long distance love story

It’s quite the understatement to say this has been a crazy year. We watched the world as we knew it change before our eyes. That being said, we want to be as up front and candid as possible with all of our guests about the safety precautions surrounding our exciting weekend. As much as we would like to celebrate with ALL of our loved ones, this is just not possible for us this year. Therefore, we made the tough decision to have a small wedding, putting a cap on our capacity. Moreover, we've planned for both of our events (ceremony & reception) to be outdoors, to further increase safety measures. We also have a running total of well over half, fully-vaccinated guests; we’re very encouraged by this, and ask--if possible--that you do the same, to help decrease the spread of the disease and create opportunities for future gatherings of loved ones. California State declaring full reopening by mid-June encourages us even further! Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns regarding this event. We care about you, and want to have the best day ever, celebrating without any worries.

We are really excited to announce that we have a new address starting MAY 7, 2021! This is the current address where you can ship gifts :). We're so grateful for two HUGE, answered prayers: 1) Jared gets to keep his job and work remote out here (yay!), and 2) We've acquired a beautiful, spacious, dog-friendly rental home, situated in the beloved neighborhood, South Park. We're so excited for this new home, and can't wait to host and show you around San Diego someday! Here's our new address, starting MAY 7, 2021: 2610 Montclair St. San Diego, CA 92104

A tale of the most perfect set up, or, that was the hope from three conspiring friends, of the then, strangers, Jared and Allie. The friends in this story, Jake, Matt, and Kaitlin, were convincing Jared to stay one more day on the sunny shores of Newport Beach. "Jared, you have to stay. We have the most perfect girl you need to meet. I'll text her right now!" Jared, a wanderer himself, was on a three-week trip, driving around the west coast before heading back to Wisconsin to start a new job. His time was just about up. As Jared debated whether it was a good idea to drive further away from his responsibilities, a text came in from Allie, three words sealing the deal, "Sure! Why not?" Jared would be extending his trip by one day, so he could go on a blind date in San Diego. That fateful night--January 21, 2020--the planets aligned, and the two met for tacos in Little Italy. Jared rolled in early, wearing mostly Matt's wardrobe, as he did not pack for an occasion like this. After his three nervous laps around the block, the two rounded the corner and saw each other for the first time. Instantly, the couple began talking, sharing so many fun adventure stories while connecting over their collective love of tacos and mezcal margaritas. The two were having so much fun together that they didn’t want the night to end. So, they didn't let it! The cute couple walked goofily to a nearby bar, meeting up with Matt and Kaitlin, where intense games of Shuffleboard ensued. So much fun was had! Once Matt and Kaitlin left, Allie and Jared stayed behind, closing the bar down. They felt so comfortable with each other, so refreshed by the other, so excited for the possibilities...

As Allie finished the last of her move out of OB, into a temporary housing situation (NO small feat, lots of packing & unpacking involved here), she finally got a hold of Jared (who had been uncharacteristically hard to reach that day). Their convo was cut short when he declared he had yet another obligation to attend to. He passionately encouraged her to meet up with her friends, who planned a girls hangout with her that afternoon. She got ready, still feeling a bit anxious and unsettled, "but probably just from the move and all the change" she thought to herself. She wasn't 100% sure something big was happening, but she was sure she was mad at Jared for not being available for her that important day! The ladies picked her up, heading to a beautiful spot for drinks and apps. They had her walk the beach nearby as well. It was cold & windy, but they insisted, "just a little further." What she didn't know was the amazing surprise proposal awaiting her around the corner-- picnic, wine & cheese, a breathtaking letter that left her hanging, with words connecting back to she and Jared's first canoe ride. She looked up, towards the water, and there right in front of her, was Jared, canoeing in. She froze in disbelief, in awe. Something came over her, though, & she sprinted towards Jared. She ran in the water to meet him, as he encouraged her to back up so he could get down on his knee on the beach and not in the water. He proposed & she was a mess--a shocked, surprised, ecstatic--mess! Jared wasn't supposed to be in town until March 8th! They retreated to the picnic to celebrate (only to find some disruption had occurred from seagulls). Jared planned one more surprise--a canoe ride around the corner to a celebratory fire pit with friends! They were on cloud nine. The joy was palpable. They didn't want the night to end, so they continued on with friends and burritos at Allie's new spot. March 6, 2021 was the perfect ending to the perfect beginning, well worth the wait ;).

