Wedding Date on Oct 12, 2019

Lesley and Karl met in high school. Lesley was a senior while Karl was a sophomore. They both anchored the school news program called Yellow Jacket Productions (YJP) and took a bogus class together called "Leadership," which was basically a front for YJP. Karl hit on Lesley hopelessly but relentlessly--she even chastised him in her senior last will and testament. They saw one another once or twice after Lesley graduated, but effectively lost touch for 13 years before reconnecting in London. Lesley had moved there after college. (She's a dual citizen--essentially she did the one thing that could have made her more attractive to Karl: develop a British accent.) Karl was visiting for work and Facebooked everyone he knew out there to hang out over the Easter weekend. Drinks turned to dinner turned to shutting down a restaurant, then a bar, then another bar. The rest is history. Karl was not allowed to propose! Lesley firmly stated she did not want any kind of nuptials to commence based on when Karl thought he (and they) would be ready--no shade on anyone else, it just didn't feel like starting on equal footing to her. They had to agree over conversation. That agreement would come later in the summer, after Karl would return home from attending his aunt's funeral and, seeing her huge and adoring family, thinking he didn't want to wait any longer to start their own. Lesley had already come to the same conclusion. The real proposal was telling their parents. They were visiting on a weekend that included a funeral for Lesley's grandfather, her brother's birthday, a surprise birthday and retirement party for Karl's mother, and the sale of Karl's parent's home. During the surprise party, they took their parents aside for a private toast that ended with inviting them to a wedding we had yet to plan. Seeing the surprise and happiness on their faces was pure joy. Word spread and the party quickly became a bunch of Filipinos giving advice about marriage. Someone said to Lesley's father, "Huh. I wasn't expecting that." His response: "Yeah, me neither!" That was the last night they@ ever spent in the house where Karl grew up.