Dear loved ones,

We hope you are well and finding delight in the new year!

We wish that we'd be able to celebrate in one big party this summer, but don't anticipate that being possible any more. Candidly, we feel sad about this, but also feel some ease in finally making a decision.

When we pushed off our in-person wedding plans a couple Februaries ago, we remember reading experts predict it would take a while to get "back to normal" and we thought we were being strategic. Now, we've come to accept that—more than two years later—we won't be able to comfortably have the party we pictured because of COVID uncertainty and the complexity of planning around it in ways that ensure the safety of those most vulnerable and those traveling from other countries.

Since we got married on Zoom in June of 2020, so much has changed in our lives and the lives of our loved ones. Some of these have been happy, like buying a house in Saint Paul and finding success in our work, while others have been hard, like grieving the losses of four deeply beloved and luminous women—Katrin, Birgit, Daphine, and Jean—from a distance. Other changes sweetly sting, like watching our friends grow their families without being able to hold their babies and provide the support we would have liked.

In the grand scheme of things, we know that a cancelled wedding is not a big deal—the sun will rise tomorrow and the impact on most people simply means one less event to plan around this summer. However, we were so excited at the opportunity to bring our beautiful constellation of friends and family together to share in our joy, and missing that milestone is difficult. We say all this not because we’re looking for sympathy, but because we want to be honest and open about how we feel.

Ultimately, we share a deep feeling of gratitude—making one decision allows us to make many more. Had we partied in person in 2020, the house we write this from would not be our home; absent a 2022 gathering, we are pushed to think creatively about other ways of being together with you. Above all else, we feel fortunate.

That being said, we hope to see you in the not-too-distant future. When that time comes, we will savor it more fully than ever before.

Sending love your way always,
Brent & Camille