Though they lived around the globe from one another, distance was no barrier for David Alexander Jenkins and Pelle Hanæus.
Jenkins, who grew up in Horsham and later moved to Philadelphia, and Hanæus, of Sweden, will wed in the spring at St. Mark’s Church.
The couple met last summer on an online dating site when they happened to both be in Stockholm, but didn’t meet in person until several months later in New York City.
“Hopeful chats led to serious conversation, and we dared to think we might fancy each other and decided to meet,” Hanæus said.
“We had dinner, lots of conversation and one great kiss; we clicked,” Jenkins said.
Their first night as a couple, Jenkins tossed Hanæus a friendship ring over his shoulder.
“That friendship shortly transformed into engagement over dinner and colorful crayons,” Hanæus described, as the two mapped out a cross-continental relationship.
“I asked him to move to Sweden and to set up a life with me. He told me that was impossible without marriage and he would not leave his family, which is important to both of us,” Hanæus said. “‘What kinda gal do you think I am?’ he said!”
Hanæus formally proposed in Philadelphia after a meeting with Jenkins’ parents. He presented Jenkins a letter about how his father taught him to tie knots as a child, likening their relationship to a strengthening rope of knots. He then gave him a diamond lovers’ knot bow brooch from the 1780s and a 13-carat sapphire ring made from an art-deco pearl clasp from Jenkins’ family’s collection.
The couple will split their time between Philadelphia and Sweden.
Jenkins is a model and philanthropist who regularly patronizes more than a dozen charitable organizations. Hanæus is an actor, a humanitarian and a founding member of Clowns Without Borders.
The wedding-planning process has helped the couple learn more about one another as they incorporate their passions and tastes into the event.
“He is very religious and loves baroque music, formal gatherings and large parties; he does nothing half-way,” Hanæus said about Jenkins.
Jenkins said Hanæus’ background and interests make him a “walking contradiction,” which he said he finds charming.
He’s a “savior of the world hippy mixed with traditionally raised Swedish aristocrat,” Jenkins said. “He has a huge heart, he is a playful, jovial spirit who is also a man’s man so to speak. He battles his conservative and traditional background with life on the fringe.”
After the wedding, the couple plans to have children, and Hanæus will continue to act and direct and, as Jenkins joked, will teach him “how to use a vacuum cleaner.”
“I will continue to do what I do best: love, laugh, support and grow,” Jenkins said. “It seems the Hanæus family name will go on even through two queer kids like us.”