Story
On a Thursday night in March, 2016, Alex and Leah made their way to the Troubadour in West Hollywood from opposite directions. Leah drove in from Oxnard, stopping off to see her favorite band (Elephant Revival) on her way to visit a dear friend (Joie!) in San Diego for the weekend. Alex drove in from North Hollywood (not as close as it sounds, especially in LA traffic), excited to be free on a Thursday night to see his favorite band (Mandolin Orange).
Both Alex and Leah came to the concert alone; their only purpose was to listen to music they loved. Both Alex and Leah got to the concert early, and had a few drinks and awkwardly stared around the mostly-empty floor. Leah had found a spot at the bar, and Alex, who is too awkward to sit anywhere for too long, paced the floor, pretending to be examining the stickers on the wall.
Leah noticed a boy across the bar, and thought, “Oh, he’s cute.” But, firm in her commitment to being anti-social, she stayed put at the bar, drinking whiskey on the rocks.
Alex noticed a girl across the bar and thought, “Hey, she’s pretty.” He told himself he’d have one more drink and then he’d go over and say hi. Three watery Jack and Cokes later, he finally wandered over.
“Is this your bag?” Alex asked.
“No.” Leah said.
Alex and Leah looked at each other.
Despite that strong start, they spent the next 30 minutes talking about Leah’s job, their mutual experiences in North Carolina, and how Leah’s mom had just visited. Before long, the lights were dimming and Mandolin Orange was taking the stage. Alex was very surprised that his favorite band wasn’t the headliner, but recovered quickly, and Leah asked if he’d like to find a spot on the floor to listen and dance together. Alex agreed and for the rest of the night they enjoyed beautiful music together. Alex passed Leah’s test when he didn’t walk away as she danced wildly to her favorite Elephant Revival song (you’ll hear it during the ceremony!) and Leah passed Alex’s when she listened while he talked about how cool it would be to play violin.
Tests passed and humming with post-concert adrenaline, Alex and Leah tried to drag out their time together. They stood in line for merch, and on the way out, they discovered they had parked in the same lot.
Standing in that emptying parking lot in West Hollywood, Alex asked Leah if she’d like to go to another concert with him...in a month! Leah laughed and said yes, and wouldn’t he need her number to get in touch...in a month? Alex put Leah’s number in his phone, and they said goodbye. Leah drove off to San Diego and Alex drove home.
It was only the next day after talking to a more responsible adult (Sarah - who’s marrying us!) that Alex realized he hadn’t given Leah his number. After drafting a message over drinks, Sarah and Alex texted Leah (from Alex’s phone of course) that he really enjoyed spending time with her and would like to do it again before that month passed. Leah was pleasantly surprised that Alex was interested (who doesn’t give their phone number back??).
In the intervening months, Alex took Leah to all of his favorite spots in NoHo: pie and beers, used books and Indian food, and street fair in Burbank. And Leah took Alex on a wildflower tour of Los Padres National forest (and yes, it was as magical as it sounds).
By that second concert (Avett Brothers, if you’re curious), it was official.
Since then, Alex and Leah have explored up and down the West Coast, been to Europe and back, fostered countless kittens, seen dozens of concerts and driven across the country together, living out of Alex’s 2008 Honda Civic.
Leah and Alex now live in Philadelphia with their cat, Mooch, who unfortunately has plans on the day of the wedding and cannot attend. Typical.
Ceremony & Vows
Our Ceremony
Welcome everyone! We will begin our story this evening with a fact we all know well, brought to you from one of the greatest love stories of all time: Mawwiage is what bwings us together today.
But tonight is not about that story. Tonight is about an even better story- one that may not have a fire swamp or a miracle man, but one that makes this book look like a mere novella compared to the chronicle, the classic narrative, the epic poem in which we find the tale of these two main characters.
Tonight’s story begins several years ago with a chapter you may know already if you read the wedding website, in a land far, far away called California, where a boy named Alex and a girl named Leah went to a concert. The setting? The Troubador, a classic rock ‘n’ roll venue in West Hollywood that has hosted the likes of Elton John and Stevie Nicks. The bands performing that evening? Mandolin Orange and Elephant Revival (little bit of a different vibe but to each his or her own!).
