N 38°34'35", W 78°37'48", the Shenandoah Valley. Needless to say, we are now doubly convinced that fate brought us together.