Boulder, CO, USA

Wedding Day

Wedding

Wedgewood Weddings | Boulder Creek

Reception

Our Wedding

Charlie&nbsp;and&nbsp;Parker&nbsp;met&nbsp;during&nbsp;the&nbsp;start&nbsp;of&nbsp;freshman&nbsp;year&nbsp;of&nbsp;high&nbsp;school&nbsp;in&nbsp;Santa&nbsp;Rosa,&nbsp;CA.&nbsp;When&nbsp;they&nbsp;first&nbsp;spoke&nbsp;Charlie&nbsp;was&nbsp;breathless&nbsp;(mostly due to asthma&nbsp;because&nbsp;they&nbsp;were&nbsp;running&nbsp;a&nbsp;mile&nbsp;in&nbsp;P.E.).&nbsp;The&nbsp;first&nbsp;thing&nbsp;that&nbsp;Parker&nbsp;ever&nbsp;said&nbsp;to&nbsp;them&nbsp;was&nbsp;"Hey,&nbsp;you&nbsp;sound&nbsp;like&nbsp;a&nbsp;squeak&nbsp;toy,&nbsp;are&nbsp;you&nbsp;okay?"&nbsp;Charlie&nbsp;never&nbsp;laughed&nbsp;so&nbsp;hard&nbsp;in&nbsp;their&nbsp;life!&nbsp;They&nbsp;became&nbsp;close&nbsp;friends&nbsp;and quickly&nbsp;bonded&nbsp;over&nbsp;video&nbsp;games&nbsp;and&nbsp;comic&nbsp;books.&nbsp;The&nbsp;last&nbsp;day&nbsp;of&nbsp;junior&nbsp;year&nbsp;Charlie&nbsp;confessed&nbsp;their&nbsp;love&nbsp;to&nbsp;Parker&nbsp;and&nbsp;to&nbsp;their&nbsp;surprise&nbsp;he&nbsp;returned&nbsp;the&nbsp;feeling.&nbsp;Senior&nbsp;year&nbsp;of&nbsp;high&nbsp;school&nbsp;they&nbsp;created&nbsp;as&nbsp;many&nbsp;memories&nbsp;together&nbsp;as&nbsp;they&nbsp;could,&nbsp;since&nbsp;they&nbsp;knew&nbsp;after&nbsp;graduation,&nbsp;they&nbsp;would&nbsp;have&nbsp;to&nbsp;deal&nbsp;with&nbsp;a&nbsp;long&nbsp;distance&nbsp;relationship.&nbsp;At&nbsp;this&nbsp;time&nbsp;of&nbsp;their&nbsp;lives&nbsp;Parker&nbsp;and&nbsp;Charlie&nbsp;looked&nbsp;like&nbsp;a&nbsp;gay&nbsp;couple&nbsp;and&nbsp;to&nbsp;a&nbsp;lot&nbsp;of&nbsp;individuals&nbsp;they&nbsp;were&nbsp;just&nbsp;really&nbsp;close&nbsp;friends. At&nbsp;times,&nbsp;it&nbsp;was&nbsp;difficult&nbsp;to&nbsp;deal&nbsp;with&nbsp;the&nbsp;slurs,&nbsp;bullying,&nbsp;and&nbsp;people&nbsp;fighting&nbsp;to&nbsp;keep&nbsp;them&nbsp;apart.&nbsp;In&nbsp;media&nbsp;there&nbsp;was&nbsp;countless&nbsp;reports&nbsp;of&nbsp;violent&nbsp;shootings,&nbsp;kidnappings,&nbsp;murders&nbsp;and&nbsp;more,&nbsp;all&nbsp;because&nbsp;the&nbsp;victims&nbsp;were&nbsp;gay.&nbsp;Somehow,&nbsp;the&nbsp;couple&nbsp;managed&nbsp;to&nbsp;stay&nbsp;strong&nbsp;through&nbsp;it&nbsp;all,&nbsp;even&nbsp;when&nbsp;they&nbsp;honestly&nbsp;believed&nbsp;society&nbsp;would&nbsp;never&nbsp;accept&nbsp;them&nbsp;for&nbsp;who&nbsp;they&nbsp;were.

