We've decided to cancel our wedding reception and hope everyone stays safe and healthy at home. Thank you for understanding, much love to all.

Ben and Sally met in middle school, did not date, were not friends in high school, then reconnected in college and fell madly in love. But they were very practical about it - they had a rolling five-year plan. Okay, Sally had a rolling five-year plan. Which means, 7.5 years after they got together, they'll get married. For a more complete (but not fully complete) story, see the sections below!

Once upon a time, Sally and Ben went to middle school together. By 8th grade, they both liked each other a lot. Alas, romance was not in the stars quite yet. In 8th grade, Sally asked Ben out on the stairs after gym class. Ben, polite (but silly) boy that he was, said "No thanks." Sally, ever the optimist, asked, "You sure?" Ben reaffirmed his rejection. Ben does not remember this. Also in 8th grade, Ben's friend told Sally that Ben liked her. Ben was mortified. Sally made a noncommittal gesture of some sort, perhaps shrugged her shoulders, and went on with her life. Sally does not remember this. Fast forward a few years - after reconnecting briefly in the summer of 2012, Sally visited Ben at college in January, 2013. On a starlit drive through the foothills, Ben told Sally that, when queried, he'd told his volleyball teammates that she was his girlfriend. He continued, "Since I would hate to be a liar, would you go out with me?" She said, "No thanks." And immediately retracted that answer in favor of a resounding "YES." The seven years since then have been filled with questionable compliments (Ben to Sally: "You're looking billow-ous today."), bleached hair (on both heads, not at the same time), cake that overflowed its pan in the oven (nice work, Ben), thoughtful gifts (Wicked tickets, massages, etc.), epic pancakes (Ben's the master), epic mockery (Sally does the best impersonation of Ben), tons of reading (85% Sally), the coldest vacations ever (hello, New York and Canada in March and January, respectively), two cat adoptions (hello, Mia Nori and Jackery Robert Gerochery Frost), an engagement, a new house, one puppy adoption (hello, Archibald), countless plants, and a rolling five-year plan. To be continued...

After roughly six years of courtship, Sally and Ben's (read, Sally's) rolling five-year plan had almost been completed in 2019. Ben searched Etsy for hours, meticulously curating a selection of rings he felt might appeal to his famously laid-back love. Sally selected a pretty but cheap ring. Naturally, Ben bought the beautiful, slightly more expensive ring she actually wanted. The ring would arrive about two weeks after ordered. A week after ordering it, Ben had a Friday off. He invited Sally to take a day of vacation so they could hike together, a proposition she gleefully accepted. At one point on the hike, giant rock piles covered the mountains around them. They climbed one of the peaks, where they journaled and read. Sally was in heaven. Ben was a nervous wreck. Yes, unbeknownst to Sally, the ring had arrived a week early and Ben had planned the hike with certain aspirations in mind. As Sally read, Ben explored. He returned and asked Sally to come see some rocks he thought she'd think were cool. With such an exciting proposition, Sally couldn't help but follow him. At one point, she marched ahead in a silly manner. When Ben didn't comment, she asked, "Ben, did you see my marching?" He'd been too busy fretting over what came next to have seen her marching. They came to a "tower," a rock sticking up from the ground, with a hollow in it where they could stand, waist-deep within the "tower," and look over their surroundings. Ben stood behind Sally, circling her with his arms. She felt him rummaging in his pocket and turned, wondering what he was doing. He pulled out the ring box. "Sally Jo Runions, will you marry me?" He asked, opening the box. The ring stuck out sideways - he'd opened it the wrong way. Much laughter ensued. "Well," she said, "not right now." He groaned. That was his pedantic love alright. But of course, she said yes. Now, 7.5 years after their official start, Ben and Sally are ready to make things even more official. Let's do this.