We've had a very exciting seven years (long-distance for four and a half of those!!) and it's only now that we've been settled in and settled down enough to get around to it.

They cannot arrest a husband and wife for the same crime!

Stay tuned. We're scheming a big celebration of our marriage on the New England coast, entirely separate from the tiny closed ceremony in October 2025. But we can't name a date yet for various reasons that we promise are legitimate. It will be in the summertime and it will be awesome.

Yes.

One of the many joys of getting married at this stage in our lives is that we are fortunate enough to have everything we need. But we also have near and dear ones who, for cultural and familial reasons, will not take no for an answer, so our registry is available by request only. If you are able to join our wedding celebration when it's announced, your presence will be the greatest gift we could ever want.

You can find a useful guide to common wedding terms by searching for "My Jewish Learning + Weddings 101"! The summertime celebration will be informal and optimized for quality time with friends and family.

YES! Plan for a day or evening at the beach with the family, unless you prefer to get a sitter.

It's been suggested.

Marat has incredible taste. This double ring consists of two independent bands, one for our engagement and one for the commitment to each other that we've made over and over since 2018. The primary stone is onyx, a favorite stone of Julia's. It symbolizes bravery, strength and resilience—Roman soldiers carried onyx into battle with them for courage. It's framed by opals, another favorite of Julia's. These symbolize romance, hope and passion. Together, they mean a lot to Julia as a reminder of the leap of faith that brought us together despite a five-hour (and sometimes fifteen-hour!) time difference, and the spirit of adventure that made us fall in love. There are five diamond sidestones on the smaller ring because, well, diamonds.

Julia will be Julia Burke Freytsis going forward—legally, professionally and socially. She's pretty sure this will make her a slam-dunk for a James Beard Foundation (JBF) award nomination. Marat, meanwhile, will become the legal parent of seven houseplants.