How do you get a date when you live in a town of less than 1,000 people? Online of course! We met in Vermont at the end of the summer of 2016. Rachel had moved to Vermont from Washington to do a year of Americorps and decided to keep living in the state. Brian, originally from Connecticut, had been living in Vermont for several years after attending college there. Luckily when we both made dating profiles, we set their radius wide enough to catch each other! We lived about an hour apart but decided to meet in the middle for lunch one day. Over Thai food, we talked about solar panels and growing one's own hot sauce ingredients. It was clear we cared a lot about the same things enough to go out again. After a second lunch date, Rachel left for a 2 week solo trip to Italy and France, but continued to text Brian back in Vermont. Instead of being fully present on her trip to Paris, she calculated the amount of time between street cafes where she could connect to wifi and message that boy again. Despite the time zone difference, Brian seemed to text her back quickly, exchanging pictures of the Eiffel Tower for pictures of Brian's tiny house in Barnard. As soon as she got back to the states, Rachel took Brian out for a real dinner date and we have been together ever since.

Within a few months of dating, we decided we were in it for the long haul. We had no rush to get married, but talked about it and picked out a ring together in 2017. And then...crickets. Romantic hikes, trips to the beach, vacations, holidays...nothing. Between job changes (8 between the two of us) and moves (5 times together) and the pandemic, the timing was just never right. Last year, Rachel was about to just propose to Brian herself when Brian finally asked over a sunset picnic on the beach.

We have chosen to get married on an island in the Salish Sea close(ish) to where we have made our home in Washington. We chose Orcas Island for it's beauty and because you have to take a ferry to get there. Washington State ferries are a perfect method of slow travel, especially for those traveling in from the east coast. We even took our engagement photos on a ferry! The ferry will be the last and most beautiful leg of your trip. While some of our guests may have visited the San Juan Islands before, many have not. With the water, beaches, trails, and mountains, we think Orcas Island will offer a slice of PNW beauty. We are excited to share this important weekend in our lives with you.