Fenimore Farm - Cornwall Church

Ceremony

Fenimore Farm - Louis C Jones Center

Reception

Please RSVP by February 25th.

Our Wedding

A story of God's Providence

April 2025

It all started on hinge... Two profiles begrudgingly created. Two profiles designed to clearly indicate our intention to honor and follow Christ in all aspects of life.

May 03, 2025

Ben and Heidi met for the first time on a rainy hike up Stratton Mountain in VT.

May 2025

This marked the beginning of an extensive letter writing campaign interspersed with a few hiking and paddling adventures. We do not have a single photo to show for it, but for those of you who follow Strava closely, there were signs...

The first of many Slate Valley mountain bikes (and our first bit of photographic evidence)...aka "Slate Dates." It made for the perfect spot halfway between New Hampshire and New York. There were many spontaneous weekday drives to meet up for a "Slate Date."

June 11, 2025

Ben and Heidi providentially both had the month of August off from work...it was full of many outside adventures and quality time with both of our families! (Featured here is a paddling adventure at a Glen Lake where Ben would later propose...)

August 2025

Heidi dragged Ben on a 30+ mile "hike" of the Pemi loop in the White Mountains. One of many joyous mountain days in God's creation full of smiles and nerd clusters!

August 11, 2025

Camping trips and complicit chaperones. Thanks Lucy and Davis!

August 30, 2025

Beautiful Vermont bike rides. Like the sunsets, things started to heat up.

September 11, 2025

Happy Birthday Heidi! Nothing is sweeter than time together in the mountains.

October 11, 2025

The Ring and the Boat

If you know of the Hopkins, you are likely aware of their boating problem. That addiction to boats most certainly did not skip over Ben. Canoeing, kayaking, windsurfing, and rowing all played a role in the time that Ben and Heidi spent together during the spring and summer of 2025. Heidi seemed like quite a willing participate in the boating adventures, so when the two them were confident their relationship was headed in the direction of forever, Ben pulled The Lovey out of its dusty barn storage...

The Lovey is a rowboat given to Ben in 2015 by a friend of his Farmor (Swedish Grandmother). Over a decade ago, Ben's late father (Matt) gave the boat its name and planted the vision of Ben proposing in it. The gunwales had since rotted off, and the wood left needed some tender love and care. Providentially, Heidi's wood carving skills are genetic, and her brother (Josh) and Father (Lee) were more than up to the task. Unbeknownst to Heidi, Ben drove The Lovey out to Cooperstown in early October to first ask Lee for his blessing, and then begin the work of restoring the boat. It took about a month and 5 weeknight trips to Cooperstown to make the boat beautiful again.

With the boat project in motion, Ben turned his attention to the ring. His father's sister Helen had been waiting for this moment. Aunt Helen had a pair of diamonds removed from an ancient piece of her mother's and shipped them to Ben. The stones were over 200 years old and cut by hand deep in a mine by candlelight. Old and imperfect as they were, they were exactly what Ben was looking for. Ben designed the ring with three stones. While Ben and Heidi are each other's best friends and teammates, the third member of their team is Christ guiding and directing their steps. The two small stones flanking a larger stone in the center remind them of their communion with Christ.

November 14, 2025

Heidi thought she had an uneventful Friday trip home to Cooperstown in front of her. Ben had other plans... With The Lovey on his truck and the ring in hand (and Lucy ready to hide in the bushes...literally), Ben called Heidi Thursday night to ask if she would be willing to stop in Vermont on her way home for a paddle in a boat that he "had been working on recently". Heidi's willingness for a snowy November boat trip without hesitation or suspicion is both a testament to her trusting character and some of the antics that she had previously experienced in their relationship.

With a boat, a ring, a mountain lake, and a God like ours, the rest of the story writes itself.

Our Story

Photos

Wedding Party

The attire will be Spring formal! For ladies, this means your favorite mid to long dress. For men, this means dress pants/shirt. You are highly encouraged to wear your favorite bow tie! But suits and ties are optional. Of note, there is roughly a quarter miles walk from the parking lot to where the ceremony will take place. Please keep this in mind and remember the weather in April can be quite unpredictable!

Dress Code

How does the registry work?

Please know, that a gift is by no means expected! Above all, we would love your presence and the gift of celebrating our marriage with you!

If you still desire to give a gift, please feel free to be creative or share something you love with us. We appreciate homemade or pre-loved items. If you choose to get a gift, you may bring it to the wedding or mail it to the address provided. Unless a gift is designated on the registry as our top choice, the exact design or model does not matter to us. A link is provided for your conveniences, but feel free to deviate as you wish. If you choose to deviate from the links provided, please mark the similar item as purchased so we do not get duplicates.

