We met at the Ravens Super Bowl Parade! We both took the light rail to the stadium with separate groups of friends when they recognized each other on the train. We soon realized we not only had mutual friends but interests as well. After talking almost everyday for about a month, we had our first official date. Emily was really nervous and almost cancelled. But Burton's brother in law and Emily's friend, Matt assured her that he was a really great guy :) So we made lasagna together that day and the rest is history!

My mother and grandmother travel to Germany every year for the Christmas Markets. Emily and I finally had the chance to tag along and I knew I wanted to do the propose in one of the many beautiful churches there. After some research, I chose the Hofkirche (Court Chapel) in the Würzburg Residence. The palace is located in the northern region of Germany and is home to the largest “fresco” ceiling painting in the world! I kept the ring in my pocket the entire plane ride. We told Emily that we wanted to stop by the Residence since it was on the way knowing full well what was about to happen. After hours of travel, we finally got to the palace around 10AM. Emily and I walked around admiring the great artwork until we got to the alter. I asked her if she saw a specific spot on the sculpture and asked her to get closer. As she started to walk up the steps for a closer look, I pulled out the ring and told her how much she meant to me, that she was the best thing that ever happened to me and then I asked her to marry me. Her first response wasn’t yes, but “are you sure?!” I said “ of course I’m sure, you are beautiful, goofy, and smart. I’d be an idiot not to.” After a couple “wait, really’s?!” She finally said “yes”!

We got up at 4:30AM to get ready for our commitment ceremony at the Maroon Bells in Aspen. Josh took Burton and found a secluded spot away from the crowd who came to watch the beautiful mountain sunrise. Emily changed into her wedding dress, leggings still on underneath and walked over for the first look. Then we continued along the path to a giant boulder by the White River where we exchanged vows. With the river rushing loudly beside us, we read our vows, we laughed, and we cried. Emily put the wrong ring on Burton and after sorting that out we hiked out to a field with a clear view of the mountains surrounded by trees and bright pink flowers. Emily forgot the speaker so she had to sing our wedding song, Best Part by Daniel Caeser and H.E.R. (If you don't know, Emily is a terrible singer!) Luckily for Burt, we had a bottle of Dom Perignon waiting for us. After having champagne for breakfast and taking some time to appreciate the beauty around us, we made our way back down the mountain and to the courthouse. At 9:49AM, we officially became Mr. & Mrs. Burton Trageser at the Pitkin County Courthouse! We then took an unexpected but unbelievably beautiful gondola ride up the AJAX Mountain in Aspen. Thanks to the suggestion of the attendant we got to listen to Bassnectar on the way up. The next day we went backpacking and hiked up 12,500FT! *Huge thank you to our amazing friends Charly Rosemary & Joshua Collins for being an important part of our elopement. We are forever grateful for your love and support on our special day.