Our wedding has been postponed until a time when we can all travel and gather together safely. We'll let you know as soon as possible the new dates!

Hello, we look forward to seeing you on Summer Solstice! We fell in love with this land when we first saw it and always thought it would be a great place for our wedding. We wanted to have more than one day with our family and friends so we reserved the whole weekend so we could have the place to ourselves. The weekend starts at 4:00 PM Friday, June 19. For those of you that wish to camp, there are 75 spots available as well as 4 "Wall Tents". If you are interested in camping or wall tents, please DO NOT CALL WILLOW WITT. Call John at 760-420-0151 or send an email to jvgjake@gmail.com. We encourage you to come for the whole weekend but for those that will just want to attend the ceremony, it will be Saturday, June 20, 2020 at 4:00 PM. Throughout the weekend, we will have music and a variety of activities including trail hikes and a tour of this special place with the owners, Suzanne and Lanita. A full schedule of events are on the "schedule" page. Willow-Witt Ranch is a 445-acre gem in Southern Oregon’s high country. In this magical valley, owners Suzanne Willow and Lanita Witt have restored a working forest and wetland, and a small farm with exciting Farm Stay accommodations. Here, you can enjoy a memorable stay and experience nature’s beauty on a ranch committed to land conservation and restoration, alternative energy and sustainable agriculture.

While we both don't like to admit that we met via an on-line dating website, this is actually common in our postmodern world. We both noticed an ad on FB by Mindful Dating--a new dating website for conscious/mindful people. They had a free month trial and we both signed up at the same time. We were involved in dating websites in the past and didn't have a positive experience as it was time consuming while working full-time. And years later, after being single for over 5 years or more, we were feeling the need to meet a companion. John had just moved back to Oregon to assist his mother at the end of life and I was working full time as a medical social worker and not having much time to date. We both believe that we have to show up and put in an effort to create the life that we want; thus, we made the attempt to meet our beloved. We discover that we both lived in South Ashland and decided to meet for tea at Dobra Tea House in Ashland. WE both enjoyed our conversation and decided to meet again for a hike in the woods. We continued to get to know each other slowly through hikes and coffee talks. I was very hesitant at first because he was in transition and not sure if he wanted to stay in Ashland. However, when he realized that he really needed to care for his dying mother, he started opening his heart to being here for awhile and surrendering his life to the unknown. I was able to help support him during his mother's death and a year later his brother's death. After two years of slowly getting to know each other, we have developed a foundation of trust and respect. John has helped to heal my traumatize heart, as well. WE have both been bodhisattvas of the heart for one another. We have been thru some very difficult times together and witnessed all of the rough edges of love and vulnerability.

John proposed to me on Songer Butte, near Emigrant Lake in Ashland. It was a hot summer day and john had been planning it for over a month, but he did not have a location in mind. We decided to spontaneously hike to the top of Songer Butte as I had done a powerful ritual the year before. He had always wanted to climb the Butte as he spend a lot of time at Emigrant Lake growing up in Ashland. The lake seemed like an appropriate place as it has been a powerful place of magic, prayer, and connection with nature our entire lives. It is an arduous hike to the top of Songer Butte, but the views are breathtaking. It is short and steep--one has to be sure-footed as you can easily slip and fall. Seeing as though we are both very adventurous, it made sense to explore a local mountain. Little did I know that John had met privately with my mother, Susan, and told her about the proposal and asked her permission. This was a kind gesture on John's part, not to mention asking my mother for her expert advice on the astrology of that day. Susan found that Venus and Mars (both of our ruling planets for Taurus and Aries) would be visible in the sky that day and were aligned in the sky. The hike up required complete focus. There are some beautiful granite rocks at the top and a large flat area for sitting and walking around the top without fear of falling off. We spread our our blanket and watched the sun go down. We spotted Venus and Jupiter and took a photo of ourselves with the planets behind our heads (see photos included). We said a prayer and invoked the animal spirits in the area to witness us. John had a backpack, which had the ring and other surprises. He told me he was making an altar and that I should sing. I did not know what was taking him so long, but discovered a beautiful array of sea shells, rose petals, a wooden box, and chocolate. Next thing I know, he is down on his knees asking me to marry him. Of course, I will my beloved.Of course.