just married

After being together for over 5 years, our families had never met in person. Many trips back to see family in Indiana and South Carolina made it feel like we had been a part of each other's respective families for a lifetime. Many FaceTime calls and text message chains led up to our families meeting for the first time — and it exceeded all of our expectations. It truly felt like a union between all of our immediate family, coming together in support of our love for each other. We had dinner at one of our favorite local spots, Nine Irish Brothers, and got ice cream at Silver Dipper. After dinner, our family helped decorate our AirBnb with photos of us over the years, and made boutonnières and bouquets for our parents, as well as small table bouquets of bud vases to decorate the restaurant where we would have lunch after the ceremony. Camilla and Andrew made and brought homemade bem casados** that were beautifully wrapped in tissue paper adorned with delicate paper flowers. They also traveled with honey harvested from their backyard bees as a special wedding favor. #meanttobee **Bem Casados are traditional Brazilian wedding treats. Story has it that these cookies represent the couple’s union and commitment, and promise a life of happiness. It was so special to have them on our wedding day.

In the morning, Stone, Andrew and Mr. Feng went out to grab pastries from a local bakery while the ladies got ready for the big day. The rest of our families soon arrived at the Loeb House, a historic home where we were staying for the weekend, for family photos captured by our friend, Anna. Neither of us had seen each other until right before leaving for the ceremony… and we can firmly say this was the most nerve-wracking moment of the day! After a short drive to the Tippecanoe County Courthouse, we received our marriage license, met with the judge and ran into one of Stone’s high school friend’s mom who worked at the courthouse (cause every wedding needs a “small world” moment, right?). We were married in the rotunda of the courthouse, surrounded by our immediate family. Shortly after the ceremony, we stepped away to exchange our vows in private — committing ourselves to a life filled with love, friendship, laughs, and support for one another. Once we finished our “I do's," we celebrated with a delicious lunch at 8Eleven Bistro — filled with champagne toasts, laughter, and so many *happy* tears! And of course, cake made by none other than Jess! We went with Claire Saffitz’s recipe for carrot cake with brown butter, cream cheese frosting; it’s a family favorite and one that Jess has made for many celebrations. After lunch, we went bowling at Arrowhead Bowl — a local Lafayette institution that Stone and his family went to when he was a kid. In classic Andrew fashion, he surprised us with a thoughtful message displayed across all the screens in the bowling alley, “Let’s congratulate Stone and Jessica on lanes 41-42 on their big day today”. There were lots of strikes, a few gutter balls, and endless smiles to kick off forever! It was a truly perfect way to spend our wedding day.

The day after our wedding was everything we could have hoped for — relaxed, joyful, and full of love. We gave the Fengs an abbreviated tour of Lafayette. We visited the Downtown Farmer’s Market, which happened to be the last of the season, and walked around Happy Hollow Park in West Lafayette to see the fall foliage. After exploring, we headed to Janet and Steve’s home in the woods for a beautiful lunch and cookout. Steve grilled up smash burgers; Janet and Debbie made side dishes and sweet treats. It was the perfect setting for our families to hang out and enjoy themselves. Little did we know, Camilla had been planning ahead for this day by gathering video messages from close friends and family across the globe. These touching messages filled with best wishes (and marriage advice… aka Jess is and will *always* be right :) …) made this incredible weekend that much more memorable. We played endless rounds of corn hole outdoors while enjoying the crisp, Midwestern fall air. It was the perfect way to end our weekend of celebrating and creating even more special memories with the people we love most. We’re excited about this next chapter of our lives together, and we can’t wait to celebrate it with you soon! - Jess & Stone