take two

We are so excited to finally have the chance to gather with our loved ones to celebrate our marriage, one year later! Please see the FAQ's page for more information on what the event will look like.

◦ DEC. 31, 2018 ◦ Janelle first introduced herself to Eli at a mutual friend's New Year's party in Solvang. Not a case of love at first sight, but they spent the night hanging out, talking and dancing amongst friends. ◦ JAN. 14, 2019 ◦ Eli added Janelle as a friend on Facebook. ◦ JAN. 15, 2019 ◦ Eli "slid into the DM's" and sent Janelle a message, misspelling her name (smooth): "Hey Jenelle! So have you been keeping up with your New Years resolution?" She had not been. Alas, the conversation continued. ◦ JAN. 24, 2019 ◦ After some days of messaging back and forth, Eli asked out Janelle on a date. While she agreed, she wanted to wait until she was in Thousand Oaks for her mom's birthday (She lived in San Diego and he lived in Santa Barbara - he was willing to make the drive down for the first date, but she insisted otherwise). ◦ FEB. 16, 2019 ◦ First date! Janelle drove up from Thousand Oaks to Santa Barbara and met Eli for sushi and ice cream. ◦ FEB. 17, 2019 ◦ Eli came down from Santa Barbara for Janelle's last full day in town for a second date, and the dating phase began. ◦ MAR. 9, 2019 ◦ Janelle brought Eli home to meet her family for the first time before making the relationship "official." He passed the test. ◦ MAR - DEC, 2019 ◦ A period of extremely intentional dating, paired with long drives back and forth almost every weekend, eventually lead to "I love you's," ring shopping, and planning for the future. ◦ DEC. 7, 2019 ◦ Janelle moved up to Santa Barbara, shortening their distance from a 3.5 hour drive to a 15 minute drive. ◦ DEC. 14, 2019 ◦ Eli took Janelle to a park in Ventura overlooking the city and proposed at the foot of the cross, followed by an engagement party with family and friends. ◦ JUNE 13, 2020 ◦ The Wedding ♡

We still had a beautiful (but small) wedding at our original venue on the original date, June 13, 2020, in the midst of the pandemic - with a mere 13 guests, followed by a socially-distanced parking lot parade. That weekend we went on our mini-moon to Avila (we're still awaiting the opportunity to go on our real honeymoon cruise that was unfortunately cancelled). We've spent our entire first year of marriage during this pandemic, cooped up in an apartment located in the miserable downtown of sunny Santa Barbara, just one mile from the beach. And now, one year later, we're excited to finally gather together with our loved ones to celebrate!