Word is out! We eloped to beautiful Telluride, Colorado this March bringing our parents, siblings, and 3 friends each in tow. After 8 years together + 15 months engaged, we waited long enough! However, we want to celebrate our wedding with ALL our friends and family. In true COVID-wedding-trends, we invite you to a postponed official wedding reception/vow renewal this August near our hometown of Irvington, Virginia. We look forward to truly getting to enjoy the day and our time with all of you. Irvington is right on the Rappahannock River connecting to the beautiful Chesapeake Bay and nestled amongst a handful of small towns known as the 'Northern Neck'. The River Realm as it's also known is a wonderful family summer vacation spot. End of August is the perfect time for a wedding event: still summer but no longer scorching hot, the 'nettles' dispersed it's a local prime time with opportunities to enjoy the region and celebrate our marriage!

If you've ever asked how we've met you'll see us exchange a glance leveling what version do we tell, the elevator pitch, or the full-twisting winding tale. The benefit of this question in person is to watch us jump on top of each other telling his/her side of the story beyond what's here! We met at a work conference in spring 2013 in Portland, OR - Ruth running the event sponsors and Michael running a sponsor company, they were thrown together at an intimate dinner where there were decidedly NOT fireworks. Knowing her next day started at 5 am and her professing to be not a morning person, Michael presented Ruth with the most beautiful 8 am gift in the world - a large coffee. Tired and grateful Ruth threw her arms around the startled Swiss and she was won over simply with caffeine. Fast forward to fall 2013 to another work conference (same organization) in Prague, Czech Republic. The two meet again and are thrown together for a small dinner of those who volunteered for the conference and a few of the staff which included Ruth. Michael was the official event photographer - on top of being a sponsor company and giving several talk sessions and still working. (Anyone who knows Micahel is 0% surprised at this.) Ruth being gluten-intolerant couldn't enjoy the complimentary rounds of Czech beer but could the complimentary Czech honey whiskey shot. Everyone (kindly?) gave Ruth their whiskey shots and the whole rowdy crew headed to the infamous conference Trivia Night run by the Irish. #TeamDrinkTillYou'rePretty After an eventful time in Prague, Ruth and a coworker did what any 20 somethings would and used their company-paid European trip to enjoy PTO in Europe. Shockingly they made a 1-night stopover in Zurich between Vienna, Florence, and Stuttgart, Copenhagen. A month later Michael on a trip in California, bought a plane ticket to Oregon showing up at Ruth's door in PDX and the fates were sealed. Michael was spending Christmas with Ruth's family a month after!