The Adventure Begins (eventually...)

All wedding events have been cancelled in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. We will reschedule our events, and the website will be updated when more details are available.

RUSS: Nikki and I met under the new-old method of courtship that is online dating. It was not a great experience, or experiment in my case, until I met Nikki. There was an instant attraction and electricity that was palpable through our conversations and witty banter (mostly her). She was the breath of fresh air I was waiting for and someone I just had to meet in person. The stage was set for what would become my last first date: Cornish Pasty, Tempe, Arizona, August 7th, 2014, @ 7 PM (Arizona Time). I cannot fully describe how she lit up the room, but when Nikki walked in it was like she was a million-watt bulb. Seriously, that’s sooooooooo many lumens. There is no LED equivalent, so don’t even Google it. Anyways... It was on this fateful night that I experienced time shifting. The moment she walked in seemed to last for hours, and the hours we spent after passed as effortlessly as seconds. I found the love of my life and my best friend in those hour-second-moment things. I look back often all these years later and see just how lucky I am to be with Nikki, and I will forever be grateful for the love I found that summer night. I may or may not have dropped my leftovers (I did) when we kissed goodnight, but I for sure picked up my soulmate. Which is way better!!!!

NIKKI: My first memory of Russ is laughter - man, this guy can make me giggle! We spoke for about a week through tiny chat windows and text messages before connecting in person. I had never met anyone who I simply could NOT stop talking to until Russ popped up in my inbox. We had a rapid-fire banter and ended up with several inside jokes before we even made eye contact for the first time. Most of our initial conversations ended with one of us typing "HAHAHAHHHHHAHAHAA" or "Ohhhhhhhhh noooooooo." We pushed the limits with each other to get the other one teary-eyed with laughter. Since then we've been teary-eyed with emotion, with anger, with overwhelm... but still, most often with laughter. I remember the moment I fell for Russ vividly. It was shortly after I walked into Cornish Pasty (15 minutes late) for our first date on August 7th, 2014. Russ and I locked eyes, smiled, hugged, and finally got to hear one another's laughter out loud. We sat down at our table and I watched him glance down at his hands in his lap, smiling. I noticed a shallow dimple on his right cheek - barely even noticeable, and only the one dimple - and it drew me into his face. I saw how long his eyelashes were, how perfect his nose was; I internally applauded his epic beard game, then tilted my head so I could see his grin. His genuine smile revealed how warm, welcoming, and playful he was, and I could feel my whole body exhale. This would be easy - and it was. We lost hours together that summer night and couldn't figure out to where the time had disappeared. As he walked me to my car, we joked sarcastically about how we'd never see each other again because it was so clear we'd be spending a whole lot of our time together soon. Russ leaned in to kiss me - and I knew I had him when he dropped his leftovers onto the pavement. My last first kiss, my first true love; the beginning of the grandest adventure of my life!