Hitched!

Mindy and I on-top of Observation Point during a hike on our wedding weekend.

For those who don’t know Mindy and I tied the knot on April 24th, 2010.  It is near impossible to put into words how magical that day was.  For those that were there with us, the perfection of the day is hopefully something you’ll remember forever.  For those that were not there, suffice it to say that we held it in our favorite place on earth and mother nature was kind to us with blue skies, perfect temperatures and California condors soaring above us during a hike.  The weekend consisted of everything important to us : family, simplicity, and a beautiful display of the most powerful natural settings on earth.

Our amazing friend Pat McMurtry married us on this beautiful April day.  His enthusiasm for conducting the ceremony was amazing and from the first second I asked him if he he’d do it (mile 82 in the Wasatch 100, 2009) I knew he was the right person for the job.  In October when I asked Mindy to marry me, she agreed.

As our friend Buzz pointed out in his wedding dinner toast, “the wedding itself is held for family and friends, Mindy and Jared have already made the committed to each other.”  This is true!  Mindy and I have known we were meant for each other from the moment we started dating.  So, once we decided to tie the knot we had to do it somewhere special, somewhere that defines us, somewhere that will allow others to get to see what makes us happy.  It was a no-brainer, Zion.  What makes us both so happy is that most folks took some extra time before and after the wedding to hike, climb, run, bike, etc.  Many of Mindy’s nieces and nephews had never been to Zion and I think the experience was eye-opening to them.  It’s those types of experiences that you take with you for the rest of you life.  I’ll never forget my trips to Zion as a young kid, hiking the Narrows, Angels Landing etc….. the start of my addiction to the outdoors.

Our ceremony was beautiful and simple.  There were no props, no chairs, no restrooms, no changing room, nothing….. which is to say, everything, to us.  There was a cool breeze, sunshine, and blue skies.  The rock behind us red and white, the trees a budding green, the Virgin river still slowly carving away.  The moment was reverent, inclusive, and surreal.  Included in the ceremony were my sister Vanessa and Mindy’s brother Brad, both who spoke from their heart and touched us all.  Mindy and I had come up with symbolic unity ceremony that involved all present and rendered something we’ll cherish forever.

This was the BEST DAY EVER!

An abbreviated selection of photos can be found here.