Checking On the Newlyweds

By Susan Nolan

When Bay Weekly first met Jason and Jenna Townsend of Calvert County in April 2020, COVID had forced them to cancel their plans for a big wedding. Instead of postponing, they exchanged vows in Jenna’s dad’s driveway with only family present. Their friend Ashley Scaggs officiated, and her husband Karl videotaped their first dance as husband and wife.

Getting married on April 4, 2020, was more important to them than having a large, formal ceremony with a multitude of guests. They started dating on April 4, 2016, and were engaged on April 4, 2019. 

The Townsends say they still do not regret downsizing on their big day. “The small, intimate wedding was really perfect for me,” says Jenna.

The couple has no plans to have a bigger ceremony once the pandemic is over, as some couples have planned. “It’s been almost two years and so the time for a wedding has passed.”

As for the honeymoon in Puerto Rico, that, too, was put on hold indefinitely. “We’ve had bigger stuff going on,” says Jason.

In 2020, the couple bought a house in St. Leonard—just five doors down from the scene of their wedding. “My children are growing up in the same neighborhood where I was raised,” says Jenna. One of their first big house projects was finishing the basement.

In 2021, they adopted a dog, Jynx. Jason jokes that Jynx is “Jenna’s other husband” because of all the attention their new pet receives.

After working for Comcast for 14 years, Jason made a career change. He is now a project manager for 7th State Builders, and recently, started his own DJ business, J Squad Entertainment. Jenna runs the photo booth for J Squad Entertainment and has her own business making custom tumblers. “Our schedules keep us busy,” Jenna says.

They did take time off in December 2021 for a trip to Florida with daughters Jalyn and Jordyn. “The best part was spending time with family,” says Jason.