We couldn't wait!

We met for the first time at a bar called "The Library" on Main St. in Santa Monica, 5 days after matching on "Bumble", a dating app which allows women to reach out first. Kelly said something really clever like, "Hey Jeff. what's going on?". Jeff isn't one to enjoy a text conversation, so he quickly moved along to planning a date to meet in person. Kelly blew him off on Thursday, and planned to do the same on Friday, but the stars aligned for the two to meet. Two and a half years, countless adventures and a pandemic later, we have built a strong and loving foundation. Jeff proposed in the middle of a quarantine and pandemic in April 2020 on the beach in Paradise Cove, Malibu, where we have built our first home together. It was a very windy evening for a beach fire, but Jeff was determined, and Kelly had no clue what was happening. We celebrated with veggie dogs and beer, laughing about Jeff's earlier suggestion to have a nice dinner that night, which Kelly had shut down. In the current state of the world, planning a wedding became a daunting task. We made the decision to share an intimate vow ceremony to keep our friends and family out of harm's way. But you can bet your bottom dollar there is a true celebration of LOVE coming sometime in the COVID-free future.

Deciding to "elope" was not easy, but we knew it was the right thing for us, and for our loved ones in this very strange time. With that being said, we did not do so without getting the blessings from our families and inviting them to find their own ways to be present on our special day. Their love was sprinkled throughout the day in so many special ways, and made their presence felt every step of the way. The details of our day fell together beautifully with the help of our family members-- each taking on special tasks and adding sentiments throughout. After a morning of prepping some details, getting beautified and spending time with family, both in-person and virtually, we met for a "first look" in Paradise Cove at the "Field of Dreams" overlooking the Pacific. After meeting for the last time as an engaged couple, we took some photos together and went to the pier, which has been closed since the pandemic. We were yelled at by the lifeguard to get off, and told we needed to put our masks on. A true experience of a couple getting married in the midst of a pandemic! Our wedding ceremony took place at Saddlerock Ranch, a place that is very special to both of us. We traveled to the ranch in the Westfalia, stopping along the way for a couple of shots with the beloved van in which we shared many of our first adventures together. We arrived promptly for our 4:30 ceremony with time to spare. What the pictures might not tell you is that it was nearly 100 degrees up in those Malibu hills. Our officiant, Jon Olson, arrived on his motorcycle in time to help us share our vows, and Wrigley, the ring bearer happily laid down at our feet with the rings, as he was too hot to stand. Or ceremony was perfect-- short, sweet and full of love. We shared the vows we wrote for each other, laughed and cried happy tears. We added ceremonial touches; a Hands Ceremony + a Unity Ceremony in which we joined sand from Rhode Island and Malibu in an hour glass. We were pronounced Mr. and Mrs.

After the ceremony, we traveled throughout the beautiful ranch to take photos in some of our favorites scenic areas, and of course to visit Stanley the giraffe, because who wouldn't want a wedding photo with a giraffe? In our hustle of the morning, Jeff and I forgot to pack water to get us through the heat, so by the time we made it to the garden for our "reception" all we could think about was hydration. The Garden is a special place for a couple reasons. Jeff invited Kelly on one of their very first dates there, for his friend Shane's birthday dinner. It turned out to be one of Kelly's favorite places, making it a very easy location to decide to share a candlelit wedding dinner. In addition, Jeff built the table we ate at and the platform on which we shared our first dance. After re-hydrating, we cheers-ed our first cocktail and wandered through the garden and took some more photos. We took a first look at the beautiful cake made by Gail (mother of the Groom) and couldn't wait to try-- so we dug in before dinner! It was the best cake ever. While taking a couple more photos in the van, Wrigley found his way into a mud puddle to cool himself off. When we finally caught him, he was happy and dripping with mud. After sharing our first dance to Neil Young's Harvest Moon, we hosed Wrigley down and toweled him off-- a "game" that was probably the highlight of his day. We then sent Wrigley home with our amazing photographer, Christy McCarter, and shared an amazing private dinner by chef Alina Harden of Mt. Lemmon. We toasted champagne, ate the best-tasting and fanciest dinner we've ever had, laughed, drank, and talked about all of our favorite moments from the best day of our lives. We felt like true stars at the end of our special day as were picked up by a driver to take us to our private cottage at the San Ysidro Ranch in Santa Barbara. We shared a beautiful mini-moon at this most charming and romantic ranch resort as Mr. and Mrs. Spiegel!

Special thanks to our amazing families for adding the most special details to the best day of our lives. And to the most amazing crew of talented professionals who helped make the day so special: Christy McCarter (Photographer) Daniel Wheatley (Videographer) Jon Olson (Officiant) Alina Harden (Chef)