Hope Like a Hundred Thousand Suns. Calm Like a Mirrored Lake.

As some folks are aware, Jack and I secretly eloped on June 15th, 2020. This past Saturday, April 16th, 2022, we finally held our wedding ceremony and reception at the Lewiston Hotel, Bar and Grill in the remote town of Lewiston, CA, and had approximately 130 people attend from all over the country and all over the world! In my privileged, sheltered, joyous, comfortable life, this day was the absolute happiest. The grandest. The most like a fairytale. Jack and I were palpably swaddled in love from every direction, and I will never forget this weekend, this day, as long as I live.

It took a village to pull off this production. I couldn’t have achieved any of it without help along the way from friends who threw themselves whole-heartedly into every task they were presented with. This is going to be a long list of thank-you’s, so buckle up!

Thank you to my bridesmaids, Kate, Isabella, Mary, Emily, Marissa, and Riya, for helping stay on track contacting vendors and offering design ideas, Kate (and her husband Alex) for running interference with my mother, Isabella (and her piano-playing, opera-singing husband Jon) for singing most gloriously during the ceremony, Mary (and her partner recently turned fiancé!) for constantly checking in and making sure I was all right, Emily for partying Thursday and then driving my sorely hungover ass around all day Friday, Marissa for shuttling vehicles, and Riya (and her kind husband Mayur) for being the go-between for the Earth and Environment Squad and the bridesmaids. You helped me keep my sanity in check and were instrumental in keeping things flowing smoothly.

Thank you to the groomsmen, Robbie, John, Scott, Wyatt, Stephan, and Cannon, for showing up in full force for Jack and icing him as many times as possible in four days, Robbie for stepping into the role of Best Man a mere three weeks before the wedding, John (and his badass girlfriend Nicole) for helping collect cedar boughs and lichens for table decorations, Scott (and his lovely wife Ariel) for giving the best hugs and compliments while taking excellent photos, Wyatt (and his beautiful partner Morgan) for providing boundless love, advice, and extra assistance in the coordination of the entire event, Stephan (and his wife and baby mama Erzsi) for introducing us to Alex Nester and Crowd Theory to provide SPECTACULAR reception music, and Cannon for wrangling THREE dogs, including Milo (85 lbs) and Arturo (currently 75 lbs at only 8 months old) during the ceremony. You all brought so much fun, laughter, pranks, and high, infectious energy to the weekend. It was an absolute blast watching you all riff off each other.

Thank you to my parents, Donna and Kevin, for bringing me into existence and footing the majority of the bill. I wouldn’t be alive without you and I could never have afforded this party on my own, not even close. Thank you to Caroline and Gary for bringing Jack into the world, and for our “steppy” Amy for being such a positive influence throughout Jack’s upbringing, and for providing a delicious meal at the rehearsal dinner. Several extra thanks to Caroline for being a capital M Mother to me, to my mother, and to everyone before her, and also for her generosity in providing the prettiest pink diamond earrings to wear. Something old and something borrowed, which then became a wedding gift. I love them. They are stunning. Thank you to grandma Mary-Anne and Uncle Greg for arriving with high spirits and warm hearts. I’m so glad I got to hug you as many times as I did! Thank you to Bob for officiating when our friends Megan and Sarah realized last-minute they would be captaining a vessel up the coast of British Columbia the same weekend as the wedding.

Thank you to our fabulous photographer Madi Ellis for capturing the most scenic, gorgeous, ethereal couples portraits and vivid, colorful, hilarious wedding party pictures. She kept us on schedule even though my makeup took a full 45 minutes longer than intended, and managed to get every single shot I hoped for and many, many more I didn’t know I needed in my life, all while cracking jokes and making the entire wedding party feel happy and comfortable. Thank you to planner Sarah Royal of Rebekah Dani Events for decorating the entire venue and running a show so smooth I never once worried about a single detail. She carried my train and veil during the processional, keeping pace perfectly as I slipped and slid down a small hill, and released the fabric at exactly the right moment as I reached the aisle. I had forgotten she was behind me, so flawless was her execution. She checked in constantly and kept us on track for each of the events all night long. Her team was so professional, and everything was PERFECT even though perfection technically doesn’t exist.

Thank you to Brittany and Tiffany for singing our first dance song, “Come Rain or Come Shine” as jazzy duet and providing acoustic music and beautiful harmonies during the after-party. Thank you to Taylor, Cameron, and Kelsey for tearing up the dance floor and spreading love all across the venue. Thank you to all the Packer Family for attending: Fitz, Bri, Nikki, Autumn, Curt, John, Nicole, Scott, Ariel, Wyatt, Cannon, and Annyssa, and a special thank-you to Annyssa and Cannon for conceptualizing and stitching together a two-sided consummation blanket. It is hilarious and heartfelt, the presentation was glorious, and Jack and I love the bacon and eggs cast iron skillet side, as well as the sea of hands side supporting us.

Thank you to my Earth and Environment friends, several of whom were SO STOKED to experience their first American wedding: Hasmitha and her boyfriend Jacob, who traveled from Ohio, Shweta and her boyfriend Sai, who traveled from Seattle, and Priyanka for orchestrating the bachelorette party and flying from Massachusetts. Special thanks to Drashti for traveling from Arizona, and thanks again to Riya for introducing me to Drashti. All of these connections are so special and sacred to me, and I would never have made it through the grad program at BU without their love, support, guidance, and friendship. Special shoutout to Kelsee and her boyfriend Chet, who were unfortunately surprised with a last-minute family emergency and were unable to attend. We love you and can’t wait to see you again sometime in the near future.

