A Tale of Two Goofy, Optimistic Puzzlers: Our Love Story

We want to know all about your love story and what makes you tick as a couple! We figured it was only fair to turn the tables and tell you a bit about our story...
How it all began
It felt a bit too serendipitous to be true at the beginning...like a Hallmark movie. I was living in D.C., and Dave was in Vermont. Our respective best friends decided to have a micro-wedding in Wyoming...just them, us (as best man and maid of honor), and a mutual friend as the officiant. The five of us spent an eventful three days together sharing a house...by the end of it, our best friends were married, we had discovered our mutual penchant for handholding and smooches, multiple flight delays extended our time together, and my much-adored grandmother unexpectedly left this world. It was an intense long-weekend.


The era of talking til 2am and nonstop messaging
A few weeks later, I was in Vermont with my family for my grandmother's memorial. After Dave graciously offered to drive me several hours to the airport, another flight delay gave us another extra night together, and our story became more than an incredible moment that had happened in WY. Our connection grew that summer as we messaged ridiculous amounts and talked into the wee hours. I invited Dave to visit me in D.C., and he (eventually) agreed.


Could this really work?!
In the Fall, having finished my job at the Smithsonian, I headed to Vermont to spend more time with Dave and see if this was really meant to be. I met his kids. He traveled to Cambodia to meet me for a trip. We met each other's parents. We declared our love and made his home ours.


This works!
Over the coming months, we continued to marvel at how well we meshed and complemented one another, despite some significant challenges. We leaned into our shared core values to foster growth, mutual support, open-mindedness, and treading lightly.


Puzzle fiends
Together, we discovered the niche but spectacular world of puzzling - not only escape rooms, but also tabletop puzzle games (like escape rooms you can play at home) and even outdoor puzzling adventures! It's rewarding in every sense - challenges us intellectually, cements our teamwork, and provides unforgettable moments of triumph, amazement, and laughter. We even started crafting some of our own - more challenging versions of the "missions" Dave sometimes created for his kids.


DaVista comes into view
After three years together, Dave proposed with a series of hand-crafted puzzles, whose answers together read: "Thyme 2 bee DaVista." Oh yes - we had a celebrity name!


From there, I leveled up some of my skills to create as many of our wedding components as possible. We learned a lot through the planning process about the many incredible local vendors who can help, as well as the kinds of help we wanted but couldn't find. And we discovered the joy of crafting an event infused with a couple's essence - their heart, their spirit, the things they love most - and that invites loved ones to engage and participate, not just observe.
Are you looking for help or guidance on how to make your celebration truly reflect who you are as a couple?