CELEBRATE!

It was early January, 2017. Claire had just graduated from PA school, and Mohsen was one year in to his 5-year PhD. He was so new to Iowa that he was only wearing a leather jacket in the dead of winter. They met at The Mill in downtown Iowa City after “matching” on Tinder. He was a quiet, pensive man with a Persian accent and curiosity. She was a loud, bubbly woman with lots of stories to tell. After an awkward moment at the end of the date when Claire went for the handshake and Mohsen went for the hug, they said goodbye and, individually, decided they wanted to meet again! Claire then immediately moved to St. Louis and through daily phone conversations and many boring drives between St. Louis and Iowa, the flame kept burning!

Claire came home on a Tuesday night on September 1, 2020. It was her birthday, and it was also the middle of the work week. Mohsen awaited her with some flowers, a candle, a poem, take-out from their favorite restaurant, and a gift. Inside was a ring! She said yes :)

At first we were thinking December. Then we were thinking mid October in St. Louis. Then we realized that the following Sunday would be ideal. October 4 it was, in our back yard, with immediate family, Margaret as the flower girl, and with our neighbor AJ as the officiant! While it was a nice little ceremony, we only wish that more friends and family could have joined us! Here is the recorded event! Copy and paste the following URL in your browser to view: https://drive.google.com/file/d/12njPSyFfsA36w65bdNFrSuoo937QBNWE/view?usp=sharing

We want to do a real celebration. With EVERYone! We’re thinking big, accessible, fun, in 2021! (Or 2022, we can wait) Thanks to everyone for all your love and support. We are thinking of you all during these crazy times!