“Love knows no reason, no boundaries, no distance. It has a sole intention of bringing people together to a time called forever – Unknown” ― H. H. Fowler, Love Knows No Bounds
This quote could have been written for a lot of couples, but it especially applies to Jessica and Sam.
Jessica and Sam live in two different states – Maryland and Texas – and have for a very long time. They are constantly asked by friends and family where they will settle down, her place or his. And they figured they should work that out before getting married. And those conversations lasted…years.
But eventually they wearied of focusing on logistics and decided to just go for it and and get married anyway. They would figure out the living situation later. So in October, they married just outside of Washington D.C., the city where they met and fell in love, with their closest family and friends. In fact, their wedding was supposed to be an elopement, but everyone was so excited to learn they were tying the knot that they simply couldn’t miss it.
We first met Jessica and Sam when they were assisting the wedding coordinator for Gabe and Yue’s D.C. wedding at the Hay-Adams Hotel. They are not wedding planners, but were simply helping out a friend that day. But we clicked with Jessica and stayed in touch over the years. During a trip to Charleston, Jessica and Sam hired us for a downtown Charleston portrait session, even before they were engaged. That’s when we really got to know them.
Since then, we developed an even closer bond with Jessica, through various unexpected turns in life, even helping her with photos for her father’s funeral when he unexpectedly passed away from Covid. She has one of the kindest, giving hearts we know, and she deserves every happiness that comes her way. And Sam is a big part of that happiness. He keeps Jessica calm, and he has a presence to him that makes her feel like everything is going to be just fine – even from 1,400 miles away, which is the distance between DC and Houston.
The day of the wedding, Jessica kept saying “this is not really how I always imagined my wedding would be.” Covid required people to wear masks. The rain dashed her dreams of an outdoor ceremony. But it was a perfect wedding day. Jessica and Sam got ready together not too far from Jessica’s home, and married in the church Jessica attends. And their reception was a feast with friends from all over DC and Texas. There was no first dance. And there wasn’t a cake cutting. But no one needed either of those things. It was the happiest room you could imagine, and they ended it in a nearby restaurant, with their closest friends talking around a table, deep into the night.
For now, they’re still dividing their time between Maryland and Texas, taking turns visiting one another on weekends. The many years of long-distance have taught them how to put in the effort to maintain and constantly enrich their relationship. Because of that, their partnership has remained steadfast and strong. So when they do finally settle down in one place together, it will just be the proverbial icing on the nonexistent wedding cake. Like we said, no one needs all the expected things to be perfectly in place in order for love to be. You feel it, you nurture it, you protect it, and you carry it with you as you move with life’s changes and redirections. Jessica and Sam are doing love their way, which is exactly how it should be.