5.7.22

Nate & Clare met in late 2019 & bonded over being founders of small businesses — albeit very different ones. Nate cofounded a software company, & Clare cofounded a vintage goods business. Despite Clare being a book nerd & Nate being a tech nerd, they hit it off. As 2020 unfolded, they spent long magical days hiking in the woods near Clare’s parents’ house with her siblings. The crew took up tubing & kayaking in creeks & rivers, bonfires by the barn, boardgames, picnics & volleyball, fireworks & ridiculous games of Ghost in the Graveyard. In short, Clare & Nate fell in love while the world fell apart. In May 2021, Nate & Clare & her sister Jo drove out to visit Julia & Michael in Montana. Little did Clare know this trip was planned when the whole crew was in Arkansas back in January. What Clare thought was a trip to visit siblings turned out to be even better. At the end of the visit, Julia & Michael got their engagement pics taken & Julia suggested a quick sister pic, so they all went & hiked near Beartooth Pass. The air smelled like pine bark & wildflowers & campfire; they spied a moose in the reeds below the trail; Clare asked Jo to take a photo of her & Nate because she wanted to remember how happy she was in that moment. After the sister pic, the photographer asked if Nate & Clare wanted a few shots too — Clare still had no idea, even when Julia suggested she look at the mountain behind them, or when Michael started filming from the pocket of his shirt — & then Clare looked at Nate. There are so many ways to write how she felt about that man in that moment but here’s what she was thinking in the meadow: I love him more than the mountains, more than the air, more than the rivers & streams & lakes. He’s the soulmate I’ve been looking for my whole life. Since then they’ve been through more adventures & misadventures than they can count. They can’t wait to tie the knot at Sacred Heart & celebrate at Camp Hantesa with family & friends!