How It Started

When&nbsp;college&nbsp;came&nbsp;along&nbsp;they&nbsp;came&nbsp;up&nbsp;with&nbsp;a&nbsp;plan&nbsp;to&nbsp;keep&nbsp;their&nbsp;relationship&nbsp;strong,&nbsp;Communication&nbsp;was&nbsp;key.&nbsp;together&nbsp;they&nbsp;agreed&nbsp;to&nbsp;text&nbsp;at&nbsp;least&nbsp;once&nbsp;a&nbsp;day&nbsp;and&nbsp;skype&nbsp;at&nbsp;least&nbsp;once&nbsp;every&nbsp;2&nbsp;weeks.&nbsp;Parker&nbsp;moved&nbsp;to&nbsp;Fort&nbsp;Collins,&nbsp;CO&nbsp;while&nbsp;Charlie&nbsp;was&nbsp;in&nbsp;Santa&nbsp;Rosa,&nbsp;CA&nbsp;and&nbsp;had&nbsp;a&nbsp;plan&nbsp;to&nbsp;go&nbsp;to&nbsp;attend&nbsp;college&nbsp;in&nbsp;Austin,&nbsp;TX.&nbsp;It&nbsp;was&nbsp;difficult&nbsp;living&nbsp;1,195&nbsp;miles&nbsp;apart.&nbsp;Charlie&nbsp;was&nbsp;able&nbsp;to&nbsp;visit&nbsp;him&nbsp;twice&nbsp;(During&nbsp;one&nbsp;of&nbsp;those&nbsp;fun&nbsp;trips&nbsp;is&nbsp;when&nbsp;Parker&nbsp;proposed!).&nbsp;They&nbsp;did&nbsp;their&nbsp;best&nbsp;to&nbsp;not&nbsp;have&nbsp;any&nbsp;secrets&nbsp;and&nbsp;to&nbsp;be&nbsp;as&nbsp;open&nbsp;as&nbsp;they&nbsp;could&nbsp;with&nbsp;each&nbsp;other.&nbsp;At&nbsp;this&nbsp;time&nbsp;of&nbsp;their&nbsp;lives&nbsp;Parker&nbsp;started&nbsp;to&nbsp;open&nbsp;up&nbsp;about&nbsp;how&nbsp;he&nbsp;was&nbsp;feeling&nbsp;about&nbsp;his&nbsp;body.&nbsp;He&nbsp;never&nbsp;felt&nbsp;quite&nbsp;right&nbsp;with&nbsp;who&nbsp;he&nbsp;was.&nbsp;He&nbsp;started&nbsp;to&nbsp;go&nbsp;into&nbsp;support&nbsp;groups&nbsp;and&nbsp;do&nbsp;research&nbsp;to&nbsp;help&nbsp;himself.&nbsp;He&nbsp;was&nbsp;so&nbsp;afraid&nbsp;to&nbsp;tell&nbsp;Charlie&nbsp;what&nbsp;he&nbsp;discovered&nbsp;about&nbsp;himself&nbsp;but&nbsp;knew&nbsp;it&nbsp;needed&nbsp;to&nbsp;come&nbsp;out&nbsp;for&nbsp;them&nbsp;to&nbsp;move&nbsp;forward&nbsp;in&nbsp;their&nbsp;relationship.&nbsp;He&nbsp;explained&nbsp;that,&nbsp;He&nbsp;was&nbsp;born&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;wrong&nbsp;body&nbsp;and&nbsp;wanted&nbsp;to&nbsp;go&nbsp;forward&nbsp;with&nbsp;the&nbsp;transition&nbsp;to&nbsp;make&nbsp;him&nbsp;more&nbsp;comfortable.&nbsp;He&nbsp;said&nbsp;"This&nbsp;will&nbsp;be&nbsp;a&nbsp;long&nbsp;process,&nbsp;will&nbsp;you&nbsp;still&nbsp;want&nbsp;to&nbsp;be&nbsp;with&nbsp;me&nbsp;during&nbsp;and&nbsp;after&nbsp;everything?"&nbsp;Charlie's&nbsp;response&nbsp;was&nbsp;"Sure,&nbsp;I&nbsp;don't&nbsp;really&nbsp;care&nbsp;and&nbsp;just&nbsp;want&nbsp;you&nbsp;to&nbsp;be&nbsp;as&nbsp;comfortable&nbsp;as&nbsp;possible,&nbsp;Just&nbsp;tell&nbsp;me&nbsp;how&nbsp;I&nbsp;can&nbsp;help."&nbsp;Ever&nbsp;since&nbsp;then&nbsp;they&nbsp;never&nbsp;stopped&nbsp;working&nbsp;to&nbsp;better&nbsp;themselves&nbsp;and&nbsp;becoming&nbsp;more&nbsp;comfortable&nbsp;individually&nbsp;and&nbsp;together.

