My fiancé Tim and I met because of a New Year’s Resolution – it was my resolution to go on one date a month. It was January 2nd, 2016 and my girlfriends and I decided to go out to celebrate the New Year. That night, I saw Tim walk into the Denver, CO bar and with the promise of my New Year’s Resolution in mind, I decided to try something new, approach the guy instead of waiting and hoping he would approach me. After a terrible opening line that had something to do with Adele, Tim still decided to entertain conversation. After that night we made first date plans and had the best.first.date.ever! That’s a whole other story that involves starting at the Denver Art Museum and ending the night dancing at a gay bar!
Things became complicated when I accepted a job offer in my dream city of Chicago a couple weeks later. Even though we just met, we weren’t quite ready to say goodbye to each other. This lead to countless flights, long weekends and almost daily FaceTime calls. Leaving each other after the weekends together never got easier, but we knew that if we could overcome two years of long distance, after only knowing each other for a few weeks, we could handle anything.
I finally moved back to Denver in early 2018 and since then we have bought a house and got engaged! We love camping and hiking and Tim took me on my first long backpacking trip last summer. The best part? When we got to the top of the mountain, he surprised me by proposing! Needless to say, it was a good trip.
When Tim and I imagined our wedding, we imagined being in a place where we both felt authentically ourselves and at home. It was easy for us to decide on the Chico Hot Springs in Paradise Valley, Montana. Tim has been visiting Chico Hot Springs annually for almost two decades as his mom has worked as a Geologist in Yellowstone National Park for many years. I was invited to join this trip in the summer of 2017 and I quickly understood and experienced the magic. Chico Hot Springs allows you to unplug, relax and reset while enjoying the daily fresh hot spring water, adventuring around the property with a 360 degree view of mountains and the ability to jump in the car and adventure to one of the best National Parks in the country. The rustic and western atmosphere reminds me of my home state of Iowa while the mountains and outdoor activities takes Tim back to growing up in Colorado. We both knew, after our first trip there together, that this was a place that was going to be special. We are so excited to start our married life together at Chico Hot Springs and to bring our family there in the years to come.
– Bride, Molly