We had so much fun traveling to Philly to meet Laura & Levi for the first time! They were just so fun & can't wait to celebrate their big day with them! The wind, cold & four-legged surprise didn't let that stop them from having a memorable time! ;) Enjoy their story!
We were both teaching English at different schools in Southern Japan and just happened to walk into the same house party. We bonded over our mutual love of Japanese food and corny jokes, missing our families and having big dreams.
Levi planned a road trip from St. Louis to New Orleans for Spring Break in 2020, taking the Blues Highway down. We stayed in Memphis, Clarksdale, and Natchez before ending up at a hostel in the Big Easy. It was a beautiful trip, and I had no idea what was coming. Looking back, there were so many clues! He wrote a poem for an open mic night proposal, which didn’t end up happening. I know Levi was nervous and anxious trying to find the right moment during our trip, but I thought he was just hangry that day until I finally caught on to what was happening.
Outside a late-night cafe over lattes, Levi read what he’d written and asked me to marry him. It ended with: “Stardust as the material/ let’s build something ethereal/ no, Imperial/ Well, just something out of the real we know”.
Laura- Our engagement started just before the pandemic shifted our lives, so I really appreciate the support of a life partner. We were together for 5 years prior, but becoming engaged gave me a sense of stability I needed.
Levi- Many things. Probably the anticipation of after the wedding and how we’re about to build something together. You don’t know what it’s going to look like, but you know it’s going to be happy.
There are a lot of traditional wedding rites that we don’t really need or felt we were including because it was expected. It’s ok to throw out the rule book sometimes and skip the cake cutting or complex seating chart- no one will mind!