A massive THANK YOU is in order for Cherish, who spent 3+ hours on my hair and makeup and completely changed my life by introducing me to primer. My face looked the best it has ever looked and my makeup stayed on perfectly the entire night. She even surprised me with the sparkling star and moon hairpins I was hoping to have. My pins never arrived in the mail, and Cherish had them overnight shipped so that I could still have the finishing details I so wanted. Thank you to Hash, as well, for offering to overnight the hairpins a week out from the wedding. Even the tiniest details were tended to by the very large community I am lucky enough to call my friends. Everyone worked their butts off to make this a perfect celebration, and my GOODNESS we were SUCCESSFUL. Thank you to Cherish’s boyfriend, Chase, for helping with after-party logistics and bringing Arturo’s best friend Aspen along for some puppy playtime. They loved it.

Thank you to my childhood friends, Genevieve and Sanne, for coming out to dance and celebrate, and for making me feel like a vertiable princess! It was so good to see you after so many years and I wish I had more time to catch up with you! Thank you to my dear friend from Skidmore, Cameo, for not only being exactly the right friend at the right time for me my sophomore year, but for your presence and your kind words at the reception. You always knew there was someone out there for me who was precisely the man I needed, and it means the world to me that our perfect fit is apparent to you and to everyone else who witnesses it. Thank you to Taryn, who still made the trip even though her pup came down with a stomach infection. I loved seeing how perfectly coordinated your floral dress and Genevieve’s floral dress were. By sheer happenstance! I will do a better job keeping in touch with all of you. It’s wild how fast the time flies and I will make a more conscious effort to schedule more regular phone calls, even if it’s only every other month or something similar. We’re all so busy, and yet the love persists across time and space. You each are a precious gift and I am so lucky to know you all.

Thank you to Uncle Paul, Auntie Monica, and Auntie Pilar (who saved Jack from drowning 28 years ago this past Sunday), as well as all the cousins, Arianna, Sophia, Olivia, Isabella, Patrick, and Andrew for bringing so much energy and enthusiasm to the dance floor and for perpetually hyping everyone up. Extra thanks to Patrick and Andrew for ushering.

Thank you to the Trinity locals who showed up and turned down for nothing: Monique and Logan, Lily and Lily, Jon and Maeve, Melissa (thank you for getting those sweet disco lights, glow sticks, and light gloves), Deidre and JB and their kids, Jenn and her children, Emma and Jude, Josh, Ingra and their girls, Annie and Eric, Brady and Fred, Scott and Tania, Monica, Dan, and Jeff (P.S. thank you for setting up that sound equipment for Isabella and Jonathan!) Samantha and Steve, Sean, Chad, and Christina. Bonus thank you to Christina for arranging the PERFECT bouquets.

Giant thank-you to Katie, Kyle, and the entire Lewiston Hotel staff for serving, bussing, and flipping with finesse and expertise. The service was just excellent and the multiple rounds of food were so appreciated. Bruschetta appetizers, a delicious taco bar, late-night sliders and popcorn. I daresay, not a single attendee went hungry. We still have leftovers! Your detailed, dedicated work is admired and appreciated. The venue was just the right atmosphere and I can’t imagine I’ll ever throw a party as cool as this again in my lifetime.

I can say with confidence that in my 30 years on this planet, I have achieved nothing on my own. I have ALWAYS had help. And for that, I am eternally thankful. I am so humbled and honored to have seen so many beaming, beautiful faces all assembled in the same place at the same time. You can’t know who shows up to your funeral, but from this past weekend, seeing how many people showed up to assist and to party to their highest capabilities, I feel entirely confident that I am on the right path and that this is the life I was meant to live with a man I love more dearly than I can say. I am a mosaic of all of the people I love, nearly every single one of whom was in attendance this weekend. I couldn’t be here without your support and vigorous kindness. I am who I am because I know the people I know. I am eternally in awe of how many wonderful, extraordinary humans in my life, and I cherish and adore each and every relationship. I wish I could have spent at least a week catching up with everyone there. I feel rejuvenated and energized, hopeful, optimistic. Amen for friends!

In a world literally on fire, we were gifted with a multi-day rain and snow storm the five days leading up to the wedding. It even rained on our wedding morning, a sure sign of good luck in a parched environment! Then the clouds lifted and the sun came out in full force, drying the grass and smiling down on us all, gleaming off the shimmering water of the Trinity River. A hawk circled overhead as we exchanged vows and rings. Sunday stayed sunny and bright, and Monday and Tuesday were back to much-needed rain showers. I love how fresh and green everything is. Growth begets more growth. Life thrives when we work together in complex systems. My heart is bursting with love. I will now close with my vows to Jack, and slip back into the beautiful afterglow of a glorious union and life-defining celebration.

“Jack Lienhard, I love you, I have loved you, I will always love you.

Our souls have known each other a very long time. Nothing can convince me otherwise. Looking back on my life up to this point, it’s clear to me that we were predetermined to meet. Destined to fall in love. Fated to become life partners. Meant to grow old together, side by side.

I have questioned the existence of our divine Creator, I have questioned the very nature of our shared reality, and I have questioned my own sanity numerous times. But never, not once, have I ever questioned or doubted whether or not we should be together. Our union is unshakeable. Our love, timeless. 

I promise to be your best friend and confidante. I promise to support you in all of your endeavors, in your personal evolution, in your pursuits of passion and wonder, and in our shared dreams and visions. I promise to hold you, to laugh and cry with you, to make music and dance with you, to grow with you as one.

I promise to hold your hand through pain and happiness, sorrow and celebration, and I promise to greet every challenge and joy we face with bravery and conviction.

And when we finally die, I promise to find you. Our spirits found each other in a vast, growing, shrinking, darkening, beautiful world, and they will find each other again and again, in every iteration, in every environment, and in every timeline.

My heart always belonged to you, and always will belong to you. I am, and always will be, yours. Forever.”