Jess and Daniel are writing the next chapter in their love story, and they couldn’t imagine it without you!

 

Meet Daniel

After finally running out of formal education to get for himself, Daniel turned his attention to making school work a little better for the next generation, joining a nonprofit research firm based in Washington, DC as an education economist. After a good day or week of number-crunching, Daniel paces intensely while watching Michigan football, runs on Alexandria’s historic and crowded sidewalks, and convinces himself he can learn everything about the world by looking at enough maps.

Meet Jess

By day, Jess buys new books (and other media) for a county library system in southern Maryland, keeping the shelves stocked for all ages and interests. By night, Jess buys vintage books for herself, building an award-winning collection of romance novels from the 1920s and 1930s. When not building book collections, Jess enjoys curling up with the world’s greatest cat, petting penguins, visiting historic mansions, and sampling seasonal soft-serve ice cream stands.

How the Story Began

Jess and Daniel first struck up a conversation at the wedding of a mutual childhood friend in the summer of 2016, hundreds of miles from where either of them lived. They quickly learned how much they had in common, from being Michiganders raised by New Yorkers to having the same favorite Indian buffet in Ann Arbor. A seven-hour first date, consisting of lunch, shopping at a beloved book store, and a nostalgic walk around campus, led to two years of four-hour drives to visit each other on the weekends until they could join each other in Alexandria, Virginia in the summer of 2018.

 

Ceremony and Reception

6:30 PM

Royal Park Hotel
600 E University Dr.
Rochester, Michigan 48307
(248) 652-2600

 

 We’re eager to see people again, and we’re cautiously optimistic that an August 2021 wedding with our closest friends and family will be safe and joyful. To ensure that our loved ones don’t bring home anything other than happy memories, we are taking the following precautions, in line with Michigan state recommendations and regulations:

  • Holding the ceremony and reception in spaces with significantly larger capacities than the number of attendees

  • Expecting all participants to wear masks except while eating or drinking

  • Seating guests at small and well-spaced tables

  • Skipping amenities that are difficult to socially distance

We and our parents have all received one of the Covid-19 vaccines, and we deeply encourage any of our loved ones who have not yet received one to do so as soon as possible.

Many of the details of the event will depend on what the world looks like in August. If you have any questions about what to expect, please don’t hesitate to reach out. We want to have a wedding that is safe, meaningful, and fun for us, our families, and our friends.

Being able to get married and share the day with loved ones is the greatest gift of all, especially after our longer-than-expected engagement. Your love and support are what we value most, whether or not you're able to celebrate with us in August.

For family and friends looking for specific gift ideas, we have short registries at Bed, Bath and Beyond and at Williams-Sonoma. We are grateful for anything we receive, large or small, and want to stress that there is no obligation, particularly if you cannot make it to the event itself. We are most interested in celebrating this occasion with memories, by making new ones and being reminded of our favorite ones from years gone by.