Stephen and I both grew up in the same small town of Conifer, CO. We went to the same high school and lived on the same mountain (which is mountain kid talk for neighbors!). He really was the boy next door, I had fallen for those golden locks and beautiful hazel eyes before I even knew what love was. My crush remained a crush for years, always swooning from afar because we weren’t in the same friend group. When we both went the same college, I finally worked up the nerve to reach out, (thank you Facebook lol) and we have been together almost every day ever since. We were young when we fell in love, and we were still trying to figure life out so there was no rush for the ring. We talked about it, and of course my girls, and our Moms, were always pressuring us to tie the knot. We knew it would happen at the right time, we were simply just enjoying the right now and loving being around each other every minute of every day. That’s when I knew I had found the one. After seven years go by of an amazing friendship and relationship, we had both graduated college, gone through a few jobs and lived in too many apartments, we were finally starting to talk about the W word more often.

In January 2018, we went with his parents on our annual trip, this year was to Costa Rica! It was the most magical country! Our hotel was right on the beach, and we spent our days scuba diving and soaking up the sun. On Wednesday, our third night there, we were having cocktails at sunset like we had been every night. He gets up quick and asks if I want to take a picture with him. This was my very first inkling of something, because he is not a huge fan of getting his picture taken. After a minute of smiling, he turns to me, gets down on one knee, and smiles!! While he said quite a bit, my favorite thing he said was, ‘You are my very best friend, and I can’t imagine spending life without you... Will you marry me?’ In complete shock, trying to soak it all in, I say ‘Of course, of course!!!’ as I jump into his arms! His parents were there, his Dad had helped pick out the ring so he knew it was coming, but it was a surprise for his Mom too! We then all hugged and the few people that were on the beach started cheering lightly. That night was a heavenly bliss, I floated around with my gorgeous ring, calling my parents and friends with excitement! It was the most magical and amazing proposal. Stephen, has made me the luckiest girl in the world. Fifteen year old me would be so proud! :)

Our first and foremost goal is to have our two families become one! After lots of deliberation, we wanted to get married in the town we met in, Fort Collins (FoCo), Colorado. The Elizabeth Hotel is a vibrant sensory experience with a unique art and music theme. Centrally located for old town FoCo, the hotel is a great starting point for any activity in the city. Maybe a little bit of tradition, but not here... Instead of a rehearsal dinner, we decided to have a field day with lots of fun activities and teams made up of both sides! We are having our ceremony and reception at the Mishawaka, north of FoCo. After a scenic drive up the Poudre Canyon, you will arrive via bus to the beautiful venue on the river. We will have the ceremony followed by a cocktail and picture hour. And yes you filthy animals, there will be an open bar. How can we not! From there we will start dinner with a main course and a buffet of sides. Don't get too full though! Why? Because its time for a dance party! We have an amazing band, the Mannequin Band, that will be playing live for us! You will need your dancing shoes! And in the words of R. Kelly... Then after the show its the after partayyy, And after the party its the hotel lobby, Around about 4 you gotta clear the lobby, Then, baby, take it to the room and .....