This next part of the story is one of my favorites, mostly because it sounds like a meet-cute in the next big young adult novel. Let me set the scene: They’ve both gone to this concert alone, just going to enjoy their favorite bands, when both of them spy the other one from across the room. In my head it goes like this: Leah looks, sees Alex, then just as he’s about to turn her direction she looks away. Then, Alex looks, sees Leah and just as she’s turning in his direction he nervously looks away and does something awkwardly to try and avoid looking like he was staring at the pretty girl at the bar.
He spends the next few minutes inching her way and trying to come up with a reason to talk to her, when…oh so conveniently…he finds a bag and realized this was his chance! He asked if it was hers, and that was all it took.
After that night, we find that these two protagonists of this story had too many coincidences, too many things in common, for this not to be the perfect match.
We are going to montage forward in time through the story to a new setting: prom night. After an evening of chaperoning our high school students and completely hyped up on post-prom energy, way too much late night coffee, and possibly a couple of post-prom cocktails, Alex and I ended up hanging out at his place in the wee hours of the morning. At the time, Leah was working nights and luckily, on that particular evening, we happened to be awake at some ungodly hour when Alex realized it was her lunch break.
The second these two got on that Facetime call, Alex’s entire demeanor changed. He was so obviously smitten, so clearly into this girl, that he absolutely melted into the couch. Now, to witness someone falling in love is a truly special thing. It’s hard for the best authors and directors to capture the real beauty of those moments, but I had the privilege of being in the audience for this one. And not that long into that conversation, Alex called Leah his girlfriend.
Of course, at that moment, as every good best friend does in the stories when the guy gets the girl, I’m pretty sure I started cheering in the background. There was also, I’m sure, a ridiculous dance involved.
I could fill this entire book with scenes from dancing, hikes to see wildflowers, travels to Germany, fostering kittens and of course more concerts. However, we are going to flip forward again, and we find ourselves at this evening.
This evening is an important page in this story. As we know well, every story begins with the exposition: where the characters are introduced, the scene is set, and we are filled with anticipation for what comes next. As the exposition of this tale is petering out, this is the beginning of the second very long chapter of what is going to be an extremely long story and the most epic of poems, filled with more concerts, and wildflowers, and a whole lot of love.
READINGS
Speaking of poems, Alex has selected a poem he would like to read this evening.
VOWS
Leah and Alex have both written their own vows for this evening. Now I’m assuming both of you have done your homework…
RINGS
Circles represent a lot of things. A circle is whole and complete and unending all at the same time. Circles represent life and are paths unwinding. Let these circular rings be a reminder to each of you of the unending and complete love that you have for each other.
Please repeat after me.
“Let this ring always be a reminder of our incredible circle of life together, our partnership in this marriage, and my unending love for you.”
PRONOUNCEMENT
While we’ve reached the end of this ceremony this is not really a closing, more of a cliffhanger. And I know we cannot wait to see what happens in this story when we flip the page.
Leah and Alex, I now pronounce you officially married!
You may seal it with a kiss!
CLOSING
I now present to you for the first time, the married couple Leah and Alex!
Leah's Vows
Alex, I am grateful every day that our paths crossed that night at the troubadour. I’m even more grateful that you walked up to me at the bar, and more grateful still that you weren’t deterred by how aloof I was.
Our relationship was founded on our shared musical tastes, but it wouldn’t be long before I realized that you were so much more than some butter-voiced, ultimate frisbee player living in the valley. Although it's worth noting that those are things I really liked about you.
I soon came to find that you are inexhaustibly patient, unfailingly thoughtful and kind, and perhaps most importantly, incredibly funny.
About once a year, I forget how much I hate backpacking. In the Summer of 2020, I insisted that we spend 4 days and 3 nights on the Laurel Highlands Hiking trail. On our second day of hiking, I remembered my true feelings about backpacking. My hips were sore, my feet were blistered and the flies had begun to swarm. I felt utterly defeated. You could tell that I needed a little bucking up and you began to sing a silly song about the flies buzzing around us. After a pause for my hysterical laughter, we both walked down the trail laughing and singing your song. You always find a way to make me smile. Even when it seems impossible.
