Daniel & Janell's Wedding

Hope Church

Ceremony

Lone Star Flight Museum

Reception

Our Wedding

Somewhere around July/August 2024, I met Dan in an online Zoom call that I facilitated for Reformed Christian Singles (a Facebook group for—you guessed it—singles who are reformed in their faith). I proceeded to drop a whole slew of hankies for the next 4 (6?) weeks. I almost gave up multiple times, but several Godly men in my life told me that "men are idiots" and to "hang in there". Hang in there, I did... and I'm so glad! I had to first convince Dan that long-distance dating could in fact be intentional and that online dating was a viable way to find a spouse. Multiple friends of mine mentioned to him that they thought we would be a good match, and he finally began to open himself up to the possibility. As hesitant as he was to distance, he insisted that he enjoyed talking to me and we began talking daily through Facebook messenger. I dropped the hint that he ought to ask me on an actual date, and while I meant a video call, he took it to mean in person. He proceeded to plan a trip to Houston to take me on a date, which was even better than the video date I had in mind! Turns out that I got both. On November 14th, we had our first (just us) Zoom call, and then on November 29th, he showed up at my doorstep in Houston, flowers in hand. Dan may have stalled a bit at the beginning, but once he put the plane into gear, he really took off. (Yes, I know that metaphor may not work, but since I'm writing this without Dan's help, it will have to do.) He became very intentional and even met both of my church pastors on Zoom before he came down for his first visit. That first weekend was a great mix of time getting to know each other (baking, going to Renaissance Festival, walking in the park) and meeting my church friends. By the end of the weekend, Dan landed the plane and asked me to be his girlfriend. Planning our next visit, Dan made the comment that I may want to wait until Spring to visit New England rather than face the extreme cold. I surprised him by not only being willing to visit in December but also playing in the snow in a Buc-ee's T-shirt upon arrival. We shared a wonderful week together where we spent a lot of time in the kitchen cooking, met many members of his church family, and traveled to Boston for a day. I was so blessed to be hosted by friends from his church for an entire week. We were even gifted the opportunity to host Christmas together when his pastor had a pipe burst at his house. We hosted 8 people in Dan's apartment, and Dan joked that I was going through a homemaker test. At the end of that week, it was through a lot of tears (on my part) that we separated at the airport to get on our respective planes to see our families for Christmas. Continuing in that intentionality, Dan flew back to Houston in January to meet my family. In a whirlwind of a weekend, he met my parents, grandpa, an aunt and uncle, cousin and his family, and sister and her family. He learned just how much of a gamer family we are and was introduced to the family game of "Pegs &amp; Jokers". He impressed my mother by being willing to learn so many new games that we threw at him. Through wise counsel from a friend, we learned that I did better knowing when I would see him next, and this time he had tickets booked for another trip before I even dropped him off at the airport. Our next visit was supposed to be a plane trip to Nebraska to meet his family, but I got a bonus visit when Dan travelled to Oklahoma for work! He flew, I drove, and we met in the middle... isn't that what relationships are all about? Two weeks later, I flew to Nebraska and met his family. His parents picked us up at the airport, and I showed up to chocolates and a floral bouquet designed by his sister in my room... I felt so welcomed by their hospitality! I learned that his family are also gamers and enjoyed playing games with Dan, his parents, and his nieces. I enjoyed the beautiful soft snowfall (third snow for this Texan in one winter!) despite it causing some worry returning to the airport. The next trip we had planned was me flying to Massachusetts on March 6th, so imagine my surprise on March 1st when I open my blinds in my office to look down and see Dan walking up the sidewalk to my house. My brain went into overload mode (what could best be described as an excited panic) picking out clothes to quickly change into as he called my phone to declare, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock” to which I replied, “myyy door?” After a quick freak-out on the phone with a best friend and donning a casual yet cute outfit in a big hurry, I answered the door to Dan yet again on my doorstep with flowers. After some awkward chit chat (of both of us NOT talking about why he was really in Houston) while I put the flowers in water, I realized that I needed to cancel dinner that was supposed to be delivered to Dan's home soon. Seeing as it was his birthday, I had scheduled a video date with him, ordered him a steak dinner, and even had his birthday present shipped to him. Unbeknownst to me, none of this was needed! I finally asked him what the plan was, and he said we would go for a walk and then go to dinner, leaving as soon as we were able. I set off to my room to change yet again, donning the dress I had worn on our first date, whipping my hair into decency, and throwing on makeup—all in record time! We loaded up in Dan's fancy Mustang rental and drove to the park. After a walk of chit chat and singing praise songs (I was nervous, so I started singing), we walked into the gazebo where he had asked me to be his girlfriend just three months prior. A dozen roses awaited me, and Dan got down on one knee, presented me the most beautiful ring I've seen in my life, and asked me to marry him. I told him it would by my joy to be his wife... and I mean that with every ounce of my being. I am beyond blessed to have this man beside me in life through the ups and downs, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do us part.

Her Side...

