We're getting married!

4.23.2022 - Wedding Ceremony Weekend in Washington, DC for immediate family only. 4.30.2022 - Wedding Celebration Weekend in Springfield, MO for all loved ones.

We have known each other since pre-school! As we moved through the years we knew about one another and considered each other acquaintances - but we weren't really the best of friends (little did we know). When asked about it now, according to Keri, Michael was "...always the sweet, but quiet soul who could usually be found playing with a basketball at recess or always had the right answers during Math class." According to Michel, Keri "always wore her red soccer jacket and her hair was always up in a pony-tail. She was always coloring, too. And at recess, I remember that she would usually play 4-square or double-dutch." It wasn't until we were 16 when we came back to one another in the most unexpected way - a Debutant Ball. Michael was asked to be the escort for one of his classmates, and Keri could think of a million things she'd rather do…until she walked in that first evening and saw Michael standing there. She knew then that he was 'her person' - even though they hadn't seen or spoken to one another in nearly 5 years. That evening Michael and Keri sat and talked for hours. Then, when it was time for the escorts to leave, Keri made sure to get Michael's number from his date. They've spoken to each other every day since October 14, 2012.

We both feel that DC is the place where we built the foundation of who we are as a couple. It's also the city that helped in the molding and development of who we are as individuals. Washington, DC is the city that we have both loved for years and will always hold a special place in our heart. When we began talking about the overwhelming details of 'what is a wedding' and all it entails, we knew that we wanted something that felt like 'us'. We wanted a small, intimate, and romantic wedding ceremony in a place that has special meaning to us both. After days of discussions and back-and-forth we were struck with the perfect solution - why not DC?!

We know that our Nation's Capital isn't necessarily the easiest or most convenient of places for the majority of our extended friends and family to travel to. And, when making the decisions of big v. small, traditional v. non-traditional, etc. - this was something that we definitely went back and forth with. So, we've decided to have a post-wedding celebration with everyone we love and who have been a part of our journey! We wanted this gathering to take place at a significant and sentimental venue - so we choose the place right where it all started…the Debutant Ball at Hickory Hills Country Club in our beloved hometown of Springfield, Missouri.