Married at Maroon Bells!

We both woke earlier than normal on the morning of our wedding day. We were nervous about being the center of attention, and apprehensive but hopeful that everyone would have a good time at our non-traditional wedding. The good news is that we weren’t worried at all about marrying each other!

After some breakfast, it was time to get ready for the ceremony. Chris had it easy. He dunked his head in Maroon Creek, rustled his hands through his hair and called it done. Lili and Cindy took more time and care doing Anna’s hair up. They even added in a few white flowers.

Chris’s suit had been hanging in the van to keep it wrinkle-free. When Chris saw it, he decided to change into his wedding outfit right there in the van since it had more headroom than our ultralight tent!

Anna slipped her dress on near the creek in the privacy of the trees. As we mentioned in our previous post, there had been a lot of rain the last few days. Today was as clear as could be and we were thrilled. The whole group happily applied sunscreen.

We then all left the Silver Queen Campground and headed up to the Maroon Bells amphitheater for the ceremony. Chris’s sister Becky played Wild Mountain Thyme on the concertina as we walked down the path into the amphitheater with our parents.

Our good friend Noah served as our officiant. He welcomed everyone and said a few words remembering our grandparents who couldn’t be there with us. Next came the ring warming. Noah explained that our rings were created using a Japanese technique called mokume-gane where two different metals are bonded together. He passed the rings to the audience and invited each person to hold them in their hands and instill good thoughts, make a wish, or say a prayer.

Anna’s brother Jim then read a passage from Captain Corelli’s Mandolin by Louis de Bernieres:

Love is a temporary madness, it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And when it subsides, you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being ‘in love’, which any fool can do. Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Those that truly love have roots that grow towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms have fallen from their branches, they find that they are one tree and not two.

When Jim finished, Noah shared some beautiful and heartfelt thoughts about us individually and as a couple. Noah is honest and very perceptive. His words meant a lot to us.

Becky’s reading came next. She stood and recited a poem by Rainer Maria Rilke:

Understand, I’ll slip quietly
away from the noisy crowd
when I see the pale stars rising,
blooming over the oaks.

I’ll pursue solitary pathways
through the pale twilit meadows,
with only this one dream:
You come too.

After the poem, we paused for a minute of silence. We listened to quaking aspen leaves and birds chirping. Being present in the moment, we allowed nature to participate in the ceremony.

Anna’s brother Joe and his partner Lili added some humor in the form of Shel Silverstein’s poem Ations (with adaptations by Brian Leahy and us):

JOE	If we meet and I say, “Hi,” That’s a salutation. If you ask me how I feel, That’s consideration.
LILI	If we stop and talk awhile, That’s conversation. And if we understand each other, That’s communication.
JOE	If we argue, scream and fight, That’s an altercation.
LILI	If we later apologize, That’s reconciliation.
JOE	If we help each other home, That’s cooperation.
LILI	And all these “ations” added up Make civilization.
JOE	Now Chris and Anna — their paths crossed At a place of higher education. Two kids bonding in Berkeley Exploring mutual fascinations
LILI	And call it what you will — Be it coincidence, Or … electromagnetic radiation — They bonded instantly. They were meant for each other. No exaggeration.
JOE	And after five years of flirtation, And co-habitation, And one cross-country relocation…
LILI	…we’ve made it here, to the celebration of this perfectly logical pair formation.
JOE	And if there’s one thing they don’t have today, ….it’s parking validation?
LILI	No.
JOE	…a Spanish translation?
LILI	Nope.
BOTH	(lots of other funny -ation ideas from Joe that Lili shoots down one by one)
JOE	Oh! If there’s one thing they don’t have today it’s hesitation.
LILI	If there’s one thing they do have, It’s each other — [PAUSE]
BOTH	— ation.

Next we exchanged vows and rings with these words:

I promise today to be your best friend, partner, and husband/wife; honor, love, and cherish you through all of life’s adventures. I swear to always and forever be your confidant and you mine. I pledge to support your dreams and encourage us to try new and strange things. I vow to grow old with you and to keep the kid in you alive. I take you today to be my wife/husband.

I give this ring as my gift to you. Wear it and think of me and know that I love you.

We knew our family and friends would continue to support us in our life together. To make that support formal, we had Noah invite them to take vows of their own by responding “I do” to Noah’s questions. Their participation in this part of the ceremony mirrored the important roles they take in our lives.

And with that, Noah pronounced us married! Woohoo! We even signed the official paperwork.

Everyone was so happy, and the scenery so beautiful, that we took lots of photos in the wildflowers and around Maroon Lake.

We could have stayed for hours, but guests’ grumbling tummies reminded us it was time to feast. We dragged ourselves away from the ceremony site to the East Maroon Picnic Portal, just one mile down the canyon where the caterer had prepared a lovely display of appetizers and cold drinks.

The food didn’t keep us or our guests stationary for long though. A short path near the tables led to a beautiful pond. Several of us kicked off our shoes and started splashing through the water and skipping stones.

But when we heard word that our wedding feast was ready, we all scurried back to the shade tent. We filled our plates with vegetarian tamales, pesto orzo stuffed red bell peppers, beets with goat cheese, a kale quinoa strawberry salad, and blue corn muffins. Before eating, we held hands and had a moment of silence to be thankful.

Family members gave toasts. Family and friends clinked their glasses as a signal for us to kiss. Chris’s dad George and sister Becky sang The Book of Love by The Magnetic Fields while Becky played her ukulele. It was very touching.

And then there was cake! Becky had created a very cute cake topper. The two clothespin figures represented both of us, right down to the backpacks with real buckles. We were amazed. At one point clothespin Anna came unglued and fell, but clothespin Chris held on and caught her.

Food, friends, family, and a dramatic setting came together for an amazing meal! Afterwards, people gradually left to relax and nap. We were glad to have some quiet time to ourselves by the pond. We shed some happy tears: we were really touched how supportive everyone was of our relationship.

As evening approached, we decided to change out of our wedding clothes and into comfortable campground attire.

Dinner was casual. The Smuggler Mountain Boys entertained us with all sorts of bluegrass tunes while we ate. As darkness fell and the fire grew stronger, we started getting requests for a first dance. We gave in, but only on the condition that other people would join us after 30 seconds. They soon did, and the dancing began in earnest.

Mags asked if she could call a square dance. Of course! Everyone’s wide grins and enthusiasm felt like the perfect sendoff into married life.

At night’s end, we cuddled in our little tent on our backs, watching the dark sky through the open door. A shooting star blazed past. The Milky Way was as long and bright as we’d ever seen it. Maroon Creek provided background music with its constant motion.

Our wedding day was incredibly wonderful and very special for us, our family, and friends. We are grateful and will treasure it always.

All photos in this post were taken by Kent Meireis Photography, unless otherwise specified.