Caroline Leslie Rowan and Jean Lindquist

April 30, 2022 – Birmingham

Caroline and Jean crossed paths several times before they officially met. In 2010, Jean traveled across the country to Birmingham to participate in a lacrosse tournament held in Caroline’s hometown, where the two unknowingly played against one another. Roughly a year and a half later, Jean was traveling back to Birmingham, but this time for something a little more long-term. She would be starting as a freshman at Birmingham-Southern College, the same school that had won over Caroline’s heart. That first semester on campus, the future couple even had a class together called Human Destiny. But still, they didn’t meet. Finally, their paths crossed enough, and they became fast friends. As their friendship grew, it began to develop into something much deeper. After a year and a half of dating, Jean mentioned to Caroline that their second anniversary was going to be on a Saturday, hinting that it might be a good time to get married. When Caroline expressed concerns over how quick that seemed, Jean suggested their eighth anniversary instead, effectively picking their wedding date six and a half years ahead of time. Years later, when the time had come for an official proposal, Jean learned that that their favorite band, Umphrey’s McGee, would be playing in Atlanta the same day she was planning on proposing. Before the concert that night, they headed out on a bike ride, and Jean knew that would be the perfect time to pop the question. Later that night, Jean had arranged for the band to play one of their songs titled, “Wife Soup,” and the band gave them a congratulatory shoutout. Several months later, Caroline proposed back to Jean during their engagement photography session on the roof of their first apartment building overlooking downtown Birmingham.

Advice from the Couple

“We wanted a huge emphasis on fun at our wedding celebration. To get things started, we had a pre-ceremony cocktail hour so we could welcome and mingle with guests. As the cocktail hour began, a rainbow serendipitously appeared in the sky, seeming to lead guests to the venue. We made sure to include plenty of entertainment options throughout the evening. Since beer pong has been a staple of every event we’ve ever hosted together, we decided early on that it would be incorporated into our wedding day. We also wanted to send our guests home with something a little different, so we had a caricature artist available to draw portraits of guests throughout the event. Following the cocktail hour, we quickly changed into our wedding gowns, and surprised our guests with an outfit change as we each made our own entrance down the aisle.” – Caroline & Jean