Wedding Date on Sep 19, 2020

Tess and Jake met in grade 11 physics class, and both had crushes on each other for a while. Jake eventually got up the courage to ask Tess to prom, and they have been together basically since then. For eight years, her family has known him as "prom date Jake." Their schedules during co-op and university after high school have meant that they’ve never been able to spend a lot of time together until the last few months. This distance and visits only on evenings and weekends forced them to grow independently of each other and be confident in their relationship when they are together. Tess said that she got more and more excited to come home to see Jake every time she was away. She also felt as though she and Jake gradually fell into a life-long love (which is different than young love in high school) as they grew and strengthened our partnership. They’re the picture of independence and mutual respect. They are very supportive and invested in each other, but neither relies solely on the other for comfort, support, socializing, etc. Only a year or two into their relationship, Jake knew that Tess was his best friend and knew that he was in it for the long haul with her in his heart of hearts. He says that it wasn't so much a single moment of falling in love as it was a collection of moments over time. For Tess and Jake, marriage is the joining of their two families and the formal and public promise to each other of their commitment to each other. They felt they need to have the support of their closest friends and families. This felt like the perfect time to get married because they are both entering a new phase of their lives, post-school, and their marriage would set us off on this new journey together. They finally get to live in the same city (after 8 years!), so they want to mark this exciting time by also getting married! This is wedding number one of two for Tess and Jake. They’re planning to have a second celebration in 2021 with everyone they love. But this year, on September 19, they wanted to start their relationship and celebrate their commitment, even if it meant having fewer people and a bit of a different celebration. They chose to mark their commitment on Tess’s family property in New Hamburg, Ontario. She grew up on this beautiful property and it was such a special place to share with their family and a few close friends. They had a first look in a little forest on the property with magical-looking mushrooms and shared letters that they had written for each other. And minutes later Tess walked down the aisle to watery-eyed Jake and they said yes to forever together! Their ceremony ended with Jake planting a tree in the Zehr family arboretum to mark his joining of the family. And with that, Jake moved from “Prom Date Jake” to “Husband Jake”! With an intimate cocktail reception and personalized charcuterie boards, the guests mingled outdoors. Afterwards, many of them settled in for an amazing catered dinner from Lancaster Smokehouse along with the beautiful harvest table in the backyard of Tess’s family. This celebration was intimate, unique and so personal. While they’re still excited about their celebration next year, this was a beautiful moment to mark their commitment and begin the next chapter of their lives together. Congratulations Tess and Jake!