We Got Married!

We both attended Bemidji High School but didn't meet each other until 3 years after high school ended. Marisa was living in Grand Forks attending University and Troy was living in Bemidji working in early childhood development. A random chance Facebook message led to Troy driving 2 hours for our first date. We were both very nervous as we drove to the Greenway bike trails for a walk in the moonlight. Marisa pointed to a spot by the river and we sat down to talk next to the bridge and city lights. In the middle of the conversation, Troy took a chance and went in for the kiss.

Almost 4 years later, Troy suggests a walk by the river with the dogs. We go for walks with the dogs by the river frequently, but this time he suggested we walk to the spot where we had our first kiss. It was a hot day and Marisa was holding both dog leashes and watching them closely to make sure they didn't fall in the river. She turns around as Troy takes the ring out of his pocket and says, "This is where we had our first date and I thought it was appropriate to start the rest of our lives in the same spot". With the biggest smile on her face and tears in her eyes, Marisa of course, says "Yes!" Troy asked Marisa's mother for her great grandmother's ring to use for the proposal.

Washington DC, Montrose Park 3:00pm. We followed the photographer through the park while the wedding planner hauled a cart with our cake and champagne. Marisa carried her sunflower bouquet in one hand and the hem of her dress in the other. The officiant was waiting at the bottom of the steep hill. We all hiked to a creek off the paved trail and stopped between the split ends of a fallen tree. Troy couldn't stop smiling. Marisa cried as soon as the ceremony started. We wrote our own vows and Troy kissed her too soon. We exchanged our rings and Marisa almost put Troy's on the wrong finger. We said I do and promised to be loving partners for the rest of our lives. We shared another kiss and popped the champagne. After returning to the B&B, we shared our cake with the hostess and relaxed on the couch in our sweats. It was perfect and we can't wait for the honeymoon ♥️