Ellen and Larry first met 21 months ago in a post-modern crossing of paths. The site was a well-designed public space in the heart of San Francisco. Each knew they were about to meet the other for the first time, but neither could have predicted the outcome.

Ellen was born in Philadelphia and she lived in that fine city for her first 36 years. After college she applied her creative talents to image consulting, interior design, architectural tours and running her own handmade hat and scarf business. Ellen has always sought a high quality in life and, despite all her family and friends in Philadelphia, as she crested her mid-thirties it came time to change the view and venture forth. She had been to San Francisco on vacation and the vitality of the city stayed with her. So she headed west to California arriving in the Bay Area invigorated and ready to start fresh.

Larry was born in Maryland, but did most of his growing up in California’s Bay Area. After high school he moved north to the land of the great evergreen forests and the city of Portland where he lived for nearly 14 years. He went to college, worked in the construction trade and in graduate school he discovered computers and geography. At the dawn of the 90’s he returned to the Bay Area to follow his career in the growing personal computer field and eventually he began working for himself. During this time he had been making his way up the Peninsula lured by the pulse of San Francisco. Finally, he secured a flat in SF and, on a dark October night, he arrived invigorated and ready to start fresh.

Each week he browsed the weeklies checking out the immense variety of musical offerings and strolling through the personal ads. He found the ad game intriguing; endless opportunities to twist fate based on a stranger’s clever joining of words. One week an ad caught his eye and behind that tiny paragraph was Ellen.

They met briefly on a Sunday afternoon in the aforementioned well-designed public space. Although the area is green and calm it is unfortunately located across the street from the Marriot Hotel tower with its preposterous composition of blue disco glass and pale burnt-peach marble. The structure shamelessly encroaches on the serenity of the open grass, walkways, and shimmering terraces. In fact, the building so coldly dominates the scene that Ellen’s first words to Larry were "What is that building? It is so ugly."

It was all there in that first sentence. Larry was warmed by her awareness of the design world around her, her inquisitiveness, her critical-but-not-arrogant manner, her stand against poor design, her demand for quality.

The very next day Ellen left her first San Francisco job which had been a poor fit. When Larry strategically called on Tuesday she was preoccupied with finding new employment. Undaunted, Larry suggested she toss her worries to the wind, find pleasure in her new found free time and go out with him on Saturday. She said yes—as long as he paid for the evening.

From that day on Ellen and Larry spent increasingly more time together enjoying each other’s company and growing a strong, fulfilling relationship. They see their life together as a collaboration--learning from each other, supporting each other, opening new discoveries to each other.

Larry likes to explore and has shown Ellen a variety of West coast spots and sparked her sense of adventure. Ellen introduced Larry to the beauty and wonder of modern dance performances. Larry's love of music has taken them to many fascinating environments of sound. They both enjoy adding custom touches to their lives by making things by hand. For today's wedding Ellen made her veil and Larry’s vest and they built the huppah together.

They have come a long way from their initial meeting—the first part of a long adventure that has lead them to this building on this day surrounded by family and friends.