The Journey

On&nbsp;November&nbsp;15th&nbsp;of&nbsp;2014,&nbsp;Charlie's&nbsp;parents&nbsp;knew&nbsp;that&nbsp;Charlie&nbsp;was&nbsp;most&nbsp;likely&nbsp;going&nbsp;to&nbsp;be&nbsp;moving&nbsp;to&nbsp;Colorado&nbsp;and&nbsp;decided&nbsp;to&nbsp;surprise&nbsp;them&nbsp;with&nbsp;a&nbsp;road&nbsp;trip&nbsp;to&nbsp;visit&nbsp;Parker.&nbsp;At&nbsp;this&nbsp;point&nbsp;he&nbsp;lived&nbsp;on&nbsp;campus&nbsp;at&nbsp;Colorado&nbsp;Sate&nbsp;university.&nbsp;He&nbsp;had&nbsp;planned&nbsp;a&nbsp;beautiful&nbsp;night&nbsp;&nbsp;for&nbsp;Charlie's&nbsp;last&nbsp;day&nbsp;there.&nbsp;They&nbsp;strolled&nbsp;around&nbsp;campus&nbsp;and&nbsp;he&nbsp;took&nbsp;them&nbsp;to&nbsp;a&nbsp;nearby&nbsp;pond.&nbsp;It&nbsp;was&nbsp;a&nbsp;place&nbsp;that&nbsp;he&nbsp;would&nbsp;often&nbsp;go&nbsp;to&nbsp;to&nbsp;watch&nbsp;the&nbsp;geese&nbsp;and&nbsp;relax.&nbsp;They&nbsp;watched&nbsp;the&nbsp;sun&nbsp;set&nbsp;over&nbsp;the&nbsp;mountains&nbsp;and&nbsp;climbed&nbsp;the&nbsp;neighboring&nbsp;tree.&nbsp;Parker&nbsp;then&nbsp;jumped&nbsp;off,&nbsp;got&nbsp;down&nbsp;on&nbsp;one&nbsp;knee&nbsp;and&nbsp;asked&nbsp;Charlie&nbsp;to&nbsp;marry&nbsp;him.&nbsp;Of&nbsp;course&nbsp;they&nbsp;said&nbsp;YES!&nbsp;They&nbsp;proceeded&nbsp;to&nbsp;tackle&nbsp;him&nbsp;while&nbsp;he&nbsp;played&nbsp;music&nbsp;and&nbsp;then&nbsp;they&nbsp;danced&nbsp;together&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;grass.&nbsp;They&nbsp;watched&nbsp;the&nbsp;stars&nbsp;appear&nbsp;as&nbsp;they&nbsp;walked&nbsp;back&nbsp;to&nbsp;the&nbsp;dorm&nbsp;to&nbsp;say&nbsp;goodbye.

