2019 was a big year for us.
We traveled 26,000 miles. Spent 700 hours driving. Went to 12 National Parks. And covered 38 states.
START BY WATCHING THIS VIDEO:
We showed our video to friends and family around the country to reveal the most exciting part of our year. We realize that A LIFE DECISION LIKE THIS requires some explAnation, and we were happy to tell you all about it.
This Is THE story of our adventure.
a compilation of reactions to our reveal
We proposed to each other every day for 81 days.
Sometimes it was a grand gesture, on one knee, in a gorgeous National Park. Other times it was in the rain in a Target parking lot or right before falling asleep if we forgot during the day. The point was, we continued to commit to one another and our decision until the day we made it official.
We researched courthouses, found a campsite, put outfits together, and bought the necklaces we’d exchange. They were made of a vintage stamp and read “live united” in French, in honor of where our relationship began.
We arranged the campsite, built a structure, and collected decorations.
When the day we planned to have the ceremony came, the remnants of a hurricane were blowing through Maine. We stayed inside all day instead, working on our vows, and laughing at how simple it was to change our plans when no one else would be attending the ceremony.
A couple days later, the sun came out and we set up the space. We bathed in the lake next to our campsite. We got ready and drank champagne.
We took a tincture and an essence we had made over our time and travels together right before the ceremony. We read our vows. We cried. We laughed. We kissed.
It was golden hour and the post-storm light was etherial. We took all our own photos, running around barefoot before returning to the campsite. We filmed our answers to the questions we had written out in the previous days. We talked about how we first met, important moments in our relationship, and why we were choosing to commit our lives together in this way. We drank whiskey and recounted our stories late into the night.
The next day, we drove down the coast to Portland, Maine to go to the courthouse. We filled out the marriage intent form, waited for a moment while they filed the paperwork, recited our intentions in front of the clerk and the office-provided witnesses, and just like that, it was done. We took some photos in the courthouse, then walked down the street to an Irish pub. We had Guinness and split a lobster roll. We walked down by the water and talked. We wandered through town and stopped for oysters and a cocktail at a local restaurant.
We then walked a couple of miles across town to another pub a friend had recommended. As we sat down at a table next to dripping wax candles, Tennessee Whiskey began playing.
On the day of our first adventure together, the song had come on as we pulled into the driveway. I asked if we could sit in the car until the end of the song.
Ever since then, it has followed us around the world. We had our first dance to it the night before and both felt chills as it showed up one more time.
As our few days of ceremony came to a close, we reveled in the joy of moving forward together, united. We also felt the weight (coupled with a healthy dose of humor) that we now held this massive secret and would have to carry it with us for months. Settling into this new phase of life together on our own though was peaceful, and we enjoyed the time we spent planning the reveal.
Over the holidays, we told family and friends on both coasts. The reactions varied, each one awesome in its own way. It was a cause for much celebration, storytelling, and reflection. We delighted in getting to spend extended time with each person or group of people, never feeling rushed, as we traveled and told the ones we loved.
We’re now taking care of all of the logistics. Name changes, health insurance, new passports, and all of the other adult things that come with a decision like this. We’re planning the next stages of life together and looking forward to every single one of the adventures to come.
