We first met in the fourth grade when Tess started at Grymes Memorial School. Struggling to learn our geography, we were mere classmates in elementary. By middle school, however; we bonded as lab partners, over English class debates, and Romeo & Juliet fencing battles. Although we had become good friends (and partook in some minor flirting), our romance did not take root until much later.

During the summer of 2013, before Sophomore year of high school, Spencer moved from Rapidan to Orange where he and Tess reconnected. Dazzled by his impeccable roller-skating skills, Tess became captivated. Little did she know, Spencer had been waiting for this moment for years.

Friendly hang outs evolved into Spencer pretending to be a bad kisser, claiming he "needing some practice". Spencer did get better at kissing, so Tess asked him to the Madison County homecoming where we found ourselves barefoot and dancing to some song called "What Did the Fox Say". Soon after, we made our deceleration official and began dating December of 2013.

Together, we squeezed Orange for every ounce of teenage entertainment the small town had to offer and found the type of love that can only be discovered at 16. Months turned to years as it became apparent that we were true high school sweethearts. Between phone calls every night that lasted until 3am and pushing the boundaries of Woodberry Forest's visitation limits... We couldn't bear to be apart.

By the end of high school, while we awaited our college acceptances, realization hit us like a freight train. We were looking down different paths as our little Orange bubble was about to burst. Unable to image our futures apart, we broke up before the end of our Senior year. Maybe, somehow, we knew it wouldn't be the end.

Throughout our years at JMU and VT, we managed to keep in touch (particularly at Thanksgiving). During this time, though, we were convinced that a long-distance college relationship couldn't work or just wouldn't be the same. By Fall of 2019, we finally admitted we had been wrong and rekindled the spark that started all those years ago.

We got back together just in time for the pandemic to bring the world to a halt and rode out the height of COVID-19 together in our hometown. Tess graduated JMU in the spring of 2020, and Spencer graduated the following year in 2021. Afterwards, we moved into our first home together in Newport News, the next year we relocated to an apartment in Fredericksburg and finally bought our current home in King George in 2023.

After years of buildup, we booked a trip to Switzerland for the Summer of 2024 where Spencer planned to pop the question. There, we got engaged on the small island of Iseltwald and spent the rest of our vacation celebrating across the alps. Now, we are excited to commemorate this next step of our journey with you!

Things to Do

Shenandoah National Park

Charlottesville Downtown Mall

Gordonsville