By the end of our celebration in May, Gavin and I will have participated in 3 wedding photoshoots, two wedding ceremonies and 3+ (?) different exchanging of rings. What can I say, we like to make it complicated! When we got engaged in April 2023, Gavin (sweet sweet man trying his best) picked out a ring WAY too big for me. I will say, there were two identical ones and he just happened to pick out one that fit his meaty hands and not mine, oops. We switched them out and I was set with a ring that was just a tad bit loose. (ring 1) A month later we were models for a staged wedding photoshoot at Arches for our friend Eli. Wedding dress and all! Later in the summer of 2023 we stopped at an antique store and I found an early 1900's Peridot ring that I really liked, so Gavin bought it for me to replace the once that was still a bit too big for me. (ring 2) He had been wearing a nice leather ring up until we founds some cheap matching silicone rings in the fall, perfect for outdoor activities. (ring 3) I went back to working in food service so I ended up finding a small, nice silver band from a jeweler in town to wear on the daily (ring 4 - I'm building up my collection). Finally we reach February 14th 2024, when we get married for real! Marriage certificate and everything. We signed documents inside the Grand County Courthouse and did the ceremony on the front lawn surrounded by our closest friends. We went up to Dead Horse State Park at sunset to exchange personal vows, get some pictures taken and enjoy the joy of being married finally! A couple weeks later we took a class with a local silversmith and made our own wedding rings!! We have matching bands, similar stones and got to design and forge them together (ring 5?). All of that leads us to now. The plans to exchange vows once more, reflect on our year of marriage together and lifetime ahead of us. We have another photoshoot scheduled, out for an adventure in our favorite place with each other and our new son (Moose!). I got a sagebrush tattooed on my ring finger (permanent ring 6) because it reminds me of the plants I've gotten to learn through my sweet botanist husband (read: nerd). All of this to say that a traditional wedding, ring exchange and pathway to marriage was never in our cards. We value the time we spend together, the memories we keep and the free spirited way we go about our life together. The rings were never about the money spent or diamonds set, but about the symbolism of committing to each other and how our lives are ever changing. Each of them had their own meaning and it's fun to switch between the different styles. I may have a tattoo, but Gavin has a permanent tan line. And we both have a commitment to the other. To happiness and sadness, sickness and health, prosperity and struggles, we do it all together and come out on the other side stronger than ever. We are excited to continue to celebrate our partnership each and every year and are so so happy to be surrounded by friends and family this time around.