Dearest Family and Friends, We are so excited to get married, and cannot wait to celebrate our commitment to each other with all of you. Regrettably, that celebration is going to have to wait. In light of the current uncertainty around the COVID-19 pandemic, and at the suggestion of our venue, we have made the difficult decision to postpone our celebration. First and foremost, we want you to know we appreciate your connection to us and desire to celebrate with us. Second, we thank you for your understanding and patience while we have worked to make this decision. Obviously, we wanted to move forward with our wedding this summer. After many talks with each other and our venue, we realized there is no way to move forward with our current plan. Our venue is unable to predict how many guests can convene, and those there would have to employ social distancing of 6 feet. Unless the state can safely reopen through all three phases, the venue would be unable to permit out-of-state guests unless they had completed a 14-day quarantine after arriving in Montana, per the state health department. As the need to postpone has emerged, we have started to consider every option for how we can most authentically move forward. We will still get legally married on our original date of July 11, 2020. However, a wedding needs a community, and as such it is important to us that we celebrate our vows with our loved ones. As the future becomes more clear, we will make plans for a ceremony and celebration. Most likely, we will try to reschedule the whole shindig for next summer. We will communicate our new plans sometime in the coming months. We hope that you are all staying safe and healthy. We are disappointed, but we cannot wait for the day that we can dance together, hug our friends and family, and celebrate the incredible love we have found in each other. Love, Jenna & Michael

Michael moved to Missoula in August 2016 to start his first faculty position at the University of Montana, where Jenna had worked in a faculty position for one year. At the annual state of the the University address, Michael was introduced by his dean as "the man with the best facial hair on campus". Jenna spotted him from across the room and noted to her colleagues that this man was extremely handsome. The next day, Jenna saw him on a dating site. They went on their first date on Labor Day, and the rest is history!

Michael took Jenna on a surprise trip to Glacier National Park and proposed on the shore of Lake McDonald. He followed it up with a picnic and a weekend away to Whitefish!