Tell us about your wedding venue. How did you decide to have your Colorado wedding at Piney River Ranch in Vail?
The September after we met we took a weekend trip to Buena Vista for Hayden’s birthday. It was Hayden’s first fall in Colorado and the aspens were just starting to change. From the minute we arrived in town he was in awe. Of course! Who isn’t in love with fall in Colorado, especially in Buena Vista! We had the most special weekend together and found ourselves sneaking away to Buena Vista whenever we needed a weekend away in the mountains. After we got engaged and started talking about wedding venues there were two must-haves: to get married in the mountains and during the fall. Buena Vista quickly became our first choice. Then once we saw The Barn at Sunset Ranch there was no question it was the perfect place for our wedding day. We planned a day trip to The Barn and remember saying to one another as we were driving up the road not to have our hearts set on it before we even got out of the car. We instantly fell in love. We left that day saying we’d look at a couple more venues before deciding but ended up booking the next day. Everything about The Barn at Sunset Ranch was perfect. It was beautiful, peaceful and exactly the what we had envisioned for our wedding day. The stunning view of Mount Princeton was everything we wanted!
How did the two of your meet?
We owe it all to Bumble! I kicked off the conversation with a funny GIF from New Girl and Hayden responded right away. It was only two weeks after Hayden moved from Dallas to Denver that we had our first date. We met at a brewery and hit it off over our mutual love of hazy IPAs. When the night ended we made plans for that weekend and ended up spending the entire weekend together. Right from the beginning our relationship was both comfortable and exciting.
Share your proposal story with us.
The proposal was so funny. We got engaged in December 2020. We had planned to go for a hike but hadn’t decided on a trail until the day before when Hayden suggested we go to Panorama Point Trail in Golden Gate Canyon State Park. I was suspicious because it was meaningful being the first hike we did together after we met almost 2 years prior. The next day when we got to the trailhead Hayden asked me to put something in the car’s center console. As soon as I opened it there was a small gift bag from a jeweler sitting inside. Hayden completely forgot he took the ring box out of the bag and left the bag hidden in his car! When I saw it, I was sure he was going to propose on the hike but Hayden kept putting it off. Along the entire hike he acted so nervous! As we got closer to the trailhead and back to the car, I had no idea if Hayden was planning to ditch the proposal and do it another day so I could be fully surprised. But then we came upon a small aspen grove. It snowed overnight so there was a fresh blanket of snow and the sun had started to peek through the clouds in the sky. Sure enough I turned around and there was Hayden fumbling with something in his jacket, pulling out the ring and getting down on one knee (next to our Golden Retriever, Ranger)! We spent the rest of the hike laughing at the bag from the jeweler being in the car and me finding it. After we drove over to Nederland to pick up our favorite pizza at Crosscut and some beers from Knotted Root then parked at an overlook on Peak to Peak Highway eating in the trunk with the hatch open. It was the perfect day. We really can’t think of a better way to get engaged that felt more like us.
What was your most memorable moment during your ceremony?
Every moment of our wedding day was memorable, and while we loved our ceremony, our first look was actually the most special part of the day. Taylor and Mike took us up Cottonwood Pass to a trailhead with the most gorgeous aspen grove. It meant everything. Having that time together to see one another and calm the initial nervous jitters of the day was perfect. Very early on in talking with Taylor she recommended doing a first look and we’re so glad we took her advice. It made the day that much better and gave us so much more time together. It felt like our own little private aspen grove where we could share our vows just the two of us. We loved every moment of it and are so grateful Taylor and Mike helped us make it so special!
What are you most looking forward to in marriage?
Simply put, the many wonderful years ahead. Getting to go through life’s experiences with your favorite person by your side is so special. I think for both of us, we feel lucky to have found one another. We can’t wait to see where life takes us. We know it will be great no matter what because we’ll be together.
