Some of you may have heard that Jesse and Leigh’s love story began in Ann Arbor’s most popular college bar, Scorekeepers. But that is just a brief excerpt from a story that the universe seems to have been writing long before this serendipitous day. In Yiddish, there is a word to describe their meeting: bashert; soulmates destined to find each other, no matter the twists and turns of the path ahead.   As it happened, their paths ran nearly parallel, occasionally overlapping without their knowing it. Growing up in neighboring hometowns, Jesse and Leigh spent summer days at the same beach club and played tennis at the same tennis center. In high school, Leigh worked at the JCC, and after committing to the University of Michigan for the following year, Leigh’s co-worker mentioned that she wanted to introduce Leigh to her son’s best friend, a sophomore at the University Michigan - an introduction that was politely postponed.   But Jesse and Leigh’s paths would soon unknowingly cross when, home for a holiday break, Jesse and his brother crowned the cars in the Senior Parking Lot of Leigh’s high school with a newly released rap CD they had created as Fairytale Productions. (Whole other story…) Unbeknownst to Leigh and her friends, the music they began listening to, the lyrics they memorized, were an overture to a fairytale yet to unfold.   As Leigh began her second semester, their paths converged again when Jesse’s fraternity asked her sorority on a ski trip. It was there, through the crowds, the dancing, and the frenetic energy of the weekend, that they each caught a glimpse of the other and felt the irresistible pull of their paths. And so it was, when Jesse spotted Leigh once again at Scorekeepers, he followed that path to the place where she stood. It would be months until the two discovered how interconnected their lives had always been; a nearly literal manifestation of the saying, “Love will always find a way…” (Oy, now that’s bashert!)

The beloved Martz tradition of the Family Show started nearly 50 years ago, elevated to a new level when Jesse’s grandparents got their first home video camera. Each year since then, the Geller/Martz family has gathered for a night of singing, dancing, and self-deprecating humor, using their creativity to share their love with one another. After experiencing the magic of participating in her first show, it quickly became Leigh’s favorite night of the year. High off the success of their first and second performances together, Jesse soon began crafting their act for the following year, lovingly poking fun at Leigh’s excitement for a future engagement to the tune of The Lion King’s Just Can’t Wait to be King, changing the lyrics to “I just can’t wait for my ring…”   And then came the COVID pandemic, which threatened to derail Show 2020. With quarantines and testing, the Martz’s were determined to preserve their treasured tradition, not to mention, highly motivated by what was going on behind the scenes…Jesse, as well as Jesse and Leigh’s mothers, were secretly plotting to use the couple’s act as a surprise proposal. The couple’s song ended with Jesse bending down on one knee and Leigh’s family making a surprise entrance to witness the big finale and the joyful celebration of Jesse and Leigh’s singular path forward, together. We can't wait to become Mr. and Mrs. Martz surrounded by #somartzlove