We were delighted to gain another son in our family when our youngest, Jenn, married Brian Carnell on June 3rd. Brian is an “answered prayer” as we had prayed for all our children’s spouses since they were very young. Brian gives the Lord priority in his life and is a talented storyteller, photographer and videographer. He works as a multimedia producer in the Communications Department in Health Sciences at the University of Minnesota.

Jenn loves God and the people He’s created; you will usually find her spending time with someone even during her busy school year. She studies hard and follows her goals. She’s pursuing her doctorate in medieval German at the University of Minnesota.

Their Love Story

Brian and Jenn met briefly in 2009; our son, Josh, and Brian lived across from each other at the University of Florida and would hang out together, especially around the topic of movies. Josh introduced Brian and Jenn because she read the NarniaWeb fan site that Brian writes for.

Flash forward to 2014 when Brian moved to Orlando and ran into Josh at a theater. They started going to movies, and discussing them again. We’ll let Brian pick up the story…

Eventually, Jenn joined us, and we mostly talked and talked about movies; occasionally, we would actually watch one…

Jenn and I bonded quickly. We share a desire to honor God with our lives and shared a belief in the power of story-telling…

In 2015, when Jenn told me she wanted to apply to graduate programs all around the country (and even outside the country), I encouraged her. . . even though I wasn’t sure what would happen if she was accepted. Months later, she received an invitation from the University of Minnesota to earn her Ph.D., which would take six years to complete. It was time to make a decision on when I would also move to the Twin Cities, and I knew did not want to lose her. So, I started looking for jobs in the Minneapolis area and did a double-take when I came across a listing for a video producer position at. . . the University of Minnesota! This was far better than even my most daring prayers.

After a couple months, I took Jenn to Minnehaha Falls for a picnic beside the stream that led from the waterfall. After finishing our picnic, we listened together to music from The Lord of the Rings. And then I slowly took her hand, and she felt the ring fall into it. The music finished and I realized we were both sitting down, so I had to help her to her feet and then get on one knee.

And she said yes!

The Wedding

We’ve had a busy half-year preparing for this wedding of our only daughter. The atmosphere for their guests was exactly what they had hoped for. God was honored in their wedding ceremony and has blessed them both. Thank you for praying for Brian and Jenn as they seek to follow the Lord together.

Photos of the Wedding

Visit our wedding week slideshow.

Google Photos even created a little movie for me, using the photos I uploaded. How fun is that? Watch the movie here.

The professional photos in this post and on the slideshow are by Cassiopeia Photography.