Groom: Christopher Raes of Regina, Saskatchewan

Bride: Jess Mears of Lima, Ohio

Chris and Jess first laid ears on one another on a live conversation based app called Clubhouse and early on discussed their common desire to relocate to Texas.

Following their first clubhouse date in late October, Chris and Jess got to know each other for a few months using the phone and facetime, and were finally united for their first in-person date on December 18, 2021 in Salt Lake City, Utah. While Chris was planning his relocation from Calgary, Alberta to Houston, Texas, he learned that Jess would be in Utah on a work trip and planned his move to coincide with her stay. Their first date was a multi-day road trip through Utah and Arizona including stops at Zion National Park, Horseshoe Bend, the Grand Canyon, and Sedona.

The two became fast best friends and the connection they felt on their first date had them planning their second date for New Years Eve to watch Jess’ alma mater play in the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. At the game, they both hoped to catch COVID so they could quarantine together, and, as you would expect from attending an 80,000 person indoor event, they both tested positive a few days later.

Soonafter, Chris drove from Texas to Virginia to quarantine with Jess and her two dogs in Alexandria. Their original plan of a week-long visit was extended multiple times as Chris’ office remained closed due to the spring surge in COVID cases. He ended up spending the next few months in Alexandria as the two began dreaming of what their future together would look like.

Some of the challenges the couple faced include the loss of Jess’s beloved grandfather, Jess’ health setbacks with a new illness, and Chris’ adapting to living in a new country while taking on a new role in his company.

Chris' vehicle from Canada had to be imported into the USA, and because he sped up his relocation timeline to meet Jess for their first date, he couldn’t get this done before entering the country in December. Chris made a suggestion to his stargazing girlfriend to head down to south Texas for a weekend at the beach, a visit to the SpaceX rocket production facility, and stop in Mexico to import the car on the way back.

Reentering the USA in the evening, Chris and Jess were informed by CBP that they could not bring the car back into the United States and it would have to be left overnight in Mexico. Getting bit by mosquitoes, Jess took an Uber back to the hotel while Chris figured out where to leave the car. While Ubering back to their hotel, Jess' driver informed her that Matamoros is not a safe city at night, and Jess worried about Chris’s safety until he was back in her waiting arms. The hassle at the border gave Jess perspective on the challenges Chris would continue to face as a foreigner in America, and softened her libertarian views on getting a marriage license to help Chris become a United States permanent resident.

While on a work trip in Las Vegas, Jess spotted “The Fast Lane” for drive-thru weddings and thought this eccentric type of wedding ceremony would be fitting for their relationship and commitment to become each others’ travel buddies for life. The two choose to set their wedding date a year minus a day from the day they first laid eyes on each other in person.

Chris and Jess invite you to tune in to a live stream as they take a trip together ending in marriage on December 17, 2022.

The couple reside in Houston, TX. Their future plans include operating a hobby farm.