Celebrate.

Dear Family,

It is always a miracle when two lives cross and align. However, it’s rarely a mystery. One thing that all unions have in common is that it takes a village to bring two people together. You are our village. We are so grateful for you and excited to celebrate together!

When we met in January 2018, we had a strong sense of already knowing each other. This uncanny familiarity came in the form of almost spooky coincidences in the first few weeks of our relationship. These ranged from bumping into close friends on every date; to being on the same city block when we called each other; to listening to the same songs and reading the same books. We also quickly discovered our connections ran deeper in a very specific way. We share UK and Jewish heritage; and our families have lived within miles of each other for generations; from Liverpool and Wales; to different corners of Merrick, LI; to across the park in Manhattan.

Early on we also discovered a shared commitment to personal growth, creative expression and healthy living that has provided a strong foundation for our life together. Sealing the deal, our relationship has been watched over by a very special guardian, our sweet Stella. She has taken turns acting like the glue that binds us, to behaving like a couples counselor. Since day one, she has interrupted heated arguments by plopping herself between us and doing something so ridiculous we shifted from frowns to giggles within minutes.

We are excited and relieved to finally reach this point together and with you. As you know, it’s been quite a rollercoaster ride. As highly sensitive introverts, planning a wedding was always going to be a challenge for us, and in fact we opted to privately obtain a domestic partnership last year, celebrating with a quiet diner lunch and nap. This challenge heightened during the pandemic when we had to cancel and reschedule more than a couple times. Despite these obstacles, we were powerfully driven to publicly tie the knot because our union felt incomplete without sharing this with you. We wouldn’t be here without each and every one of you. More than a commemoration of our commitment to each other, with this ceremony our intention is to commemorate our commitment to all of you.

Our wedding is a space to celebrate our love for each other and our gratitude for you as we all look forward to hopefully a kinder, gentler and more loving world for all of us. May this gathering deepen already rich connections and forge meaningful new bonds.

Our hope is to kick off this next leg of our journey together in community with you.

With love,

Lisa & Barry