From Carly:

I surprised myself by saying yes when Karen (a very new friend at the time) invited me to a 3 day music festival campout at Dundee Lodge. Typical Carly would’ve kindly declined the invite, but luckily Karen asked me at a time in my life when I was feeling particularly brave. I bet her a glass of sangria that I wouldn’t know a single soul there.

It was day 2 of the festival when a small group of people started walking toward us and Karen shouted out, “my friends are here!” I was nervous. I liked my little Karen bubble and was anxious to meet new people. But Jed was one of those new people.

There was an immediate connection between us, like the feeling of seeing an old friend you haven’t seen in decades and comfortably picking up as if a day hadn’t passed. He made me laugh and I liked that I made him laugh, too.

We quickly started our life together after that day. The last four years have been spent growing and expanding our new shared existence. Traveling, moving in together, painting the walls of our house, learning from each other, planting a garden, dinner parties, taking turns caring for our pets.

On a trip to France in May 2024, we took a train from Aix-en-Provence to Marseille. Jed fell asleep and I put on Nina Simone’s “Seems I’m Never Tired Lovin’ You” in my headphones. I listened to her sing while watching the countryside, then watching Jed sleep, and thinking to myself, “I think I should just ask him to marry me.” We had the best two weeks of our lives in France, eating food made of dreams, wandering through ancient towns, making each other smile. We returned to the states, to our pets and to our home. I felt brave again, just like when I said yes to a 3 day campout. Jed sat in the chair in front of our fireplace and I held his face and said that I think we should just decide right now that we’re engaged.

And now, on September 6th, 2025, I’ll be marrying Jed at the first place we met.

From Jed:

It’s hard to believe it was just about four years ago to the day that Carly and I met at Dundee Lodge. Sometimes it feels like time both flies by and sits totally still in equal parts. It flies by because you’re having so much fun and living life to its fullest, but it also sits still because you’re trying so hard to savor every fleeting moment, appreciating what you have before you. This is what life has been like for me these last four years with Carly.

During our first conversation at Dundee, which on and off lasted for a few hours, I knew that she was unlike anyone I'd ever met before. I felt like there was an immediate connection, and fortunately for me, I also found out soon after that the connection was mutual. She was a great conversationalist, not to mention funny, smart and more than a little bit cute. After the festival I talked to our mutual friend Karen, to see if she could ask Carly if I could get her phone number. Much to my surprise and delight, she said yes! So the pressure was on for a first date. It being October, my mind immediately went to “let’s go apple picking in the Columbia Gorge,” which may seem like a weird first date to some, but it felt like a good way to get to know each other better, and do something sweet in the meantime.

Soon after that I was visiting my parents in Maryland and we spent hours talking on the phone every night, with some truly silly video chats mixed in. I knew my feelings were growing, and I had that giddy feeling, both physically and emotionally, to prove it. When I got back to town we started hanging out more and more, which quickly turned into hanging out every day. Everything just felt “right,” so much so that we decided to take a two week trip to Italy together, which to me was a sort of litmus test, to see if we could live together. We had an incredible trip, and when we returned I asked Carly and her sweet kittie Joj to move in with me. Carly has an incredible knack for design, both in the house and the yard, and she gradually transformed the house into an absolutely beautiful living space, to which I am forever grateful.

We quickly learned that we love traveling together, and after a dreamy romp around France last year, Carly sprung the big question on me (!?) when we got back. Obviously there was only one possible response, which was a resounding yes!

Carly has been a true source of love, kindness and inspiration in my life, and I’m excited beyond words to call her my wife and to share our lives together.