We already got married! We just want to throw a party!

As with many modern romances, Katrina and Paul met over Tinder. Within a few days of talking, Katrina asked if Paul was ever going to ask her on a date, and the two decided to get coffee on the downtown mall in Charlottesville. What was supposed to be an afternoon coffee date turned into a long walk around downtown into a dinner date into another walk around the mall into a concert at the Southern to see the Overcoats perform. Less than two days later they'd made plans to watch the meteor shower in Shenandoah National Park, and the rest is history.

It was late April 2020. The coronavirus was starting to sweep through the country, and people were a few weeks into isolation, thinking that it would only be a little more time before things would start to return to normal. Paul had finished his PhD thesis a few weeks prior. The pair had adopted their "COVID foster," Calvin. And Katrina had a surprise that was burning a hole in the bag that she brought over, thinking it’d only be a short stay when the isolation instructions came down. Finally one afternoon Katrina told Paul that she had something for him and handed him a hand-stained Magic: The Gathering emblazoned box. Lifting the lid, Paul saw the back of a Magic card and bemusedly wondered if this was an early graduation gift. As he turned the card over, he saw art he didn’t recognize and started to read the rules text: “As Coalesce enters the battlefield, a question is asked and answered. If successful, both parties are ENGAGED-” At which point, Paul realized what was happening and excitedly said “yes” to the anxious Katrina standing before him.

A short while after their engagement it became clear that the pandemic was here to stay. Katrina, assuming she would need to find a new job in Texas, began to worry about health insurance coverage should one of them fall ill (very romantic). Whilst in the throes of preparing for a move for Paul's post-doc at Texas A&M, they decided to go ahead and tie the knot. Friends, Riley and Thankful, offered their backyard as a COVID-safe and dog-friendly option. Their friend (and Religious Studied PhD-candidate), Jeannie Sellick, officiated the ceremony before their "COVID pod" of local friends, Paul's mother and stepdad, and Katrina's parents. Other family attended via Zoom. Calvin walked Katrina down the aisle to David Bowie's "Space Oddity" and the rest is history.