I have long thought that the best way for godly men and women to meet is through the local church. I was suspicious of online dating in general and doubted that a relationship outside of reasonable driving distance could work for me. I have also long suspected that I would be largely oblivious to "dropped hankies"—a suspicion that would later be confirmed. So, when I joined a Facebook group for Reformed singles a year ago, I doubted anything would come of it. I was active in posts and comments, but that was usually superficial and academic. That is how Janell and I started to interact. I quickly found her to be wise, knowledgeable of Scripture, and easy to converse with. Then, someone else from the group invited me to the group's Zoom call on Friday nights. Our interaction there too seemed natural, likely aided by the plethora of dropped hankies I was missing. Before long, we were messaging back and forth throughout the day. Through discussing a range of topics, particularly theology, we got to know one another quite well. While I was still oblivious to the barrage of dropped hankies, she was steadily alleviating my concerns about online and long-distance relationships. I was also learning that our views were incredibly well aligned and our strengths complemented each other quite well. Then, with some encouragement from friends who observed just how well we went together, I talked to her pastors and got their blessing to pursue her for a serious relationship. When work took me to Texas for a few days, I made a slight detour to Houston so we could meet in person at the end of November 2024.&nbsp; With much anticipation, I arrived on her doorstep on November 29, 2024, and we embraced for the first time. After some initial awkwardness, we got comfortable around each other and had a lovely first date at a Brazilian steakhouse followed by a fun-filled day at her old stomping grounds: The Texas Renaissance Festival. On December 1st, we went to a nearby park after church, where to the backdrop of a sunset, we began dating officially. Much to my amazement, she was eager to visit New England in the winter, so on December 20th, she braved a snowstorm to arrive in Boston for the week of Christmas. She immediately impressed the people of my church and made several friends there. When my pastor—who was supposed to host us for Christmas dinner—had a pipe burst on Christmas Eve, she volunteered to host them at my apartment instead. That ended up being a major highlight of the trip and proved just how well we go together. That made it difficult to part ways on December 27th when we both flew to our respective parents for belated Christmas celebrations. &nbsp;Thankfully, we didn't have to wait long to see one another again, as 2025 dawned to a whirlwind of travel for both of us. I flew to Houston to meet her family in mid-January, and we both flew to Nebraska to meet my family in mid-February. Winter weather again tried to foil our plans, as I barely escaped Houston before the great snowstorm of 2025, and another snowstorm tried to prevent us both from leaving Nebraska. Nevertheless, both of those trips went quite well, as I tried to endear myself to her family and she definitely endeared herself to mine. Between those trips, work took me to Oklahoma City, so I stayed a couple extra days, and she drove 7.5 hours through torrential rain so we could be together. We had a wonderful time enjoying each other's company without the pressure of meeting relatives. Through all of these trips, we grew ever closer to one another, and I became ever more convinced that she was "the one". With that, I discerned it was time to move beyond being boyfriend and girlfriend. In early February, I began planning in earnest for a proposal. I decided to surprise her by showing up unannounced. With significant help from&nbsp;her friends and some creative excuses, I managed to fly to Houston without her knowledge on&nbsp;March&nbsp;1st. It was my birthday, so she had planned some fun and thoughtful activities for us to do virtually. She was therefore shocked when she saw me walking up to her front door that afternoon. Once the initial shock had subsided, I took her to the park where we had begun officially dating exactly three months prior. At the same gazebo where I had asked her to be my girlfriend and&nbsp;with her strategically-located friend stealthily taking pictures, I got down on one knee and asked her to be my wife. She enthusiastically said "yes". We enjoyed the sunset before getting right to work preparing to spend the rest of our lives together. This is just the beginning of our story, and while I don't know what God has in store for us, I'm excited because we will face it together.

His Side...

Our Story

Engagement Photo Shoot

Massachusetts:  March 9, 2025

He Asks & She Says YES!

Texas:  March 1 - 2, 2025

Meeting Dan's Family

Nebraska:  Feb 14 - 17, 2025

Let's Meet in the Middle

Oklahoma:  Jan 30 - Feb 1, 2025

Meeting Janell's Family

Texas:  Jan 17 - 20, 2025

A White Christmas

Massachusetts:  Dec 20 - 27, 2024

First Meeting

Texas:  Nov 29 - Dec 1, 2024

Photos

Please join us for Sunday Church!

If you are staying in town through Sunday, Dan and Janell invite you to join them at church. Sunday service is at 11:00am followed by potluck lunch after. Redeemer’s Love Houston7805 Nairn St.Houston, TX 77074 Please let Janell or Dan know if you can join and we can make sure there is enough space and food for all. This is a small house church in SW Houston. If you would prefer to stay closer to SE Houston, you may join Janell’s cousin Boliver at his church. Sunday morning service begins at 10:30am. Hope Christian Reformed Church770 Pineloch Dr, Houston, TX 77062

Sunday Church Services

Q + A

Hobby is the closest airport to the wedding, approximately 20 - 30 min down the road!

William P. Hobby Airport

If you are unable to find flights to Hobby (HOU), George Bush (IAH) is another option. Expect a 45 min - 1 hr 30 min drive depending on traffic.

George Bush Intercontinental Airport

Please let us know if you would have an interest in a Hotel Block for either of the hotels. Rooms would be approximately $110 a night plus tax. We will only book a Hotel Block if there is enough interest. Holiday Inn302 W Bay Area BlvdWebster, TX 77598 Hampton Inn &amp; Suites506 W Bay Area BlvdWebster, TX 77598

Holiday Inn or Hampton Inn (Webster)

For families wanting a vacation destination, Great Wolf Lodge Water Park is a fun choice! While we are not providing a hotel block here, it may be a fun option that provides lots of entertainment while you are in town. Great Wolf is about a 15 - 20 min drive from the wedding!

Daniel + Janell

Daniel + Janell

Photos

Engagement Photo Shoot

Massachusetts: March 9, 2025

He Asks & She Says YES!

Texas: March 1 - 2, 2025

Meeting Dan's Family

Nebraska: Feb 14 - 17, 2025

Let's Meet in the Middle

Oklahoma: Jan 30 - Feb 1, 2025

Meeting Janell's Family

Texas: Jan 17 - 20, 2025

A White Christmas

Massachusetts: Dec 20 - 27, 2024

First Meeting

Texas: Nov 29 - Dec 1, 2024