On our last day of hiking, I was done-in. You kept me going by talking about all the french fries, hot dogs and ice cream we were going to get once we reached the end of the trail. After taking many breaks and more ups and more downs, we finally made it. We left the wooded path and walked a little ways on the pavement until we reached the ice cream shop. You turned to me and asked what I wanted and I burst into tears. It wasn’t a proud moment for me, but I was hot, tired, and hangry and I couldn’t even summon the energy for one more stop before reaching the car. You looked at me, a little confused, and after a moment you took my hand and led me to the car, helped me with my pack and then proceeded to make several trips back and forth bringing me all the ice cream, french fries and root beer I could ever want. And while this isn’t a terribly flattering story for me, I think it perfectly depicts so many of the things I love about you and why we’re standing here today.
Alex, I love you with all my heart. You are my best friend and the one that I want to share everything with. Every passing thought, every story I’ve heard (no matter how rambling my retelling may be), every sadness, and every joy. But more than that, you are the one I want to work through everything with. What I love most about our relationship is how we never stop communicating. Even when it’s difficult and even when it’s frustrating. I am confident that we can work our way through anything together.
Alex, I promise to love you for who you are, and for who you are yet to become. I promise to be patient and to remember that all things between us are rooted in love. I promise to be your best friend, and to continue to learn and grow with you. I promise to never ever, ever file our taxes by myself. And I promise to choose you each and every day no matter the challenges that may come our way, forever.
Alex's Vows
We all know I love a good metaphor, so here it is. Years ago, when we went to Chino Hills to see the wild poppies blooming, I took what is maybe my most favorite picture of you, and not just because—like your boy Tom petty says—you belong among the wildflowers (which you do) but because of what happened in the picture.
So, in the moments before I took the picture, we had been walking up the hill and you had been swooning over the occasional little clumps of poppies that dotted the trail. These little spots of bright orange against the green hillside made you so happy. Because—like you do—you were stopping to take pictures of every single flower, I was a few yards ahead of you and I had already seen the top of the hill, which was completely covered with poppies, a blanket of orange. I was completely blown away by how beautiful it was. We’ve spent a lot of time chasing wildflowers, but this one really was spectacular.
You hadn’t made it to the top of the hill, so you hadn’t seen this yet. You looked up at me and I don’t remember exactly what i said, but I invited you up the hill to see the real spectacle. And right as you crested the hill, I snapped a picture of your delight when you saw the field of flowers. In your face there is just this look of pure joy, like, "how could it have possibly gotten better?!"
So that’s my metaphor. That’s why I’m standing here today. I want to spend the rest of my life leading you up the hill, saying, “I love you, it gets even better, just wait.” I love the way you experience life, how the tiniest thing, like a single flower, can bring you so much joy. And I want to stand next to you and experience that joy, too. I want to see the world through your eyes like I do when I look at that picture. I just love you, Leah.
I promise to always talk things through with you and always be patient as we work through challenges together.
I promise to trust you and respect you and always admit when I’m wrong.
I promise to help you in every way I can, including doing your taxes until you make enough money that we can hire someone to do it for us.
I promise to be an equal partner in our lives together: through the fun times, when it’s easy to find joy; through the challenging times of frustration, sorrow, and grief, and through the mundane, everyday lives in between.
I promise to grow with you. You’ve helped me see that marriage is about tying two lives together and then tending to them so that they grow in harmony. I promise to grow in harmony with you.
I promise to just love you, no matter what.
How did you first meet?
See Our Story!
Who made the first move? How?
Alex asked "Is this your bag?"
What was your most memorable date?
Spending a weekend hiking and camping in the golden hills and fog around Stinson Beach and Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County. It was so memorable that we waited through the pandemic to travel back there so Alex could propose in March 2021!
What's the best meal you have eaten together?
Pizza on the beach in Deiva Marina, Italy
We’re on the same page about
All the different names for our cat, Mooch, a.k.a Grandpa, a.k.a Scrimps.
What's your favorite activity together?
We love hiking, camping, cooking and going to concerts.
What's the most memorable trip you have taken together?
It's hard to pick, we've taken so many! Wildflower hunting in the San Rafael and Temblor Mountains, backpacking in the Black Forest, our month long cross-country trip...
The most spontaneous thing we’ve done
Definitely our drive approximately 15 hours and 37 minutes (one way) to go to see our favorite bands (Elephant Revival and Mandolin Orange) at Red Rocks!