Jordan + Charlie by Jess Howzen - Together Journal -

Charlie thought he’d drop the ring if we rode bikes, so with the gorgeous view behind him, he got down on a knee and said some really sweet things.

Tell us a little about yourselves, what you do, what you love…

We’re Jordan and Charlie and we live in Southern California. Jordan is a speech therapist and Charlie is a golf course assistant superintendent. We chose to elope in New Zealand to 1. Have our wedding truly be about just the two of us and the beginning of a new chapter 2. To have an epic adventure with an elopement and honeymoon in one of the most gorgeous places.

We love traveling and exploring new places together, so absolutely no one was surprised by our choice to elope. Together we also enjoy trying new restaurants, taking bike rides, traveling, hanging with family and friends and catching sunsets.

How/where/when did you meet – and what were your first impressions?

A long, long, long time ago. Charlie moved to Cincinnati in 3rd grade and we’ve “known” each other since then. We weren’t really friends until high school, where we spent years getting to know each other as friends, with definitely a crush developing throughout our senior year. We spent many nights at football games together, supporting each other at our individual sports and even went to dances together (and apart but ended up together always). The fact that we have known each other for so long is not lost on us, there’s something so special about having so many memories together from so many stages of life.

When did you first realise that this was someone you’d like to spend the rest of your life with?

Jordan’s version: I always knew Charlie was a great guy but I wouldn’t say I always knew he was my guy until further into our relationship. I did however, always know he was special as he was someone that everyone liked and enjoyed being around. But the saying ‘you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone’ stands true for me. When we broke up for some time in college, I realized exactly what Charlie meant to me, but it felt like we were always on the wrong page or it was the wrong time, until it wasn’t. I don’t know that I can pinpoint a moment that we actually fell in love but I do remember when I told Charlie that it felt like I loved him more than most people in my life. Again, I think having such a strong friendship so organically turned into more, without us even realizing how serious our feelings were for each other lead to be such a seamless journey. As cheesy as it sounds, there have been so many moments that I have fallen in love with Charlie time and time again. It could be such small moments of him making me laugh with a silly joke or big moments like him being fully on board with uprooting our life to move to California to be near my family. I hope I continue to fall in love with big and little moments for our entire lives. I knew he was special when I couldn’t stop thinking about him when I was at my personal best. When I was succeeding, independent, happy and didn’t need or want a boyfriend yet I wanted him to be in my life. Not only is he the person I wanted in my highs, I also wanted him in my lows.

Charlie’s version: When I moved to Charlotte, North Carolina. We had been on and off / long distance for so many years during and after college that it was make or break. By jumping in completely, without immediate family close by made us stronger than we ever had been before. Once we had lived together for a year, I knew that she was everything I could ever ask for in a life partner.

Was there a proposal? Tell us a little about it…

Charlie received an award from work and we were able to use a voucher for a 2 night stay at a nice resort a few hours away from where we live in Ojai, California. During the first day, Charlie had the ring in his pocket – waiting for the perfect moment to pop the question but it never happened. The next morning we played 18 holes of golf and then were planning to ride bikes into town for lunch. Charlie thought he’d drop the ring if we rode bikes, so with the gorgeous view behind him, he got down on a knee and said some really sweet things.

Tell us about the vision you had for the mood or style of your wedding.

We wanted the day to be sentimental, intimate, romantic and most importantly, fun.

We met with several vendors to find the most perfect ones for us, who understood our desires and felt like friends hanging out on our wedding day.

What was one element you were happy to splurge on?

Jacks Retreat – the most amazingly beautiful and romantic location for spending time at during our elopement. Everything was absolutely perfect. It is the most stunning of places with the most gracious hosts. It was beyond our expectations and will forever be our favorite place in the world.

Helicopter – Heliworks was wonderful! So much so that we book another tour with them later in our trip.

Did anything happen on your wedding day that you laugh about in hindsight (even if it was stressful at the time)?

We didn’t exactly plan out the timing of everything correctly and because Charlie chose to not see Jordan after getting her makeup and hair done, he sat in an upstairs bedroom at Jacks Retreat for 4 hours with absolutely nothing to do. He had no TV, wifi, food or anything. He still claims is was the best day of his life and that he knows exactly which routes he’d take to hike the Remarkables.