- Apr 21
- 3 min read

First Anniversary: Danielle and Richard

Danielle and Richard married on a somewhat chilly day in April surrounded by birch trees and in front of a beautiful macreme curtain, hand made by the bride. They shared their vows while friends and family looked on and closed the ceremony with a hand fasting unity to further symbolize their commitment to each other.

Get to know them and their awesome story:

There are a lot of perfect words and adjectives one can use to describe Danielle and Richard’s relationship. One such word is obvious to anyone that knows them: friendship. They are truly the best of friends, never tiring of each other’s company, often spending countless hours playing games, watching movies or getting lost in a bookstore.

Other easy words to describe them are things like “fun” and “positive.” They’ve developed a daily routine of focusing on the good as much as possible. And when work is done, they can’t wait to race home for an evening with friends or a family game night with their son.

Here’s a word that might not be as obvious but one that I think sums them up best: clarity. Many of us have experienced what it’s like to search for that perfect partner and it’s not always easy to describe what we think that will look like when it arrives. This feeling of knowing is so abstract that it’s hard to put into words. Somehow Richard managed to capture it beautifully when he said about Danielle:

“I thought I knew what love was — but really, this is it.”

This clarity is also followed by peace; the calm in your heart that knows you’re right where you’re supposed to be. But clarity is not instant. It takes a journey to arrive at such a realization. Danielle and Richard started theirs as coworkers. While collecting the coffee order one day, Richard passed by a new and friendly face he hadn’t met before. He immediately whirled around to see if she would like something too. Danielle answered him a polite: “no, thank you.” To Richard this may have seemed like indifference but prone to inner monologues and over analysis, Danielle was busy flooding her mind with questions like “who was this nice guy and why would he want to buy coffee for me?!”

Over time, they had more opportunities to work together. Spending hours unpacking boxes, the shy girl and outgoing guy got to know each other slowly. And then one day, he was just gone! Without a word, Richard had decided to leave the shop. The lack of his presence was felt and the next time she saw him, Danielle made sure he had both a standing invite to drinks with her and their coworkers — as well as her phone number.

They hung out a few times and it wasn’t long before they were inseparable.

Today Danielle and Richard have the clarity that some spend a lifetime searching for. They’ve achieved this by keeping it simple and enjoying their time together. Let’s face it; sometimes the real world can be pretty scary and troubling. When you create a safe place with someone you love and trust, reality doesn’t seem so bad because you’ve got a partner to figure it all out with you.

Relationships are balanced by relying on the strengths of the other to get you through and make you a better person. With Danielle, Richard has learned to be more patient. She has showed him how to slow down, live in the moment, and see that there’s very little that’s actually worth stressing about. Danielle jokes that, fresh from college dorm life, Rich was not getting the most domestic housewife. Having a home means projects, which can get overwhelming, but he has helped her manage that feeling by tackling each thing a piece at a time. Isn’t it funny how different traits end up providing that one thing the other person really needs?! It all creates just the right balance!

This is how they’ve built a great life together and with their son and two dogs, Bella and Harvey Dent, everything feels complete. Animals teach us about the unspoken and truest nature of love everyday. No matter the ups and downs, real love is easy and unconditional.

Happy Anniversary Danielle and Richard!