we invite you to celebrate our marriage

Our story starts on the second time. We initially met and became friends in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2009. After that summer, we built a friendship around debates, exchanging books, the occasional card, and maybe a brunch when one of us was visiting the other’s city. Over the next decade plus, we collectively completed four degrees, lived in six cities, had five jobs and eventually, in all of that, we lost touch. We realized in 2022 that after all the moving around, getting older, and figuring out who we were, we had both settled down in Denver. After knowing each other for thirteen years, we started dating in late-2022 as the older versions of the very sure young people who met in Turkey. Patrick is an extrovert and Liz is a slow burn — we were able to wrap thirteen years of conversations into the easiest first date: roast duck, Manhattans and a crossword at a bar. We are both so grateful for the foundation of friendship that had lasted through so many years and then taken a rest. After moving back to DC for a new job, Patrick would come back to Denver every weekend to ride bikes, drink wine and clean some sad old vegetables out of Liz’s fridge. Once Liz moved to DC, she and Patrick began building a life around finding new bike trails, cute bars and reconnecting with old friends. As we come together to celebrate our wedding, we reflect a lot on who we were when we met, who we ended up becoming and how we complement and support each other. In many ways, we are so different, and it felt that way especially when we met: Patrick wanted to be a cowboy (like, an actual cowboy) in the west, and Liz wanted to be a professional liberal arts angry woman in the northeast. It took some time for us to figure out who we were going to be before we could figure out what it would look like to be together. Today, we share puns, books, wine, whiskey and a senior beagle. We came to the Devil’s Thumb for a walk in nature early on in our relationship and came back when Patrick proposed in 2024. It’s a beautiful and cozy lodge that has lots of fireplaces, some of the best cross country ski trails in the country, and some really stunning Fraser Valley views. We are so excited to share this special place and special weekend with you.