The Day was March 6, 2021, a day Jared had waited for a long time. Things had miraculously fallen into place to make this day happen. The ring had been picked up the day prior from the jeweler, the location was set, the friends were informed and positioned, and the plane tickets were bought. There was just one thing not accounted for, and that was the hardest of all: how to keep Allie unaware to anything going on. The day was a Saturday, a day we set aside to have relaxing morning coffee conversations on the phone. Jared was already nervous about missing this morning chat time, but to make matters worse Allie had just gone through a stressful move and was needing decompress chat time. Of course none of this will be possible when you are flying to San Diego for 6 hours that same morning. He would have to test Allie's patience and forgiveness. Jared did have a few tricks up his sleeve. March 6th was his Mom's birthday and he could make up at least a few of those 6 hours with planned birthday activities. Naturally, as any sane person in Wisconsin will do in early March, a bike ride in 40 degree weather, early in the morning was put on the docket. He was so smart. Now, to solve the tracking issue. Since we live in 2021, it is possible to have your friends, in this case partner, to see where your phone location is. This is a problem if she looks and sees. "Oh, what is Jared doing in San Diego?" Sneaky Jared strikes again. It is simple really, turn off phone data and never connect to wifi. Now, how to explain the change in phone response? Give the classic, "I dropped my phone and it bounced into the dog water bowl" excuse. Another brilliant idea by Jared, it was fool proof. Nothing else could go wrong, right?? Wrong of course. ...

The Flight to San Diego was fairly uneventful. Text messages to Allie were sent explaining his "unfortunate scenarios," things were all going according to plan. He had made it to San Diego. One big step done! Well that, and making sure he had the ring, which he did, and did not let out of his sight. Matt, Jared's friend, picked him up from the airport with canoe on board, yes, things are all going according to plan. The plan was to ask Allie to marry him on a beach, ideally secluded, have a blanket spread out with charcuterie board, wine, and a letter explaining all the things Jared was for sure to forget in the moment. How does a canoe fit into this equation? Well of course Jared would come paddling in, as Allie read the letter he wrote for her. He would come paddling in like a knight in shining armor, except instead of a horse he had a canoe, and instead of shining armor he wore a shirt he had purchased from Target the day prior. This was all the plan anyway, first he had to get ready. At Matt's house, Jared took a shower and had his first Allie phone call. "Play it cool," he told himself. He could tell she really wanted to talk and hang out for awhile, but of course this was not possible. He had so many items to grab in 2 hours, plus get to the beach location. He had to cut the phone conversation early. This was the first notice of irritation in Allie's voice. He could not shake that from his head. He told himself, she will definitely forgive me, right, after she finds out what is going on? ...

Jared & crew picked up all the necessary items for the proposal: the cheese, crackers, wine, flowers. All was coming together nicely. They pulled up to the beach location with an hour to spare on Vacation Island, & set up the blanket, laying out the cheese & letter appropriately, & set up the canoe. Allie, at this point was close by. Jared had worked it out with some of Allie's friends to bring her to this beach, but first they were to have a drink at a close by beach side restaurant. Jared's nerves were through the roof! After running several laps around the canoe, he couldn't wait anymore. With over 30 min to go, he paddled out into Mission Bay. This brought up the first problem: it was quite windy. He had a heck of a time trying to paddle out, but even more so he struggled just staying put in the bay in a location where he could watch for Allie. While all of this was going on, he eventually noticed a commotion around the blanket. Matt & Kaitlin were running around scaring seagulls away. He thought, "Oh no! The cheese and crackers." He made a quick decision to paddle in to assess the situation. One cheese was completely gone & the other went from being a Gouda to Swiss with all the beak holes in it. "Ugh" He thought, as he grabbed the crackers and now Swiss cheese and paddled back out. Hopefully the lack of cheese will not be a deal breaker for her. Finally the moment came! He saw her! Jared's heart leapt. He was excited and nervous all at once. He saw her sit down in shock, read the letter. Now was his moment. He paddled in. She ran out to greet him in the water. The two embraced and Jared, after some coercion, got them to dry land & he got down on one knee & asked Allie to marry him. After a time that seemed like too long, Allie said YES! A group of ladies celebrating a 40th birthday all cheered and we retreated to our blanket. The seagulls were not done with us yet. On the blanket was one gift he did not place. A congratulatory nice big seagull dropping.

Jared had one more surprise. After an hour of enjoying their moment, Jared suggested they go on a sunset cruise with the canoe. Thankfully, Allie agreed and the two embarked on a trip around the island. It was a beautiful night and everyone was out enjoying the weather, having fires on the beach. As they reached the final fire pit on the island, a cheer arose. There were Jared and Allie's close friends ready to celebrate the special day. And what a memorable day it was! Special thanks to: Matt, Kaitlin, Sara, Daniel, Eva, Sam, Amanda, and Simea, for making it all happen!