Aria & Alex's Story

Summer of 2014: “Turn Down for What” is topping the charts. Alex and Aria travel the distance to beautiful Camp Moran on Orcas Island. Each led there by a love for contra dancing and friends, they spent the weekend swimming in Cascade Lake, playing volleyball, cooking, and dancing. Alex shared his trunk wine (homemade black raspberry wine) and Aria got on her soapbox, and the two hit it off immediately.

After camp, Alex invited Aria to a comedy show. They laughed and got to know one another better, and that was it! They knew pretty quickly they were in it for the long haul.

In 2016, Aria moved to Spokane for work, and their long-distance relationship became an even longer-distance. Each traveling once a month to visit the other, Alex and Aria began to get very familiar with I-90, discovering the best times to drive and the best rest stops. They became fond of Spokane and loved the opportunity to explore a new city, find new favorite restaurants and trails, and develop meaningful new friendships.

In 2019, Aria got a job in Seattle and they decided to move in together. First, however, Alex had to get his hands on some bookshelves (spoiler alert: they’re full and we need more). They spent the next few months getting to know one another all over again, now that they were living together, and filled their evenings with square dancing and making plans for the most epic dancing summer ever.

Annnd then, the panorama hit. Aria began working from home. Neighborhood walks, gardening, and watching YouTube together became part of the evening routine.

In February of 2022, Alex took Aria on what she thought was a spontaneous day drive. With lots of cryptic hints along the way, Aria’s first tip of a surprise was when they ended up at the Anacortes Ferry Terminal. Still, Alex managed to drop several red herrings before bringing Aria to the dock on Cascade Lake, where he proposed.

And now, they’re ready to celebrate their love with friends and family with a wedding at University Unitarian Church!