Sometimes, you really are meant to run into someone twice.

Jessica and Rodney first crossed paths during a late night out in Cleveland, Ohio. They were at the same party, shared mutual friends and noticed each other, but the night ended without either of them exchanging information. Two days later, there he was again.

This time, the two unexpectedly bumped into each other while shopping at the now-closed Saks Fifth Avenue at Beachwood Mall. Rodney admits he’d already been drawn to Jessica’s “aura” the first time they met, but didn’t want to come across as overly eager. Something told him they’d end up in the same room again.

Jessica, meanwhile, remembers being intrigued by his quiet demeanor.

“I was initially attracted to his reserved, demure presence,” she says. “I was very curious to know more about this mystery man.”

Early in their relationship, life was already preparing to pull them in different directions. Rodney had extensive travel ahead of him for work, while Jessica was preparing to study abroad and finish undergrad. Instead of letting the distance extinguish something that was still relatively new, they decided to stay connected.

Emails turned them into something like modern-day pen pals. Skype dates filled the spaces in between. And somewhere along the way, consistently choosing to make time for one another became an early indication that what they were building might be different.

Years later, travel would once again play a starring role in their story.

In October 2024, the couple traveled to Mexico City for the first time. Rodney had a proposal planned, though even he didn’t know exactly when it would happen.

Their day started at 6 a.m. with a hot-air-balloon ride over the pyramids of Teotihuacan. Rodney had the engagement ring and its box rather uncomfortably tucked inside his sock, initially thinking the skies above Mexico might provide the perfect backdrop for a proposal. Once there, though, he realized the moment would be much more public—and touristy—than he’d imagined. So he waited.

The couple spent the rest of the day having breakfast, walking through the city and exploring before eventually making their way to Mariane Ibrahim Gallery that afternoon.

There, on the top floor, they found themselves alone surrounded by four large paintings by artist Johanna Mirabel. This was the moment.

Rodney dropped to one knee and asked Jessica to marry him. She said yes without hesitation. There was no crowd waiting to applaud, no elaborate production around them. Just the two of them, happy tears and a few quiet minutes sitting together on the gallery floor taking in what had just happened.

They eventually headed to Soho House Mexico City, where friends celebrated the surprise news, followed by dinner at Contramar and a nightcap at their hotel’s vinyl bar.

When it came time to decide where they’d actually say “I do,” another city from their story came calling.

Jessica and Rodney lived in San Francisco for just shy of two years during the pandemic, a chapter that was significant for both of them but one that very few of their loved ones got to experience alongside them. They’d always admired the beauty of San Francisco City Hall, and when they learned they could reserve the iconic space for a private one-hour ceremony with up to 100 guests, the decision felt easy.

Returning gave them an opportunity to attach something new to a place they’d once called home.

“We wanted to create more of a positive and full-circle association with our story and time there,” they share.

Their vision for the day followed suit: intimate, intentional and timeless without feeling overproduced. Most of their guests traveled from the Midwest, so Jessica and Rodney were just as concerned with creating an easy, enjoyable experience for the people who had made the trip as they were with the aesthetics.

Jessica found her vintage wedding gown during her first—and only—vintage bridal appointment. After three fittings for contemporary and custom styles, she had a feeling the right vintage dress would simply find her. It did.

The gown fit perfectly without a single alteration.

On the day of the ceremony, the couple also made space for the people who couldn’t physically be there. A chair in the front row was reserved in honor of loved ones who had passed away, adorned with their photographs and calla lilies.

Then came the vows.

For Rodney, watching Jessica walk toward him remains the moment he remembers most. Jessica remembers something slightly different: watching her usually reserved groom suddenly become overwhelmingly shy when it was time to say his vows.

Afterward, the newlyweds slipped away for a brief refresh and outfit change before riding through San Francisco in a 1960s Rolls-Royce as strangers honked their congratulations. By the time they arrived at the reception, they were still riding the high of the ceremony.

They entered to Michael Jackson’s “I Can’t Help It” from Off the Wall, welcomed by a room filled with family and friends who had traveled from across the country to celebrate them.

For Rodney, simply seeing all of those people together was enough.

“People traveled a long way to show up for us, especially in this economy,” he says. “We’re grateful for that.”

Now, the newlyweds are back home in Portland, Oregon, settling into marriage and creating what they describe as their own “corner of peace.” There’s more travel on the horizon and, eventually, hopes of starting a family.

But for now, they’re allowing themselves to simply be present.

See all of the timeless details from Jessica and Rodney’s full-circle San Francisco celebration, and learn more about how they brought their intimate wedding day to life, in this week’s Bridal Bliss.