After spending two years long distance and visiting each other 10 times through three time zones and 2300 miles apart, Jessica and Darin finally got married at a beautiful lakeside wedding. Here is a little bit about what led them to their perfect day.
How did you meet your spouse?
We lived in the same dorm in college; my roommate, Aaron Tucker, introduced us after he met her and her friends after froyo one evening.
Where do you two live?
Olympia, WA
What is your favorite thing to do together?
We really enjoy exploring new places, small towns, trying new foods, and finding places to hike
When did you know they were the one you wanted to marry?
Darin: We had a pretty rough argument two Christmas' ago. She came out to visit me in Washington and I said some dumb thing and it led to her asking me to get her a flight home the next day. We went to separate rooms very upset. While I was in my own space and the frustration faded, I only had one thought going through my mind, I want nothing more than to do anything to make her happy to be here, with me. I sucked up my pride and apologized. She stayed another week, we had a perfect time, and then she left back for Michigan. I started looking at rings the moment I dropped her off at the airport.
Jessica: After Darin left to be stationed in Washington, I stayed behind in Michigan. Life was great, but there was a lot going on and long distance wasn't a piece of cake. There were many quick late night phone calls made short due to time difference and occasionally days would pass before speaking. Many things in my life were causing me to be quite anxious, this being one of them. Mid-spring, we booked a last minute ticket for me to fly out so we could spend a long weekend together. Walking out of the airport to see Darin waiting next to the car, smiling from ear to ear, all anxieties about everything in my life melted away. Even though I was across the country, seeing Darin made me feel home - and I knew I wanted that forever.
Tell me about the proposal.
I came back to Michigan for my favorite time of the year in the mitten, the first week of July. Jess just thought I was coming to enjoy time with her, friends, and family. On the 3RD of July, I took Jess out to Holland beach and then to Lemonjellos (one of our first dates). Then we went to downtown GR to walk around, one of our favorite date destinations in college. After that, we grabbed some wine and apples at Robinettes, a fall classic of ours. Then we went to Reeds Lake to walk around, where we would do homework when the weather was nice and got a nice meal at Roses. We then moved over to Calvin College for a Calvin Walk that ended under the tree on Commons Lawn where I brought her to climb her first-ever tree. In that tree, was my little brother with a GoPro and my sister was not far off with a camera. I told Jess how much I loved her and how our journey together brought us to a lot of great places and that I wanted to continue to journey together; that’s when I got down on one knee.
How long did you plan for your wedding?
One long year
When planning your wedding, what were some things that were important to you?
The people we wanted there. The people who would be standing for us. The color scheme. The dessert. The location. The socks.
What was your favorite part of your wedding day?
For both of us, it was our first look and then on an equal level Jess walking down the aisle. The second favorite was the speeches from our Dads and siblings.
