Redeemer Lutheran Church

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Rochester Event Center

Reception

Our Wedding

Our story begins August 13th, 2023 online with the dating site of Christian Mingle. Jon and Stephanie met on Christian Mingle where there was a glitch in the system and it brought them together. It was Stephanie's first week back for teacher's going back to school and Jon and Stephanie were up until 4:00am each day that week texting back and forth. They realized they had so many things in common and didn't want to stop texting. They both realized that they wouldn't be able to text and do the long distance relationship with Stephanie in school not being able to text throughout the day. They continued to text as much as they could but agreed to not officially start dating yet until they physically met. Even though Jon said those three special words "I love you" two weeks in when they were texting...Stephanie wanted to wait until she physically met Jon. Around the October MEA weekend, Stephanie and Jon decided that Jon was going to meet Stephanie and fly to see her in Minnesota over Jon's birthday weekend. Jon flew on November 2nd (his 24th birthday) to see Stephanie. Stephanie met him at the Rochester International Airport and they drove back to Caledonia where Stephanie lived at the time. They celebrated his birthday by going out to eat and Stephanie gave him a present. Stephanie gave him a card that said "10 reasons why I love you" on it and officially said the 3 special words out loud to Jon: "I love you" which prompted their first kiss. They officially started dating on Jon's birthday which was easy to remember for both of them. Their first date was at Elmaro's Vineyard in Wisconsin. Jon had a short weekend there and they started planning the next time they would meet...Christmas in Myrtle Beach to meet Jon's family. Christmas break came and Stephanie flew for the first time alone to meet Jon in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Stephanie met his family, went to his work (Beast Ninja), and went to his church for the first time. They also did many of the tourist type of things too. Stephanie gave both her and Jon a bond touch which is like a black band like a watch that let's you send vibrations in morse code to each other and is made for long distance. She thought it would help when Stephanie was in school and couldn't reply through texts and could just send a vibration to Jon and he could send them back as a way of saying "I'm thinking of you." Fast forward to Valentine's Day/President's Day 2024, Jon and Stephanie agreed to alternate taking turns flying to see each other. Jon flew to see Stephanie and met Stephanie's parents and went to her church, Redeemer Lutheran Church, for the first time. Other times that they saw each other was Spring Break 2024, June 2024, July 2024, Labor Day weekend 2024, MEA October weekend 2024, Thanksgiving 2024, Christmas 2024, Valentine's Day/President's Day 2025 (when Jon proposed), Spring Break 2025 (Stephanie's parents met Jon's parents), and June 2025. Throughout the time that they were doing a long distance relationship, they texted constantly, phone called, Facetimed, sent letters, and sent packages and gifts to each other. They discovered they both have a love for cats, mini golf, board games, very competitive, chicken, Star Wars and Marvel movies, and the same sense of humor. The proposal: It was Valentine's Day 2025 and Jon came up to Minnesota to visit. Stephanie gave Jon her Valentine's Day presents for him in the morning. Jon told Stephanie previously that he didn't get her much this time and it was just one thing but it was expensive. Stephanie had an idea of what was going to happen...Jon didn't know. Later that night after eating Spaghetti, Stephanie was finishing cleaning the dishes and Jon went to his backpack in the other room and said "Babe I need some help in here." Stephanie came into the room and Jon was down on one knee and said "Will you be my forever Valentine?" Stephanie of course nodded her head and said "Yes!" Jon's friends and family all knew he was going to propose and were texting him that day to see if he had done it yet. Stephanie and Jon shared the news the next day with Stephanie parent's and other family and friends. Stephanie made the hard decision to be the one to move to Conway, South Carolina where Jon lived. Early Spring she got her teaching license in South Carolina and started applying for jobs in Horry County Schools. Late May is when she accepted the position as a 4th grade teacher at Kingston Elementary School. Throughout the Spring, the arrangements were made for how and when to move to Conway. Jon's parents came up early to help move as well. The official wedding: June 26th, 2025 is Stephanie and Jon's official wedding date that they were married. In the morning, they finished their last day of True North VBS at Redeemer, packed up Grand Meadow school with family that helped, got stuck in a bad storm with tornado sirens going off 2 hours before the wedding, and were married in the evening at the Marion Road Redeemer Lutheran Church location with parents, 1 aunt, and 3 uncles present. Adam Koglin was the Pastor and April Beckman played the organ and music. Stephanie left with Jon on June 28th, 2025 from Minnesota and started the 2 day roadtrip with her cats, Peaches and Lucy, in the car. The Summer was full of new adventures of unpacking the house and school classroom, getting used to living in South Carolina with the heat and rain, and changing Stephanie's last name to Parker. The 2025-2026 school year started, and Stephanie loves teaching 4th grade at Kingston Elementary, while Jon and Stephanie are trying to find a balanced home life/work lifestyle. They will move within the year to their first official house within the area they live in now. Even though the offiial private wedding was on June 26th, 2025, Jon and Stephanie still want to have the big wedding and have a public celebration with their friends and family on their one year anniversary which would be June 26th, 2026. They are still full of wedding planning things and house shopping, but now are enjoying living life together instead of apart:)

Our Story

Photos

Steve Fingerson

Shirley Fingerson

Will Parker

Laurie Parker

Anne-Marie Ward

Addie Myhre

Miles Briggs

Josh Parker

Richard Anderson

Zach Naylor

Michelle Braem

Melissa Montgomery

Nichole Smith

Maddox Smith

Claire Moore

Elena Moore

Liam Moore

Wedding Party

Q + A

This hotel is mostly king sized beds with a pullout queen-sized couch. It has a lovely hot breakfast and seating area in the main lobby. It also has a pool and patio area in the middle of the hotel. Residence Inn is located right next to Apache Mall for something to do along with Panera Bread, Buffalo Wild Wings, Hot Chip, and Sorellina's and is one mile away from Walmart and other shopping stores.

Residence Inn by Marriott Rochester Mayo Clinic Area South

The hotel is only a two minute drive from the Rochester International Airport and is right across from the Rochester Event Center where the reception will be held. Redeemer Lutheran Church is about twelve minutes away from the hotel where the wedding will be held. The hotel includes breakfast and has a small pool. Please ask for the Fingerson/Parker wedding to get a room.

Jonathan & Stephanie

Jonathan & Stephanie

Things to Do

Apache Mall

Bowlocity Entertainment Center