The Question

After&nbsp;a&nbsp;year,&nbsp;Charlie&nbsp;decided&nbsp;that&nbsp;it&nbsp;was&nbsp;the&nbsp;right&nbsp;time&nbsp;to&nbsp;move&nbsp;up&nbsp;to&nbsp;Fort&nbsp;Collins,&nbsp;Colorado.&nbsp;It&nbsp;was&nbsp;not&nbsp;the&nbsp;easiest&nbsp;learning&nbsp;how&nbsp;to&nbsp;live&nbsp;together&nbsp;but&nbsp;it&nbsp;only&nbsp;brought&nbsp;them&nbsp;closer.&nbsp;Over&nbsp;time,&nbsp;they&nbsp;have&nbsp;created&nbsp;a&nbsp;family&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;mountains&nbsp;with&nbsp;3&nbsp;beautiful&nbsp;black&nbsp;cats&nbsp;and&nbsp;a&nbsp;happy-go-lucky&nbsp;doggo.&nbsp;They&nbsp;have&nbsp;had&nbsp;their&nbsp;ups&nbsp;and&nbsp;downs&nbsp;in&nbsp;life's&nbsp;crazy&nbsp;roller&nbsp;coaster&nbsp;but&nbsp;they&nbsp;experience&nbsp;it&nbsp;all&nbsp;together.&nbsp;They&nbsp;can't&nbsp;wait&nbsp;to&nbsp;make&nbsp;even&nbsp;more&nbsp;memories&nbsp;together.&nbsp;

Being Reunited

Our Story

Details

Kayla&nbsp;is&nbsp;Parker's&nbsp;amazing&nbsp;sister.&nbsp;She&nbsp;has&nbsp;been&nbsp;his&nbsp;greatest&nbsp;ally&nbsp;for&nbsp;as&nbsp;long&nbsp;as&nbsp;he&nbsp;can&nbsp;can&nbsp;remember.&nbsp;Parker&nbsp;has&nbsp;fond&nbsp;memories&nbsp;of&nbsp;her&nbsp;reading&nbsp;to&nbsp;him&nbsp;when&nbsp;he&nbsp;was&nbsp;younger&nbsp;and&nbsp;offering&nbsp;to&nbsp;protect&nbsp;him&nbsp;from&nbsp;bullies&nbsp;in&nbsp;middle&nbsp;school.&nbsp;She&nbsp;is&nbsp;smart,&nbsp;kind,&nbsp;and&nbsp;always&nbsp;stands&nbsp;up&nbsp;for&nbsp;what&nbsp;she&nbsp;believes&nbsp;in.&nbsp;

Kayla Steindorf

Jacqueline&nbsp;is&nbsp;Charlies'&nbsp;sister.&nbsp;When&nbsp;we&nbsp;were&nbsp;little,&nbsp;she&nbsp;would&nbsp;give&nbsp;me&nbsp;all&nbsp;sorts&nbsp;of&nbsp;&nbsp;books&nbsp;that&nbsp;she&nbsp;already&nbsp;read&nbsp;many&nbsp;of&nbsp;times.&nbsp;We&nbsp;bonded&nbsp;over&nbsp;litterateur.&nbsp;It&nbsp;was&nbsp;difficult&nbsp;since&nbsp;Charlie&nbsp;was&nbsp;diagnosed&nbsp;with&nbsp;Dyslexia&nbsp;at&nbsp;a&nbsp;young&nbsp;age,&nbsp;They&nbsp;hated&nbsp;reading,&nbsp;But&nbsp;Jacqueline&nbsp;made&nbsp;it&nbsp;fun.&nbsp;&nbsp;We&nbsp;have&nbsp;had&nbsp;our&nbsp;ups&nbsp;and&nbsp;downs&nbsp;but&nbsp;she&nbsp;is&nbsp;family,&nbsp;She&nbsp;can&nbsp;be&nbsp;a&nbsp;bit&nbsp;much&nbsp;at&nbsp;times&nbsp;but&nbsp;I&nbsp;love&nbsp;her&nbsp;for&nbsp;always&nbsp;being&nbsp;true&nbsp;to&nbsp;herself.

