How it all began…
“Dibs on the blonde.”
— Kyle to his friend Nick and Richard
“Who’s that cute, tall guy?”
— Gretchen to her friend Courtney
Gretchen & Kyle
Three years ago on a camping trip in California’s Imperial Sand Dunes, Gretchen and Kyle first caught each other’s eye across a campfire. “Who’s that cute, tall guy?” Gretchen whispered to her friend Courtney, as Kyle elbowed his friends Nick and Richard on the other side of the campsite and said, “Dibs on the blonde.”
The rest was history. Well, sorta…
Gretchen and Kyle quickly became friends, talking under the desert stars, mingling between friend groups, and wondering if their newfound Sand Dune friendship would ever grow to be more back in Orange County.
When the weekend came to a close, Kyle asked for Gretchen’s phone number, and their first date followed a month later — a romantic, sunset bike ride in Newport Beach. While neither of them expected a desert camping trip with their best friends to turn into a loving partnership, their time together has been nothing short of adventurous — filled with (of course) more camping trips, walks with Gretchen’s pup Hobie, picnic dinners, and travels across the US and beyond.
Three years later,
Kyle decided to make some bigger moves in their relationship, and while he knew Gretchen was ~totally down~ (as the kids say), she had no idea what was going on behind the scenes.
Kyle organized a surprise camping trip in Sedona, Arizona where he was hoping to “call dibs” on Gretchen, officially. Since the two met in the desert, it was only appropriate, right?
Gretchen is a horse girl through and through, so Kyle booked a private horseback trail ride through Sedona’s stunning red rocks and Verde Valley’s wine country. Gretchen was already ecstatic to be riding amidst these rocks and vineyards, but had absolutely no clue what was waiting for her at the peak of their ride.
At the top of a gorgeous mountain overlooking the Verde Valley, Gretchen and Kyle hopped off their horses to take some (obviously) mandatory photos. After a few quick snaps, Gretchen turned around to pet her horse, and Kyle took his cue to “fix his boot.” As Gretchen turned back around to face him, Kyle pulled out a little black box.
He popped it open to reveal a diamond ring, and Gretchen — completely stunned — immediately started crying. Shaking with adrenaline and pure joy, she accepted, and their blissful trail ride culminated in a beautiful start of their forever journey together.
Fiancé and fiancée, they hopped back on their horses and meandered down the mountain to enjoy the rest of Kyle’s surprise — a full day celebrating their new engagement, visiting Sedona’s wineries, and toasting to their future together (with Hobie, of course).
Kyle ended his day of surprises with a reservation at Mariposa, which he knew Gretchen had been dying to try for years. He snagged the best table in the restaurant, a couple glasses of champagne, and, of course, Hobie, for a perfect end to an already incredible desert weekend.
From the sand dunes to the red rocks, and three years of adventure and love in between, Gretchen and Kyle could not be more excited to spend their wedding weekend with you!
Oh, and don’t think they forgot about Hobie — catch him walking down the aisle, too on November 5. We hope to see you all there!
