WE DID THE DANG THING! We tied the knot at Camp Akeela, on the porch of bunk 15, where we spent our first summer together! It was a beautiful, intimate experience. While this was not the wedding we first imagined, we were surprised with how special and memorable this day was. You can experience our ceremony yourself at https://vimeo.com/430332017 (prepare yourselves for lots of geeky laughing and messy crying)! Thank you to our families and friends for supporting us through this journey. We could never have planned for the ways in which the pandemic altered our life, but we are grateful for all your love from across the country. Thank you to our officiant, Mo, her partner, Meredith, and our photographer, Dan, for helping to create an incredible elopement experience. It was perfect. Some of you have asked about our wedding registry and honeymoon fund, so we are including them here. https://www.amazon.com/wedding/share/lilyandcelia https://www.honeyfund.com/wedding/lily-celia-06-16-2020 We hope that each of you are healthy and safe during this time. The anticipation of our August wedding - being physically together with our loved ones- was not something we ever thought would be a distant dream. Prior to the spring, we already missed you all dearly, but knew we would see you soon. Now it is unknown when that day will finally come, and we miss you all even more. However, we know we will celebrate with you soon when it is safe to do so! With love, Celia & Lily

April, 2020 Our dear family & friends, It is with deeply saddened hearts that we announce the cancellation of our wedding celebration in August. We have been dreaming of and planning for this special weekend for two years, but we feel that it is our civic duty during this pandemic and incredibly uncertain time to put the health, safety, and financial wellbeing of all our guests first. We are heartbroken, but we are reminded during this time that the most important part of this stage in our life is the love we have for each other. Although we cannot all gather to celebrate this summer, we plan on privately and safely uniting in marriage regardless. Please check our website and email for updates on ways in which we plan on including you in our marriage. If you have made a reservation at the Inn at Sunset Hill, please call them directly to cancel your reservation (603-823-7244). Our contact there has assured us that one will be charged for cancellations and no fee will be added. So we know that you received this message, please send us an email reply when you have a chance. We are incredibly humbled by and grateful for the love and support we have already received from so many of you. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for understanding the change in our plans. We promise that, pandemic or not, Lil will certainly Cele the deal in 2020. With love, C & L

Our very first interaction occurred when Lily was announced as the camp photographer on the Camp Akeela Facebook page (you can find a screenshot of this on our Photos page). Because Celia had previously held (and rocked) the job of camp photographer for two summers, she eagerly commented, "best jobbbbb." Lily replied with a "Like," and they both promptly Facebook-stalked each other. We had a feeling it would be a great summer.

This all depends on who you ask. Lil will say that our love story began on the day she arrived at Camp Akeela for her first summer and Celia's third summer in 2015. She looked across the tennis courts and saw a girl wearing a goat t-shirt, Birkenstocks, and jorts walking toward the crowd of new staff. While she was infatuated, Lily played it cool (maybe too cool) and barely spoke a word to Celia at first. Little by little, Lily interacted with Celia and realized that she wasn't just cute, but she had a personality to compliment the looks. As much as she could, without looking like a stalker, Lily sat by Celia at meals, played the same lawn games, and invited her to go to the infamous "Boat Launch" (really just a pile of gravel across the lake where counselors drank their stress away). So, naturally, when it came time to request co-counselors before the campers arrived, Lily slyly requested Celia due to their "ability to balance each other out when interacting with campers" (we all know why she ACTUALLY made that request). In typical Celia fashion, she was quite oblivious to Lily's crush. But to her surprise, her love story began when Lily's wish was granted and they were bunked together as co-counselors in Cabin 15. They barely left each others' side, never getting tired of each others' company. Day by day, they became better friends and Celia began spending her days coming to the realization that she couldn't get Lily off her mind. About two weeks into co-counseling a bunk of 11 year olds, Celia confessed her feelings, and Lily, after hiding her obsession for a month, reciprocated the feelings. In camp life, staff often say that an hour spent together in a relationship feels like a day, a day feels like a week, and a week feels like a month. This couldn't have been truer for these love birds....

After three years of long distance, hundreds of Skype dates, three undergraduate and masters programs, and four summers working at Camp Akeela together, Celia and Lily finally moved to Vermont together in 2018 and decided to tie the knot! I (Celia) couldn't imagine my life without Lily. She is hands-down the spunkiest and funniest person I know. She loves and cares for others so deeply, especially her friends and family. For every moment I hesitate, Lily is right there to boost my confidence and guide me in the right direction. I said it when I first met Lily and I still feel this way... it feels like we were childhood friends, that I have known her all this time. Lily came into my life when I most needed her; she is my best friend and life partner, and I cannot WAIT to "I do" this thing! And I (Lily) am so glad that Celia came into my life when she did. I don't want to know what ditch I would be dead in if it weren't for finding Cele. I am my best self around her, and she has helped me find my most confident self. Content doesn't begin to describe my feeling whenever I am around Celia, I knew from the moment I saw her that she would be in my life forever...I am overjoyed that it is as my wife.