Hannah Elizabeth Brown and Jared Michael Bond were married Oct. 26 at the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis. The Rev. Matthew R. Barnes, a Baptist minister, officiated.
Mrs. Bond, 31, is the deputy finance director for the Indiana Republican State Committee, for which she oversees scheduling and fund-raising events for Gov. Eric J. Holcomb and the first lady, Janet Holcomb. She graduated from Anderson University in Anderson, Ind. She previously served on the staff of Vice President Mike Pence when he was a congressman and later governor of Indiana.
She is the daughter of Yevonne A. Brown and Kenneth J. Brown of Lapel, Ind. The bride’s father, who is retired, was a social studies teacher at Elwood Middle School in Elwood, Ind. Her mother, also retired, was an elementary schoolteacher at Elwood Community Schools for 43 years.
Mr. Bond, 33, is the communications manager and public information officer for the Indiana auditor of state, Tera Klutz, for whom he oversees the communications strategy and media relations. He graduated from Purdue. He previously served as a director of the Tippecanoe County Board of Elections and as the Indiana press secretary for Representative Todd Rokita, a Republican who served from 2011 to 2019.
He is a son of Jackie S. Bond and Sam Bond of Springville, Ind. The groom’s mother, who works in Indianapolis, is a senior coach for the Indiana Association for the Education of Young Children. His father owned C.S. Bond Forest Management, a timber management company in Springville.
Ms. Brown and Mr. Bond met in January 2016 after being introduced by a mutual friend at a fund-raiser held at the Skyline Club of Indianapolis.
Despite a large crowd, neither had trouble noticing the other. “She had this great smile, and seemed like a really outgoing person,” Mr. Bond said.
From where she stood, Ms. Brown said she saw Mr. Bond as “this very energetic man with a wonderful personality. The way he spoke made you want to listen.”
The two chatted briefly but eventually parted ways without exchanging contact information. The following day, Ms. Brown asked their mutual friend for Mr. Bond’s phone number, and surprised him with a call in which she asked a question regarding campaign finance law.
She said it was strictly business.
“We still joke about that call to this day,” Mr. Bond said, laughing. “I guess as long as she’s sticking to her story, we’ll never know the true reason for that call.”
Nevertheless, it got them talking, and arranging for a first date at a coffee shop, and a second at a restaurant. She learned that he was the youngest elected official in Indiana when he was elected to serve on the Marshall Township Board in Lawrence County, Ind., and that he is licensed pilot who enjoys flying as a hobby.
He learned that in December 2016, she was awarded the Sagamore of the Wabash, Indiana’s highest civilian distinction, by then-Governor Pence.
Within two weeks, the couple were dating steadily.
“We share a lot of the same values and have so many things in common,” Mr. Bond said. “We are both very politically oriented people, and we both view religion as very important to our lives and our relationship.”
In August 2016, they began taking long walks around Indianapolis with a mutual companion named Henry — a 9-year-old miniature schnauzer that belongs to Governor Holcomb and Mrs. Holcomb, longtime friends of Ms. Brown and Mr. Bond.
“We often dog-sit Henry, who has become quite the celebrity in Indianapolis with his own Facebook and Twitter accounts,” Ms. Brown said. “Henry’s a rock star. We love his company.”
On Feb. 24, Ms. Brown, Mr. Bond and Henry were walking on the campus of Butler University when Mr. Bond suddenly stopped, dropped to one knee and proposed.
“Henry was our only witness,” Mr. Bond said. “After I gave Hannah the ring, he just stared at me with a look on his face that seemed to say, You gave her a ring, really? Why not bacon?”
