May 1st
Beltane elopement
What a day! A spectacular, wonderful, and joyful day! The day Sarah and I got married! We planned something small. We planned something intimate. We got ready at our new house, eloped, and got married on the top of a mountain. It was amazing.
We started the day at our house, where we moved in not too long ago. We didn’t have much furniture set up yet, and most of it was empty. It still felt like home, and we were both excited for our big day there. We booked a lovely photographer (https://www.lastlightstudio.com/) (the same one who took our incredible engagement photos) and Sarah had someone professional do her makeup. While she got done up I went out to get our flowers. Nothing too elaborate, but we got a lovely flower crown for the child, a beautiful bouquet for Sarah, and a boutonniere for myself. With flowers secured, I hurried home to steal as many glances I could of my soon to be wife.
I arrived just in time for the photographer to get there and capture a few pictures of us both getting ready. Those came out super well, and there were some really great action shots of me leaping up to stage Sarah’s wedding dress on the porch. Sarah was looking stunning with her makeup completed, so we both scurried away to put on our wedding attire. I suited up and waited outside for first looks. I heard her before I saw her, and she was teasing me about not looking until everyone was in position. I resisted but barely. I was so excited and when she finally told me to turn around I cried tears of pure happiness. We got some more incredible photos, then loaded everyone up to go to the mountain top where we’d have a small ceremony.
The only other people besides the three members of our family were the photographer, my best friend who was the officiant Sean, and his girlfriend / my other best friend Veronica. Also, I’ve been not using the photographers name because it’s also Sarah and that’s confusing. They went to the same college, are both wedding photographers, and bonded over their shared love of floral dressing. Anyway… The 6 of us pulled up to The Pinnacle trailhead, which is a short hike to a flat peak that overlooks Lake George. Lake George is the area where Sarah grew up and where we would meet up when we were first dating. It’s a special place to both of us, and the outdoor ceremony fit out desires just right. Sarah looked badass in her wedding dress and boots hiking up the mountain.
We summited and set up for the ceremony. Sean followed the script we wrote for him and did an excellent job. We put in a bit where we ‘rolled for initiative’ (for we are both at heart huge nerds, but the Dungeons and Dragons bit was my request) to see who would read their vows first. Sarah won the honor of taking the first turn and read an truly touching set of vows. I followed up with a heartfelt one of my own (I’m super proud of them and even snuck in how I would follow her to the end and to the very fires of Mordor). It was perfect.
Then we completed the ceremony with a kiss, gazed fondly over the lake, got more incredible pictures, and hiked back down before we lost the last bit of light. We beat the sunset, said goodbye to other Sarah, then the five of us went home. I cooked a quick but delicious meal (parmesan risotto, sauteed chicken breast, and roasted broccoli). We shared some wine and laughs before going to bed. It was an amazing day, and I wouldn’t change a single thing about it. I married the love of my life, and tied the knot with the best person I could possibly imagine. I do not know how I got so lucky. I’d marry her again in every lifetime.
