Please join us for the matrimonial premiere of

Over a decade ago an unorthodox, special love story began. They met in class at the Houde School of Acting in Cleveland. At the time, they only saw one another as classmates. Jess had just returned from school, and Kellen was focused on his acting career. What stood out was how much they respected each other’s craft. Over the next few months, classmates became friends. When Jess’s birthday plans fell through, Kellen insisted she go out and celebrate. That night, while both were chatting with other potential romantic interests, they kept checking in on each other. Her friends noticed what they didn’t: a spark. The irony of two trained actors missing such obvious subtext. Not long after, Kellen booked a commercial and when asked if he knew of a talented actress, he thought of Jess. She agreed, and a few trips to set together helped them grow closer. Jess marks the day they wrapped filming (on Kel's birthday) and went to Winking Lizard as the moment something shifted. A month later, they were talking much more, hanging out before and after class, or meeting up just because. One night after class, they went to Avenue Taphouse for a drink. By this point, feelings were there, but unspoken. As Kellen vented about a frustrating wall he couldn’t break through in class, Jess offered comfort and some words of wisdom. In that moment, Kellen knew he wanted to kiss her. Before he could act, Jess got up to play a round of Keno. Another missed opportunity. Something made him follow her to the Keno machine, where, very nervously, they shared their first kiss. Very romantic, they know. Years of adventure, growth, and weathering life’s uncertainties together led to Kel planning an elaborate proposal — one worthy of their story. He secretly organized a Colorado ski trip with friends and arranged ring shopping sessions for Jess with friends (under the guise that it was for them). He hid the ring (in the infinity gauntlet-where he knew she’d never look). As far as Jess knew, they were just celebrating their anniversary and skiing. The trip was becoming a disaster. Their flight was delayed, pushing their schedule back hours. Kellen had reserved a plush hotel room for the first night, but thanks to a late arrival and the worst winter storm of the season, they didn’t get to the ski resort until after 3 AM. After barely 2 hours of sleep, they awoke to 70 mph winds shutting down the entire mountain. Trying to salvage the proposal while keeping everyone updated (& Jess oblivious), Kellen tried not to panic. He arranged with the front desk to “upgrade” their rooms for their anniversary, a sneaky way to get Jess to leave her luggage there and head to the cabin after the proposal. But with the entire mountain closed (except the bunny hill), they decided to “shake the rust off” and ski the bunny hill. After asking multiple employees if any lifts might open, he kept hearing the same thing — “They might not open all weekend.” With temperatures dropping and his big moment hanging by a thread, he resigned himself to proposing on the bunny hill. But just as they were about to go up the lift, an announcement came: 1 summit lift had just opened! Kellen, seizing the moment, quickly got Jess out of line and up the mountain. At the top, pretending his binding felt loose, he led her to the edge of the mountain, where a stunning view of the entire mountainside awaited. “Come look at this,” he said, and as Jess turned to take it in, Kellen got down on one knee to propose. Jess was shocked and ecstatic, though she had suspected a proposal was possible. But the moment she’ll never forget was making it down the mountain, walking into the restaurant, and literally falling to the ground at the sight of their family and friends, gathered with signs and congratulations. It was an incredible experience — the perfect reflection of their relationship: ups, downs, uncertainties, and overcoming them together — with a whole lot of love and support through it all.