We can't wait to celebrate with you!

Anna and Iain met in 2016 while working at Soar Learning Center in St. Albans, VT. Iain had been working there for many years, and Anna was the new hire. There was an immediate connection between them, but as they were co-workers, they were both too afraid to act on it. Everyday, after the students had left for the day, Iain would go to Anna's classroom and pretend that he needed to use the computer so he could spend time with her. Iain repeated this routine everyday for two months. What started as a friendship quickly developed into something more. Anna was growing concerned that Iain wasn't interested in her, as it took him so long to ask her out. Eventually, another co-worker told Anna "he really likes you, he's just scared." After two months of mustering up the courage, Iain asked Anna out to dinner. They ate Thai food and talked for three hours, and the rest....... is history. They quickly fell in love and moved in together. They traveled to The Dominican Republic and Mexico. They took a road trip to Ohio to adopt their insane miniature dachshund, Gatsby. Their mutual love of music brought them to many concerts and festivals. Despite their many adventures, they always found time to have pizza on Friday nights, which they appropriately call "pizza Fridays." Although they are very excited about their wedding, sharing a lifetime of pizza Fridays is what they are looking forward to the most.

In the fall of of 2023, Anna and Iain began hiking every weekend. They found that their dog, Gatsby loved to hike and it was a great way to tire her out. On October 9th, 2023, Iain suggested that they hike Sterling Pond. Anna had often heard Iain mention that Sterling Pond is one of the most beautiful places on Earth, however she had never been. Iain requested that Gatsby stay home for this hike. Anna didn't understand why. Gatsby loved to hike and had done many challenging hikes in the past. Iain said that it was too steep, too crowded, and too muddy for Gatsby. As Anna hadn't been feeling well that day, she suggested that they postpone the hike. Iain quickly rejected that idea and said "this hike is really important to me." They drove to the base of the mountain, and struggled to find parking, as it was extremely crowded. Feeling sick, and tired of navigating the crowd, Anna was extremely grumpy the entire way up to the summit. Her shoes were soaked and muddy, her stomach hurt, and there were dozens of people blocking the path on the way up. Once at the top, Anna got to see the beautiful pond for the first time. While taking photos, she noticed that Iain looked annoyed. She asked what was wrong. Iain said "I didn't expect the pond area to be this crowded." Iain suggested that they go to the other side of the summit where the chair lifts were, as it was a great location to take pictures of foliage. This side of the summit was empty, and Anna started taking photos of the view. While taking photos and mentioning how the foliage was late this year, unbeknownst to Anna, Iain had gotten on one knee and pulled out a ring. Anna was so preoccupied taking photos, that she didn't notice Iain kneeling for over a minute. Eventually he said "Anna." She turned around and screamed. They both blacked out from excitement and have no memory of the words that were exchanged. They hugged and cried on top of the mountain for what felt like an eternity. Once they calmed down, Anna began to piece together why Iain didn't want Gatsby to come and why he insisted on hiking despite her not feeling well. Anna then said "Oh my god.... I complained the entire hike up." Iain mentioned that he loved that she was complaining because it meant she had no idea what was about to happen. Anna then learned that Iain looked annoyed at the pond, as that's where he wanted to propose. However, it was crowded and he wanted their engagement to be a private moment. The proposal did not go as planned, but that's what made it beautiful. It was perfectly imperfect. They hiked down the mountain together in weightless bliss, excitedly talking about their future.