We can't wait to celebrate with you!

Jess and Brian met in 2010 while we were both living in New Orleans as long term volunteers for an organization called Operation Helping Hands after Katrina. It wasn't meant to be at that time because Jess was still in college in SF, and left after a few months to finish her degree. After 3 years of living apart and having basically no contact, Jess eventually moved back to New Orleans for a job. Even though she had no plans of telling Brian that she was back, they managed to bump into each other at Krish Dish on one of her first nights back in town. Her first words to him after such a long time apart? "You look really sweaty." We started off slow, just as friends. But mother nature had other plans. Hurricane Isaac was coming in hot and the flop house Jess was living in was decidedly unprepared for a hurricane. Brian invited her to a house in a flood safe zone Uptown for what was supposed to be an overnight gathering to ride out the storm with a few friends. One night turned into 3 as the storm hovered over New Orleans, knocking out our power and AC. As the hostess of those pivotal 3 nights of our relationship likes to say, "of course Brian would bring a date to the hurricane party." Since then, we bought a house, adopted a Bernie, traveled all over, uprooted to Brooklyn, and have built an incredible community. 7 years later during an anniversary dinner, Brian bent down on one knee in a restaurant overlooking the Hudson and presented Jess with a ring. After clarifying that Brian was indeed proposing marriage and not the weird legal union thing they had talked about for years--they became engaged. One global pandemic later, we are finally doing the thing. We have been each other's rocks during the most difficult parts of our lives, and have had the most amazing time spending these wonderful years together. We're so excited to be getting married, and even more excited to celebrate our union with everyone who loves us as much as we love each other.