Celebrate With Us!

Hello Loved Ones! It is with heavy hearts that we write this note. We had a beautiful vision for our wedding this summer, feeling your love as we exchanged our vows, feasting on tacos and cupcakes, and dancing the night away. But the more we talk about different options the more we realize we have to let our original plans go. Michael has adjusted much more quickly and with much drier eyes. But he made me comfort tacos - twice in the 24 hours following our decision. So I am starting to feel better. We have gone through multiple iterations of how we could still have a celebration this year, but it comes down to this - we want to make sure all our beloved guests feel welcome while also feeling safe and not limited from sitting side by side, hugging, dancing in close proximity, etc. The picture of us having a wedding with even half the size but being required to have masks and be at a distance just doesn’t sit well with us. So this is what we have decided: we will elope in a very intimate ceremony on July 25 with only our immediate families. Then... And then...we will CELEBRATE!!! You are all invited to come to our One Year anniversary Vow Renewal Celebration! Everything is planned to look pretty much the same - we will even stand at the very same altar! - but it will be about a year later. More info to come at a later date (so many pieces to rearrange at this point!). But for now, we cannot thank you enough for your patience, understanding, love, and support. With love and gratitude, Heather & Michael PS We will also take a mini-honeymoon this Fall and our honeymoon to South America in the Winter of 2021/22.

This wasn't the first time they'd met, as Michael - known in BV as "Chef" - had cooked many a delicious meal for Heather when she'd go with friends to the restaurant where he worked. But on this special day, Heather had gone to House Rock Kitchen to meet a friend for a celebratory birthday dinner (thanks to Laura for picking this restaurant to do so!). Heather had the idea to go early to beat the Friday "rush" and showed up to a completely empty restaurant. She ordered for both Laura and herself. It was a stunning, unusually warm day for March. So she sat out on the patio and was surprised when the Chef himself delivered their order. He chatted Heather up about world travel and the wedding industry (they had once talked for a few moments at a wedding show where Heather was advertising her Officiant services and he had delighted her with a plate of his brilliant cooking from his catering display table). Then Laura showed up and Chef left them to their scrumptious meal. But a little while later, he came back out with his business card and a personal cell phone number scribbled on the back, saying he'd love to hear more about her business. As they left the restaurant, Heather had a sudden thought to go back in and give him her business card, still thinking this was just a professional connection. But she knew she'd never reach out to a man she didn't really know. Then she left her phone in her car and walked with Laura to a film festival for the rest of the evening. When she returned to her car hours later and plugged her phone in, it began chiming with message after message from this handsome, bearded Chef, making it clear that his interest did not stop at her wedding business. He invited her to coffee...and lunch...and "even dinner" if she was interested. "Oooohhh, he's asking me on a DATE!" She texted him back that she'd love to go out for dinner in a few days. And the date was set.

Originally, for their first date, they'd planned to go to a new restaurant in Salida. But as soon as Michael picked Heather up, she had this thought: "What if this ends up being forever?" Restaurants opened and folded often in this neck of the woods. So Heather asked Michael, "Hey, do you like pizza?" He said he did. "Ok, then let's go to Moonlight." She told him she wanted to introduce him to her favorite pizza joint on the planet, all the while knowing that it had weathered nearly a quarter of a century, so it likely would survive as a place they could return to again and again. They shut down the restaurant, then did the same with a local bar, then walked around Salida in the frigid early spring wind. And when they returned to Buena Vista, they still didn't want to say goodnight. So he invited her into the closed-down House Rock Kitchen where they talked and laughed late into the night. And the rest is history. From that day forward (except for a 12-hour breakup and reset that first year) they have navigated many of life's ups and downs over three years. Through it all, they continue choosing to work past their differences to cultivate a partnership dedicated to supporting and respecting each other as they continue growing in love. From the beginning, they have committed to being greater than the sum of their parts. And now it's time to carry that commitment into their next chapter...

Getting married in the midst of a global pandemic has made things interesting - to say the least! You create plans and then have to pivot and pivot again, and again...like many folks with their plans these days. But even more odd is being a Wedding Officiant AND a Bride during this time. When I first got engaged a year ago, I envisioned a summer wedding with our dearest loved ones, 1/3 of them children and young adults. The feel was playful and lighthearted and it made me smile every time to picture all of you I love so dear coming together in one location. But the funniest question started popping up as a very common response: “So are you going to officiate your own wedding?!” We’d laugh and then the follow-up was usually some variation of: “No, really? Who officiates the Officiant’s wedding?” For me, there was only ever one clear choice: my Dad. Who else could do that any justice but my very own Dad, Steve? My Dad is the reason I have a voice (and the knowledge to utilize it) that booms to the back row without amplification through the Colorado wind. My Dad taught me how to marry (yes, pun intended) lightheartedness with reverence, humor with professionalism. I learned from watching him with his customers just how to create the feeling of connection in the first meeting with my clients in order to build an immediate bond of trust. That has helped me to create a safe, sacred and joyful space for each couple in a way that they can relax at their marriage altar and focus entirely on each other, regardless of whether they have 3 or 300 guests watching them... (continued in Part 2)

(Continued from Part 1)... My Dad is the teacher who gave me the speaking talent and the people skills that have made officiating a natural career for me. I will never be able to thank him enough. My Dad has been my lifelong hero and it thrills me to know he will stand by us as we make our vows of marriage. So when he said yes to officiating, my heart overflowed. I am hekping to write the ceremony (because after well-over 100 weddings, I know what will work for us and what doesn’t) but i can’t wait to see what he pulls out from his own heart and mind. No doubt, the state of things in the world right now has forced us to change our original plans, going from 120 beloved guests to 12. But with my Dad at the helm, I can relax as a Bride and focus on my Groom as we start our adventures in Marriage. And that is the greatest gift of all.