Bridal Shower

Yours Truly Playhouse Square

Rehearsal Dinner

Our Wedding

Georgetown & Vosh

Ceremony & Reception

Fall

Elana and Luke met during a photo scavenger hunt on June 6th, 2014 -- Day 1 of staff week for Camp Wise's 2014 summer. Elana, the photography specialist, and Luke, the Teva specialist. Following her freshman year of college at Ohio University, Elana looked forward to working at Camp Wise as an older, "more mature" version of herself (that is, compared with the wild camper she'd once been). Luke, soon to enter his senior year at Calvin College, was looking for a new adventure and some way to spend his summer out in nature. What started as a friendship built on organic chemistry and Harry Potter, later turned into a love story that neither one planned nor saw coming. And so, on July 19th, 2014, their relationship began.

07.19.14 • The Beginning

2014 through 2017 were busy years for Elana and Luke. Both graduated college, Luke worked his first ~adult~ job and moved into his first apartment, and Elana got into graduate school. Luke also studied abroad in Africa for 3 weeks and Elana studied abroad in Toledo, Spain for a summer. Through it all, their love only grew stronger. And in Spring 2017, when faced with the decision to go their separate ways or leave their lives behind to move to Kentucky for Elana's PhD, they chose, as they always have, each other. After one last summer at Camp Wise, Elana and Luke packed up everything they owned and trekked down south.

2014-2017 • Long Distance

Elana and Luke moved to Lexington, KY in August 2017 so that Elana could pursue her PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Kentucky. In their first few years there, Luke worked two jobs outside his field of interest to make ends meet. Elana discovered she hated being a therapist and switched programs midway through graduate school. And perhaps most importantly, Elana and Luke adopted two wonderful cats who are no longer Earthside: Cataloupe and Fitzgerald. The loss of their kitties was pivotal not only in their personal lives, but for their relationship. Solidified like never before, Elana and Luke headed into the COVID-19 pandemic with love and a dream. Bravely, Luke quit his full-time job in April 2020 to complete a 1-year BSN program at Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY. Following his graduation in May 2021, Luke passed the NCLEX and started working as an RN in the Emergency Department at Albert B. Chandler Hospital at the University of Kentucky. They were also lucky enough to adopt 3 more cats and help foster a spicy lady cat who is now living the most pampered privileged life with a retired couple in Lexington. Then, at long last, Elana and Luke got engaged on December 18th, 2023 in the middle of a blizzard in Chagrin Falls, OH. Through the ups and downs of transitioning from long distance to living together, to moving states, to post-college adjustments, graduate school, returning to school, cats, grief, growth, and more, it was clear that though Elana and Luke were thriving, Kentucky was not the place for them to plant roots and settle down.

2017-2024 • Kentucky

Elana and Luke moved to Pittsburgh, PA in August, 2024 after Elana completed her PhD. Luke got a job in the Cardiac ICU at UPMC and fell in love with golf (no, seriously, he golfs, like, 4 times a week). Though the future is uncertain, Elana and Luke hope to spend their lives in Pittsburgh and enjoy all that this Cleveland-like city has to offer (Go Browns!!!!!). It is with great joy and unbelievable happiness that they will be married on September 14th, 2025. And, hopefully, the best of their lives together is yet to come.

2025 • Pittsburgh & Beyond

Our Story

Photos

Jette Swisher

Kevin Kahler

Taylor Gardner

Noah Reed

Bess Gatanas

Jeremy Gloger

Reta Sober Grasl

Nick Gatanas

Julia Friedman

Gwendolyn Fuller

Harley Frederick

Wedding Party

Q + A

<a href="https://www.marriott.com/event-reservations/reservation-link.mi?id=1747332250853&amp;key=GRP&amp;guestreslink2=true&amp;app=resvlink" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">CLICK HERE TO BOOK</a> RESERVE YOUR STAY BY AUGUST 15TH, 2025 TO USE OUR DISCOUNTED RATE! We have a block of 30 rooms for our guests to reserve atHotel Cleveland, a newly-renovated historic hotel in the HEART of Downtown Cleveland -- the #1 most-underrated city in the USA, the gem of Ohio, and your new favorite place to explore (Elana worked hard to find the best spot to fall in love with Cleveland and she hopes you enjoy your stay!!!). Hotel Cleveland is 13.3 Miles from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. This hotel does not have a shuttle but you can travel affordably from the airport by taking the Rapid Transit Train Red Line (fee: $2.25, one way) or Uber/Lyft If you are looking to book for days outside the dates listed above, please contact Elana!

Hotel Cleveland

Travel

Things to Do

Registry

Elana & Luke

Elana & Luke

Wedding Party