We first met at a coffee shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma. At the time we were both attending universities in the other's hometown and, while home for Easter weekend, I bumped into Ryan catching up with a set of mutual friends. While neither of us thought much of it at the time, our friends were adamant about setting us up. We both hesitantly agreed to dinner at the end of the semester; so, on May 9, 2017, Ryan picked me up in his orange jeep. All of my worries about going on a date with a stranger seemed to fade away as the night went on. We talked until the restaurant closed before making our way over to the coffee shop where we first bumped into each other. We continued our conversation until the baristas gave us notice they would be closing soon and I surprised myself by feeling disappointed that our evening was coming to a close. Lucky for me, the feeling was mutual!

In August I traveled to Denver to visit Ryan and, while there, he had an itinerary packed full of hikes and traveling for us to accomplish! Following the last day of Ryan’s internship, he woke me up at 4:00 am to get an early morning start in Rocky Mountain National Park. While riding passenger through the mountains, I jokingly posted to social media stating that the early morning wake up call better be worth it. Little did I know that Ryan had planned such a thoughtful and wonderful day! After hiking along Emerald Lake Trail, we climbed a little further to a more private spot to sit and enjoy a quick breakfast before looping back down. I sat, taking in the view, while Ryan fumbled behind me in his backpack for our “picnic food.” It wasn’t until I heard Ryan whisper my name from next to me that I realized he was on one knee. That moment and giddiness will forever be stored away as my favorite memory! As we made our descent back to the car, we were met on the trail by our families (another great surprise); I loved having all our favorite people together on our best day yet!

It was with much disappointment Ryan and I made the decision to postpone our April nuptials and the days following were only filled with more impatience to become husband and wife. So when we found ourselves with an open weekend in June, we decided to not wait any longer! With a quick call to our families and local vendors, we made plans to elope in Rocky Mountain National Park. June 6, 2020 was a dream come true! My father, Dr, William Wilkins, officiated our ceremony at Sprague Lake and nearby hikers and kayakers cheered in celebration as we shared our big kiss. Our families surprised us by each sharing loving words of encouragement before we exchanged "I do" and the rest of the day was spent playing games and enjoying time together. We wouldn't trade our special day for anything else but we are so eager to celebrate our union this fall with the rest of our dear friends and family!