Our journey began well before our relationship when we were both in our early teens, during a church dance that Julia was brought to by her cousin. Although we were strangers then, we kept finding our paths crossed at different points in our teenage years by our shared interests, faith groups, and mutual friends. Years passed, and circumstances had us cross once again in a church pilgrimage group that was going on a hiking trip across the Upper Peninsula. We began dating after an early planning meeting for the trip in June.

Through the summer of dating, we quickly realized how strong our connection was. By the time the trip arrived, we were inseparable. The long days on the trails and canoes day after day getting to talk and invest in our relationship made us sure we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. However, at the time Alex had just finished his freshman year in college and Julia had just graduated high school.

Our relationship was tested through 5 years of long distance while we went to separate schools and worked preparing for our future together. We talked every day and no matter what hurdles were thrown at us, we never lost that commitment to spend the rest of our lives together. Our college days turned into shared dreams, and after some uncertain years of the pandemic, graduations, and jobs in different cities, we were finally able to move closer and start planning our lives together. We purchased a house to renovate and prepare for our married life together after lots of projects and improvements.

Since our first date in June of 2017, we’ve been looking forward to this June, 2024 for quite some time.

We are thrilled to find ourselves surrounded by family and friends who will witness our commitment to life full of love that will last a lifetime. Thank you for coming and we are so excited to share this day with all of you!