October 6th, 2022: Tying the Knot
Just be my honeycomb and live in a heaven of love.
Blessed be this union with the gifts of the East.
Communications of the heart, mind, and body.
Fresh beginnings with the rising of each Sun.
The knowledge of the growth found in the sharing of silences.
Blessed be this union with the gifts of the South.
Warmth of the hearth and home.
The heat of the heart’s passion.
The light created by both to illuminate the darkest of times.
The deep commitments of the lake.
The swift excitement of the river.
The refreshing cleansing of the rain.
The all encompassing passions of the sea.
Blessed be this union with the gifts of the North.
Firm foundations on which to build.
Fertility of the field to enrich your lives.
A stable home which you may always return.
On October 6th, 2022, Kyle and I tied the knot at the historic Bannack State Park church, marking exactly five years of togetherness.
Since 2018, the two of us would celebrate my birthday on a week-long roadtrip by venturing through thick dust and sagebrush in southern Montana to reach a historic ghost town known as Bannack State Park to participate in Bannack Days. In short, Bannack State Park is a national historic landmark (abandoned mining town) and site of Montana’s first territorial capital and first major gold discovery, located next to Grasshopper Creek in Dillon, Montana. Every year, the State Park hosts “Bannack Days,” a two-day event that pays tribute to the pioneers and miners that settled there during the 1860’s by showcasing historic exhibits, demos, and activities on the third weekend of July. During our first trip to Bannack, we watched skilled demonstrators, whom were dressed in period-clothes, show off their crafts, such as the quilters, bobbin lace makers, blacksmiths, tin smiths, candlemakers, wagoners, and even Civil War infantry reenactors who made camp near Hangman’s Gulch and test-fired a Gatling gun.
On Saturday, we would take our time strolling along the wooden sidewalks down Main Street to explore over 50 log and frame structures, including the Masonic Lodge and schoolhouse, Hotel Meade, saloon, barbershop, church, and mills. We joined the candlemaker in making hand-dipped candlesticks, indulged in peach and raspberry cobbler fresh out of cast iron pots by the chuck wagon, and rode uphill on horseback to overlook the bustling ghost town, then made our way back down to catch the horse drawn carriage to return to the entrance of the park and retire for the day. On Sunday, we would start our morning at 7am to have a pancake breakfast at Hotel Meade, attend church service, and listen to the fiddlers play their tunes. We would then head to the designated gold panning area by Grasshopper Creek to take up a shovel and pan for hidden treasures. Afterall, Montana is coined the Treasure State. Amongst the microscopic flecks of gold, we discovered a handful of garnets that we keep in a treasure box to this very day. Bannack State Park has a special place in our hearts and garnets have long since been reminiscent of our very first adventure as a couple. Embedded in my engagement ring is a solitaire garnet, a garnet filled with our most precious memories and the promise of many more adventures between us.
Upon Kyle’s proposal in October, 2021, we knew then that we had to come full circle and have the wedding ceremony at the historic church at Bannack State Park on October 6th, 2022, to commemorate exactly five years of togetherness. My oldest brother, Nathan, is a registered minister, so we called on him to officially marry us, in which he graciously complied. To reflect the changing of the seasons during Autumn and my taste for vintage looks, we thrifted a peach colored authentic 1940’s Victorian lace wedding gown and mended Kyle’s brown corduroy suit, then coordinated with our bridesmaids and best man to color coordinate in autumn leaf colors. We invited immediate family as our witnesses and decorated the church with glass vases with wheat and autumn leaves, when all guests were seated, we shared our vows and were pronounced man and wife. Afterwards, we were delighted to walk around the ghost town with our guests, sharing history and memories, then rendezvous to the Grasshopper Inn to cut into the wedding cake I had made from scratch and baked the previous day, a strawberry shortcake with home-whipped cream. Simple as that, but oh so sweet.
“Sometimes, the only way to catch an uncatchable woman is to offer her a wedding ring.”