Dear Friends and Family: Gabe and I are thrilled to announce that we have received the green light to proceed with our wedding this August 28, 2021.  Due to high vaccination rates in Summit County, our venue will not require our guests to wear masks or social distance. To help keep all of our guests safe, we are asking that attendees either be vaccinated or return a negative COVID-19 test result prior to the wedding, particularly if you are traveling for the event.  We respectfully request that you RSVP as soon as possible and no later than June 23, 2021. We are so excited to finally be able to celebrate with you and appreciate your patience and flexibility over this last year. We look forward to seeing you in August!    With love, Elise and Gabe

Serendipity smiled upon Gabe and Elise one crisp summer evening as their junior year at Loyola Marymount University was just beginning to unfold. While taking a stroll across campus, a friend's impromptu invitation put Gabe in the seat next to Elise on a journey to a fateful party that would entwine their future forever. Through captivating conversation, imbibing of imbibements, and a mutual recognition of respective fascination with one another, a fast friendship was formed. However, their festivities that night were cut short by bittersweet circumstance; together, Elise and Gabe joined a mutual friend needing to seek medical attention well into the wee hours of the morning because she had fallen. Gabe and Elise fell not long after, but in a metaphorical sense not requiring stitches, only investment in the desire to loom larger in each other's minds and hearts. And so, the two who began the school year as strangers would grow to become the best of friends by the time winter was over, sharing the myriad of adventures, experiences, and excitement love affords.

Six years after our fateful meeting, Gabe surprised me with some tickets to a music festival in San Francisco. After convincing me the scenery would be worth the extra hours in the car, we set off up the winding Pacific Coast Highway. After a couple hours, Gabe suggested a quick break to stretch and take in the views off the cliffs at Soberanes Point in Big Sur. As we walked down the short hill hand in hand and came upon the famous bench that has captured the imaginations of many, he asked me if I remembered this point; I said I did. Nearly five years ago when we sat on that bench the first time, he told me that he would bring me back here and that it would be a special place for us. As he got on one knee and asked me to marry him, he cemented that promise. We lingered on that point, a combination of happy tears and giddy laughter, savoring the first moments of our new journey in each others arms.