15 Years and A Road Trip Later- Anne and Dominic’s Elopement

Pratically highschool sweethearts, Anne and Dominic had been dating for almost 15 years when they finally said "I Will!"

If we haven’t met yet, hi! I’m Lindsey Nickel and I’m a local Napa wedding planner and the owner of Lovely Day Events. My team and I have planned more than 140 destination weddings, so I can tell you firsthand that wine country weddings are something special. My clients want the ceremony to be outside, the food to be outstanding, and the dance parties to be epic. If this sounds like you, you’re in the right place.

After reading a letter Anne had written to Events, Etc. describing herself and Dominic and their background, I knew I wanted to be a part of their wedding as it had been years in the making!!

Anne and Dominic both love music which brought them on a trip to the deep south last year from the Smokey's to Kentucky and finally Nashville. They enjoyed this road trip so much that it made them want to come back for another road trip to experience the western part of the US. They started in San Francisco and traveled to Santa Barbara, Las Vegas, Grand Canyon, Zion and Bryce National Park, and Death Valley all on their way to visit and exchange vows here in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks!! All their friends thought they would do it in Vegas so this was a successful attempt to fool inquiring minds!!

Anne and Dominic chose Mormon Row as the setting for their special ceremony and chose the Reverend Paul Hayden to conduct the ceremony. The ceremony was beautiful as it was only Anne, Dominic, Reverend Paul Hayden, photographer Katy Gray and myself. It was quiet, peaceful and just the right setting for this couple of 15 years. The reverend spoke of many things in the ceremony but the one that sticks in my mind most was of the 3 types of love necessary for a marriage to work. The first is Philia, the mental love. This type of love has give and take. It is a dispassionate virtuous love. It includes loyalty to friends, family, and community, and requires virtue, equality and familiarity. The second type is Eros, the physical, passionate love with sensual desire and longing. It is a romantic, pure emotion without the balance of logic. The third and most important type of love is Agape,  which means love in a spiritual sense. It often refers to a general affection or deeper sense of true unconditional love rather than the attraction suggested by "eros." This love is selfless; it gives and expects nothing in return.

These words brought tears to their eyes and mine while the Tetons looked on in awe. The couple said their I Will's as Katy and I stood as witnesses to this great moment in their lives, they kissed and it was official! 15 years and a road trip later, Anne and Dominic were married. After the ceremony, Anne and Dominic invited us to a picnic with sandwiches and lemonade to celebrate this special day in their lives. They told us of their travels, their family and Holland. After a few more pictures at Mormon Row they were off to dinner at Signal Mountain Lodge and to start their honeymoon! And all their friends thought they would do it in Vegas!!

It was an honor and privilege to get to be part of their wedding day!! Good luck to the happy couple and we hope to see you again someday! Happy Trails!!

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