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Jason, 29, and Sarah, 31, were professional ballet dancers for most of their adult lives. In spring 2004, Jason was dancing with the Richmond Ballet in Richmond, Va. When one of the dancers was hurt, Sarah was called in from Philadelphia to fill in.
Jason's friend was going to introduce himself to the new guest dancer. "I followed his lead to go say hi," Jason said. "It was an innocuous meeting."
Later that spring, Sarah had an audition in Washington, D.C., but her car broke down. Jason, who had been wanting to check out the museums, offered to take her. The trip cemented not only their friendship, but Jason's fondness for Sarah's 92-year-old grandmother Margaret, who lives in D.C.
When the season ended, Sarah returned to Philadelphia. She and Jason kept in touch through e-mail and monthly phone calls. He saw her in Philadelphia twice when he was passing through. But almost monthly, Jason drove to Washington to visit Margaret.
All of a sudden, Sarah began calling Jason weekly. And then multiple times in one week. That made Jason wonder what was up.
It was about a year after their first meeting when Sarah suggested they meet at Margaret's house. That evening, the two friends who had never as much as held hands found themselves snuggling on the couch.
The next morning, Jason needed to talk about it. "What are you thinking?" he asked Sarah. She was not trying to be subtle. "She always says I was just clueless, and it's pretty true," he admits.
In summer 2005, Jason decided he was ready to move on from dance. Wanting to live in a beautiful place, he found a job driving tour buses in Glacier National Park for the summer. Sarah went to visit him for two weeks, and when it came time to go, "I was really bummed about leaving him," she said. "That's when he told me he was going to come to Philadelphia after that summer."
That fall, Sarah started grad school at Bryn Mawr College, where she earned master's degrees in social work and in law and social policy.
How does forever sound?
In September 2008, Jason and a friend started a sewing circle called Boys, Bobbins and Beer, where, as you might guess, the guys drink beer and sew.
All the seamsters were either married or had serious girlfriends. "We thought it would be fun if we made our partners' dresses," Jason said. As Jason stitched for Sarah, he did a lot of thinking. "I realized that while I had opposed the institution of marriage for a long time, I could see myself marrying this girl," he said.
So Jason sewed on her dress a large, metal ring from a plumbing set. Sarah knew she was getting a Jason-made dress as her four-year anniversary present in February 2009. She didn't know what it looked like, though, because he had blindfolded her during every fitting. On the big day, when Sarah looked up, Jason was kneeling. "Do you realize I'm on my knees and I just gave you a ring?"
Sarah, who was no stranger to Jason's no-marriage-required philosophy, responded with a question of her own: "Are you sure?"
After Jason assured her he was, she said yes. But later, she offered another option: "If you just want to continue to buck the system for the rest of your life, I'm right there with you," she said.
Jason told her he wanted to be with her forever, either way. And she was the only person he'd ever be willing to marry.
At home
Jason, who grew up in Sidney, Ohio, and Sarah, a Mount Airy native, live in Germantown.
At work
Sarah is a policy analyst for the state Department of Education. Jason works at the High Point Cafe in Mount Airy.
It was so them
Jason's friend Curtis Coyote had always teased him about being a marriage holdout. So Sarah and Jason, who had a self-uniting license, decided he was the perfect person to lead the ceremony.
Curtis, who is an artist, also surprised the couple by painting a backdrop for the wedding with two nuzzling faces, mountains, and dancers.
Guests either brought meals for the potluck or served food or drinks. Everything was vegetarian or fish-based. One of the cakes poked fun at that: It was shaped like a pig.
"It was very important to us that our wedding be made up of our community," Jason said. "Our community made us who we are."
A nice side benefit: The community effort led to savings that appealed to the couple's thrifty side. Their 225 guests saved money, too. "We had no registry," Jason said. "We told everyone to either bring food for the table or booze for the bar."
Both the wedding and the reception were held at Mishkan Shalom in Manayunk. The couple married beneath a chuppah - the canopy that symbolizes the home they will share - that their friend Martha created from squares of cloth sent to her by the couple's loved ones.
Jason designed and sewed Sarah's wedding dress from ivory satin. It has a brown lace overlay, with a hem just above the knee so she can wear it again. He also created a matching vest for himself.
Sarah really wanted a pinata. Jason's cousin Steven and his wife, Paula, have excellent pinata skills and made the couple one shaped like a broccoli floret.
The couple bought their rings at a craft fair. They are made of the stems of demitasse spoons.
Awestruck
Jason loved dancing with his mother, Sharon, on such an important day.
Sarah loved the blending of cultures when her family started a traditional hora dance and lifted the couple up on chairs to the music of a bluegrass band.
This was a surprise
When Jason was in high school, he made friends with Marc, a foreign-exchange student from Germany. They had only seen each other twice since high school - most recently five years ago - until Marc walked into the family dinner the night before the wedding.
Discretionary spending
A bargain: The whole wedding cost less than $6,000.
The splurge: The bluegrass band, facility rental, and plate service comprised 75 percent of that cost.
The getaway
Sarah's work colleagues gathered funds to help send the couple on a five-day trip to Woodstock, Vt.
Behind the Scenes
Officiant
The couple used a self-uniting license; the ceremony was led by their friend Curtis Coyote.
Venue
Mishkan Shalom, Manayunk
Catering
Potluck
Photography
Karyn Kelbaugh of Fort Worth, a high school friend of Jason's, photographed the wedding for the cost of her travel expenses.
Music
The band Fred's Mobile Homes of Philadelphia
Dress
Made by the groom, as was his matching vest
Invitations
DIY by the bride and groom
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