“He was a punk, she did ballet, what more can I say?” Just kidding! Alex was a 20-year-old, independent self-proclaimed “skate-rat” starting to enter adulthood. Colleen had just graduated from college and would like to say she was entering adulthood, but those that know her well, know she was still in love with the Disney Channel, One Direction, and the Jonas Brothers. The two found each other through social media and something just clicked. Alex’s patience, humor, and kind heart shone and complemented Colleen’s laughter, understanding, and empathy. He was a Sk8er boi, and she quickly realized he WAS good enough for her. Though Alex can neither sing nor rock out like Avril’s skater boy, Colleen loves him all the same. Her infatuation with the Jonas Brothers slowly but surely weaned and her love for Alex began to takeover that space in her heart…of course, he understands he will always share that space with Colleen’s youngest brother, John because I mean, come on. And Colleen is fully aware she will share that space with ramen, in Alex’s. Their bond grew through long car rides to the White Mountains and even longer hikes. Through years of balancing conflicting schedules, college, graduate school, numerous jobs, and being in different states, the planets finally aligned and it was time for the couple to take the next steps.

In May of 2021, Alex and Colleen decided to trek out west and explore the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park. Fast forward to the night before the last two days of the trip. They had secured tickets to Zion’s shuttle system and were slated to explore the hikes in the upper section of the park the next day. Alex was getting his hiking pack ready on the bed when he put his leg down and somehow dislocated his knee. Great timing, I know! Nevertheless, Alex convinced Colleen he would still be able to hike, and they scrambled to a local Walgreens to buy a knee brace. The next day, all thoughts of a proposal had faded from Colleen’s mind at this point, and she was just happy Alex could still walk on his knee with relatively little pain. They began the trek up the Emerald Pools Trail, stopping at each of the three pools to take in the scenery. Unbeknownst to Colleen, Alex was assessing for the perfect spot to pop the question. At the upper pool, Alex pretended to be very interested in a large squirrel to bide his time waiting for people to clear the area, but more hikers kept coming. Alex decided it was a bust, and snapped a couple of pictures of the squirrel as an excuse, and they decided to descend back down the trail. As they were passing the middle pool, Alex made a gametime decision and asked a fellow hiker to take a few photos while he and Colleen stood out on the cliff. 20 photos later, Alex insists on having the very nice man take another photo. Colleen looked at Alex with slight annoyance and stated, “I think we’re good!”. Before she knew it, she turned and Alex was down on one knee, holding a beautiful ring. The question was simple, the answer was easy, and boom, they were engaged. At this point, a crowd had gathered and erupted into applause and well wishes. Colleen could barely see through her tears and held onto Alex as she cried the entire way down the hike. Pure happiness. To quote John Murray, “...and then what?”

Well, John, what comes next is this: sharing a special, intimate weekend with our closest loved ones and friends to celebrate our love. Colleen stumbled upon Tops’l Farm during a frantic middle-of-the-night Google search for wedding venues that hosted small weddings and were not booked for 2022, and it could not be more perfect. Tops’l Farm encapsulates our love for the outdoors and provides a peaceful setting for love to blossom and grow. We hope that through this weekend, you can be reminded to enjoy the simple gifts nature provides. For just as we have found, “in all things of nature there is something of the marvelous”. We are so excited to celebrate this next chapter in our lives with you!