Due to the ongoing events surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, we have made the decision to cancel our June 27th wedding. We will be getting married on May 9th, but it will be a private ceremony, given the concern for everyone's safety and limitations on gathering in large groups. We look forward to celebrating with everyone once things have settled down and we can all gather safely!

How Ellie ended up in Iowa for medical school is a long story. How Mateen ended up there is a shorter story, but we'll save those for another day. They met in medical school - not in anatomy lab, as most people assume - but on a school bus, en route to a volunteering event. They became friends through study groups and school assignments. Then in Summer 2016, Ellie asked Mateen if he'd want to visit her in Seattle while she was working there. Two trips to Seattle (and one trip to Vancouver) later, you can guess what happened next (remember, this is a wedding website). In March 2017, they started dating in the midst of trauma call shifts and 3:30 AM alarms.

When they first met, Ellie said, "just warning you...I really like to travel." Since that time they've visited 26 states, and traveled to 7 different countries together. From Paris, France, to Gulf Shores in Alabama, they've done their best to explore the world. One of their favorite things to do is walking around new cities together -- they've logged over 30,000 steps/day together on more than one occasion! Besides traveling, they enjoy running (and completed a half marathon during medical school), trying new restaurants, and watching football (Go 'Cats! Go Dawgs!).

So where are they now, exactly? After graduating from the University of Iowa in 2019, they moved to Virginia to start their medical residencies. It's been a busy few months, but on November 9th, Mateen asked Ellie to marry him while they were strolling through one of their favorite parks. He then surprised her by having both of their families come to Charlottesville to spend the weekend and celebrate. Ellie & Mateen originally planned to get married and celebrate with everyone on June 27th. However, with everything changing during the COVID-19 pandemic, the wedding celebration has been postponed until everyone can gather safely.