Welcome!

Mina & Frederik met in September 2010 at the beginning of the 2010/2011 school year when they were 16-17. Mina was a Junior (grade 11) at Needham High School in Needham, Massachusetts, USA. One of the required classes for Juniors was U.S. History. Frederik was a German exchange student and therefore, he was of course the new, interesting kid in school. He was enrolled as a Senior (grade 12) so that he could experience all the fun things about American high school - like prom, etc. However, he was required by his exchange program, to take a U.S. History class. Guess whose class he ended up in? Mina noticed Frederik right away. Not only was he cute, attractive, and well-mannered (especially compared to her immature male classmates), but he also seemed to know U.S. history better than any of the American students! He aced a 'fill-in-the-blank-states' pop quiz on the 2nd day of class and he seemed genuinely interested in America's history and politics. After 6 months of flirty looks and non-stop crushing, Mina finally summoned enough courage to ask him out. They hung out after school the next day and that was when he kissed her and they decided to become boyfriend & girlfriend. Fast forward to 2016: After 5 long years of long distance with only a few visits, Mina graduated with her B.A. in Psychology and decided to move to Germany to be with Frederik and to pursue less expensive higher education. In 2017, Mina and Frederik got their first apartment together in a town near the Dutch border, called Kleve. It wasn't the greatest apartment, but it was their first home together. In late 2019, Mina graduated with her M.A. in North American Studies from a Dutch university and Frederik graduated with his B.A. in the same subject from the same university. New Year's Eve 2019 rolls around. Mina and Frederik had been talking more and more about getting married during this time. They went to visit Frederik's parents for New Year's. Germans traditionally set off fireworks at home on New Year's Eve and Mina always loved doing this. Frederik got down on one knee amidst sparklers in his parents' driveway as the clock struck midnight. 2020 had arrived and an engagement with it! So, here we are! Welcome to Mina & Frederik's wedding. Who knew that 12 years after their first kiss outside Needham High, that these 2 crazy kids would be getting married? Mina probably liked to dream about it, to be honest... Thank you so much for coming to celebrate this very special occasion! And bonus points to you if you actually read this entire thing. See you on September 1st!