Meet Us In the Mountains

Austin and Nicole were standing in Rocky Mountain National Park in May of 2023, in awe of the gorgeous views when Nicole thought to herself ‘How crazy would it be to get married here?’, too nervous to speak the thought out loud. Not even five minutes later, Austin looked at Nicole and asked her the exact same question she was too afraid to acknowledge. From that moment, the two knew they were destined for a small, intimate wedding up in the mountains. But first lets take it back to the beginning. Nicole and Austin’s love story started like many modern tales, on a dating site. When the two matched on Bumble in March of 2022 neither really knew what they were looking for or what to expect. They had their first date at Diego’s Burrito Factory and Margarita Bar. After working through the first date jitters, the two had a great time hanging out and decided to see each other again. The second date took place the next night, and then the third date was the one after that. Because of Austin’s work assignment at the time, the two never knew when he would be moved out of the Florida Panhandle and so they did what they could to make the most out of their time together. They were essentially inseparable from day one. They took trips, met each others families, and forced their dogs to become friends. Towards the end of that summer, their five-month relationship was finally put to the test as Austin’s work took him to Beaufort, South Carolina. A site that he would be for a few years and one that was an eight-hour car ride away from Panama City Beach, with no convenient flights. The two knew they had something special, but the idea of long-term, long distance was still scary. Thankfully, all those concerns washed away in the first few months of Austin’s Beaufort tenure because it quickly became apparent that the two of them were obsessed with each other and couldn’t stand being apart. Every other weekend one of them jumped into the car, drove across the South, just to spent 36 hours together, before jumping back in the car to make the drive back. They continued to travel across the United States when they could, going to concerts and visiting National Parks, and now their dogs had become siblings. In November 2023 they purchased their first home together in Gainesville Florida, a city closer to family, the springs they love to paddle and to the University that they both love. They have now taken trips all over the country and even managed to get a few stamps on their passports. They love growing their garden and completing home projects and planning for what’s next. And now, years after they found themselves at the foot of the Rocky’s, the Colorado wedding of their dreams is becoming a reality and they cannot wait to celebrate with family and friends!