How will the wedding day work?

The ceremony will begin promptly at 3pm. Please arrive in time to find your seat and remember to allow time for the walk.

The reception, beginning with “Hoover Doovers” or "Ours-to-Devour" (also sometimes called hors d'oeuvres), will take place following the ceremony, located back near the entrance where you parked.

What if I have a dietary restriction?

Dinner will be buffet style, and there will be a vegetarian option.

Vegans: For those of you who are vegans, the buffet will have salad, rice, and assorted vegetables (roasted in olive oil). But feel free to sneak some snacks in your pocket, no feelings will be hurt.

Other allergies: The food will be clearly marked for those will other allergies (nuts shellfish, dairy, ect.) and feel free to ask!

What about parking?

Parking is available at the entrance of the museum by the stone barn. There is an additional small lot across the street.

There is roughly a quarter mile walk along a gravel path from the museum entrance to the church where the ceremony will take place. Please reach out if you anticipate needing assistance with the walk.

Can we explore the museum?

The ceremony and reception are taking place at the fennimore farm, a museum recreating 19th century village life including a print shop, blacksmith, farm, and much more.

Unfortunately admittance to the museum for the wedding does not include access to the rest of the museum village. If you would like to make an afternoon out of your trip and explore the rest of the museum (which we would highly recommend!), tickets are available for purchase either online or in-person (<a href="https://www.fenimorefarm.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.fenimorefarm.org/</a>).

More Info

Lodging

Below are a few local hotel options to get you started. You can also explore local Airbnb or Bed &amp; Breakfasts. For the most affordable option, there are numerous hotels in nearby city of Oneonta (~35m).

Hampton Inn Cooperstown

The Otesaga Resort Hotel

Air Travel

The closest airports are Albany (~1h 25m) and Syracuse (~1h 45m). Other options include Boston (~4h), Newark (~3h 30m), and JFK (~3h 45m)

Albany International Airport

Syracuse Hancock International Airport

Travel

You can visit for Heidi...she still has never been...

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Fenimore Art Museum

Come and worship at Heidi's family's church if you are still in town on Sunday!

Community Bible Chapel

Fenimore Farm

Things to Do

Registry

This is a joke. Ben and Heidi met on an online dating app called "Hinge". "Unhinged" is a term used to describe potentially crazy or erratic behavior. While they might not entirely fit the definition of unhinged, here are a few things that Ben and Heidi share in common that are a little crazy and remarkably providential.

- Ben and Heidi both showed up for their first date wearing nearly identical outfits, chacos, baggies, sun shirts...

Ben and Heidi both have siblings living in Salt Lake City who live a few blocks away from each other. Very convenient for ski trip planning...

Ben and Heidi love the world God created for us. Both feel a very strong pull to the mountains for the sense of awe and gratitude they instill.

Both share a deep appreciation for the unknown. They live their lives very open-handed, excited to see what the lord plans.

Both enjoy adventures rather than planning.Heidi is guided by "An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered; an inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered."-G K Chesterton"It's not an adventure until something doesn't go as planned."-Ben's personal motto

While their Spotify playlists share a lot in common, there was much rejoicing when they realized they had the same favorite band. Both of them attended multiple NEEDTOBREATHE concerts through college and they enjoyed one together in early November.

Unhinged

Starting in August Ben and Heidi have spent time nearly every morning reading and discussing the Bible together. Spending this time together gave us the confidence that our beliefs and convictions are aligned in a manner that will lead us well in marriage. We don't plan on stopping our morning devotions anytime soon and as we approach the wedding day we are asking if you would be willing to share scripture passages with us to study each morning. Please follow the link for the google doc provided and write the reference for a biblical passage that you find encouraging or challenging.

<a href="https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Ml-87p8AYUrJFaQ_QMVhcNCNGDJmeFQdYJAa0CHKZIM/edit?usp=sharing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Ben and Heidi's Morning devotions</a> Feel free to pick multiple days, repeat verses and add additional comments to direct our discussions.

Starting in August, Ben and Heidi have spent time every morning reading and discussing God's Word together. Spending this time together gave us the confidence that our beliefs and convictions are aligned in a manner that will lead us well in marriage. We don't plan on stopping our morning devotions anytime soon. And as we approach this time leading up to the wedding day, we are asking if you would be willing to share scripture passages with us to study each morning. Please follow the link for the google doc provided and write the reference for a biblical passage that you find encouraging or challenging.

Ben & Heidi

Ben & Heidi

Things to Do

National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum

Fenimore Art Museum

Community Bible Chapel

Fenimore Farm