In February 2021 Ryan and I had to make the hard decision to cancel our big wedding due to COVID. Ryan and I went back and forth on what to do for our wedding and after many conversations we decided to have a small intimate wedding in Moab, Utah.

On April 1 we met up with a small portion of our closest friends and family to have a fun weekend, with our wedding being the center of the trip. The day before the wedding I took the girls zip lining and Ryan took the guys off-roading and everyone had a blast.

The morning of the wedding my bridesmaids, mom and new cousin Hannah surprised me with Champagne and donuts. Ryan, his groomsmen and Aldo meet up in a different room to hang out as they got ready. Needless to say our wedding was off to a great start. After getting ready mom and I drove to the wedding site where Ryan and all our guest were waiting and as we pulled up my heart started racing! I was both nervous and excited. As I walked down the unofficial aisle I’ll I could think was, “I hope he likes my dress and don’t trip!” But once I saw Ryan that all stopped. As we were standing together it felt as if we were alone and everything was silent. In that moment I felt like an athlete again. It was as if all the other times of standing by Ryan side had felt like practice and this was the big moment. The moment that showed we were no longer practicing standing together but we were committing before our friends, family and God to stand by each other forever. A small moment had never felt so big. During the ceremony that Hannah had prepared for us, the sweetest things were said. Hannah talked about how we blended into each others families so well and how we complemented one another. During my vows I promised to not wear sweat pants in public and to grow with Ryan for the rest of my life. Ryan quoted both Beyoncé and Britney Spears in his vows, he said some other sweet things but the quotes proved he loved me more than anything. After I wiped away my tears we both said “I do”, kissed and we’re pronounced husband and wife! During our portraits we explored Dead Horse, one of the national parks in Moab, and had our first dance cliffside. After that we met up with our friends and family at dinner where we got to mingle with everyone, listened to speeches, gave speeches and dinner.

While it was not the wedding we had originally planned, it was better then we could have ever imagined. We had no decorations or formal table settings but we were surrounded by nature’s beauty and people that love us and that ended up being all we really needed.