An Intimate Mountain Wedding at Wild Basin Lodge in Allenspark, Colorado

Amanda Baillie (28 and rural mail carrier) and Brent Walters (28 and a maintenance mechanic) met at the local race track. One day Brent was outside working on his Jeep. Amanda went outside to bring him in for the day because it was freezing and the snow was starting again. He grabbed her and sat her on their dog house that he built. “I knew it was coming so I closed my eyes so tight, I could not believe someone as perfect as Brent would ask me to marry him,” she says. “I knew we agreed to be together for the long haul, but it still was surreal. As I opened my eyes to check out the most beautiful ring, the sun popped out of this one cloud and hit my ring so perfect it was magic. As I said yes, the dogs went nuts as if they were agreeing."Amanda and Brent wanted to elope. They sent 10 invitations about the surprise engagement and news of the elopement. Nine of the guests came to an all-inclusive weekend wedding paid for by the couple. They exchanged vows in an outdoor ceremony where her brother was the officiant. “Everything was going pretty prefect until Ashley from the Wild Basin Staff pulled me aside and asked if I had gotten in touch with my officiant,” Amanda says. “Of course I hadn’t. They said he was fishing out of town and wouldn’t be able to make it. I laughed and said, ‘It’s okay, I have it handled.’ I grabbed my brother and told him I messed up and there was no one coming to marry us. I told him I needed him to do it. He was cool and calm. He printed some things and got his thoughts together and married us within the half-hour. It truly was a family affair.”