White Willow Meadows

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception

Wedding Ceremony

Wedding Reception

Our Wedding

Evan and Leah met in August of 2020 after matching on Tinder. They hit it off over text and facetime quickly, bonding over their Great Danes and interest in going to the zoo together. They finally met in person on August 16th, 2020 at Buffalo Wild Wings for dinner, and they decided to make it official after talking for hours in the car after their date!

How they Met

Leah and Evan have grown together into adulthood, experiencing many firsts together: Navigating a changing world during the pandemic, earning their college degrees, adopting a Great Dane named Betty, establishing careers, and are now in the process of building their first home together!They have navigated living 40 minutes apart from each other for 5 years, stealing any time together that they can spare - whether it is a phone call or meeting halfway for dinner. This physical distance allowed them to appreciate their shared company even more, and they knew they could never be without each other, and could not wait until the day they did not have to be apart.Leah and Evan have talked about getting married ever since they met but mutually agreed to wait until they were more established in their careers so that they could support themselves. After four and a half years, they both knew that they were ready, and it was only a matter of asking the question.

Five Years Together

The morning after Rachel and Derek's (sister and brother-in-law of the bride) wedding, Evan ordered a beautiful ring for Leah and planned to pop the question on their upcoming solo trip to Cancun, Mexico. Shortly before the trip, Evan asked her parents' blessing to propose, but unfortunately, the ring was not going to be ready to pick up in time for the trip. Leah's mom came up with a solution, bringing Evan the engagement ring that belonged to Leah's great grandmother to propose with as a loaner, leaving the official ring waiting for Leah back in Ohio.After making sure that it was approximately the same size as Leah's other rings and would fit, Evan decided he would propose with this ring.Leah and Evan have always shared everything together, unable to keep secrets from the other- and Evan worried about spoiling the surprise, and avoided coming over as much as possible to avoid ruining it.

Planning the Proposal

When the day came to leave for Mexico, they in flew early in the morning, unfortunately several hours before they were going to be able to check in to their room. They explored the resort, which Evan used to scope out the location for the proposal. His first choice was the beach - but there was a large incline that made it not an ideal spot, and he hoped their room may be a better spot.When they were finally able to get into their room, Evan decided he did not want to wait any longer to ask - he opened the curtains to expose the beautiful ocean view, and called Leah over to him, she did not suspect anything.He read out a beautiful speech he had written for her, and Leah finally realized what was happening, immediately crying from happiness. At the end of his speech, he dropped to his knee and proposed with her great grandmother's ring, in a beautiful private moment shared by only the two of them - and obviously she said yes!

The Proposal

Our Story

Photos

Rich Dimel

Jill Dimel

Bill Long

Tammy Long

Jane Dimel

Rachel Johns

Dylan Long

Macy Mitchell

Derek Johns

Rachel Friedman

Lauryn Patterson

Josh Dimel

Lilly Dimel

Wedding Party

Dress Code

Q + A

Located off of Interstate 71, this Grove City Drury Inn &amp; Suites is 9 miles from the Columbus city center. A free hot breakfast is served daily and free WiFi is accessible. Each accommodations at the Drury Inn &amp; Suites Columbus Grove City includes a cable TV, refrigerator and microwave. A hairdryer can also be found in the private bathroom. Guests staying at the Drury Inn &amp; Suites Columbus Grove City can enjoy swimming in the indoor-outdoor pool. Access to the fitness center and hot tub is included. There is also a business center. A variety of complimentary hot food and cold beverages is available every evening. Ohio State University is 10 miles from the hotel. The Big Splash at Evans Park is less than 3 miles away.

Drury Inn & Suites Columbus Grove City

Featuring 3-star accommodations, Tru By Hilton Grove City Columbus is located in Grove City, 7.9 miles from City Center and 7.9 miles from Ohio Theater. The property is around 8 miles from Capitol Square, 9 miles from Columbus Museum of Art and 9 miles from Columbus College of Art and Design. The hotel has an indoor pool and a 24-hour front desk and free WiFi throughout the property. At the hotel all rooms have air conditioning and a flat-screen TV. BalletMet is 9.2 miles from Tru By Hilton Grove City Columbus, while Italian Village is 10 miles from the property. Rickenbacker International Airport is 12 miles away.

Tru by Hilton Grove City Columbus

Travel

Things to Do

Registry

Leah & Evan

Leah & Evan

Registry

All of our registries are linked here - Thank you for helping us get started on our new adventure, we are thrilled to share this exciting time with you!