Jacqueline Garcia

Amber&nbsp;is&nbsp;Charlies'&nbsp;Friend.&nbsp;We&nbsp;were&nbsp;Co-&nbsp;Workers&nbsp;at&nbsp;Colorado&nbsp;Optometry.&nbsp;She&nbsp;trained&nbsp;me&nbsp;and&nbsp;put&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;effort&nbsp;to&nbsp;not&nbsp;only,&nbsp;work&nbsp;with&nbsp;me&nbsp;but&nbsp;to&nbsp;become&nbsp;my&nbsp;friend. &nbsp;Charlie&nbsp;moved&nbsp;to&nbsp;Colorado&nbsp;from&nbsp;California&nbsp;and&nbsp;lost&nbsp;connection&nbsp;with&nbsp;all&nbsp;of&nbsp;their&nbsp;friends&nbsp;after&nbsp;the&nbsp;move.&nbsp;Amber&nbsp;became&nbsp;my&nbsp;first&nbsp;real&nbsp;friend&nbsp;after&nbsp;that&nbsp;lonely&nbsp;time&nbsp;in&nbsp;my&nbsp;life.&nbsp;I&nbsp;love&nbsp;her&nbsp;for&nbsp;always&nbsp;working&nbsp;to&nbsp;better&nbsp;herself&nbsp;and&nbsp;being&nbsp;one&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;hardest&nbsp;working&nbsp;person&nbsp;I&nbsp;know.

Amber Ringus

Parker&nbsp;met&nbsp;Mckenzie&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;dorms&nbsp;at&nbsp;college.&nbsp;They&nbsp;always&nbsp;ate&nbsp;meals&nbsp;together&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;cafeteria&nbsp;and&nbsp;bonded&nbsp;over&nbsp;studying&nbsp;math&nbsp;and&nbsp;talking&nbsp;about&nbsp;their&nbsp;roommates.&nbsp;After&nbsp;living&nbsp;in&nbsp;the&nbsp;dorms,&nbsp;they&nbsp;both&nbsp;got&nbsp;dogs&nbsp;and&nbsp;bonded&nbsp;over&nbsp;having&nbsp;their&nbsp;dogs&nbsp;play&nbsp;together&nbsp;and&nbsp;taking&nbsp;them&nbsp;on&nbsp;walks.&nbsp;Now&nbsp;they&nbsp;hang&nbsp;out&nbsp;every&nbsp;two&nbsp;weeks&nbsp;to&nbsp;play&nbsp;Dungeons&nbsp;and&nbsp;Dragons&nbsp;with&nbsp;some&nbsp;other&nbsp;friends.

Mckenzie Flaherty

Navada&nbsp;is&nbsp;Charlies'&nbsp;Friend.&nbsp;She&nbsp;was&nbsp;my&nbsp;manager&nbsp;at&nbsp;Colorado&nbsp;Optometry.&nbsp;She&nbsp;is&nbsp;a&nbsp;real&nbsp;slice&nbsp;of&nbsp;life&nbsp;funny&nbsp;person.&nbsp;I&nbsp;enjoyed&nbsp;sharing&nbsp;our&nbsp;life&nbsp;stories&nbsp;and&nbsp;joking&nbsp;around&nbsp;with&nbsp;her.&nbsp;We&nbsp;really&nbsp;got&nbsp;to&nbsp;know&nbsp;each&nbsp;other&nbsp;while&nbsp;working&nbsp;together.&nbsp;I&nbsp;loved&nbsp;the&nbsp;occasional&nbsp;facebook&nbsp;joke&nbsp;or&nbsp;funny&nbsp;pictures&nbsp;she&nbsp;would&nbsp;share.&nbsp;She&nbsp;is&nbsp;a&nbsp;strong&nbsp;worker&nbsp;and&nbsp;Taught&nbsp;me&nbsp;so&nbsp;much.&nbsp;I&nbsp;Love&nbsp;her&nbsp;for&nbsp;being&nbsp;such&nbsp;a&nbsp;loyal&nbsp;friend&nbsp;and&nbsp;always&nbsp;helping&nbsp;me&nbsp;laugh.

Navada Steinmetz

Rick is Mckenzie's partner. Parker also met him when Mckenzie and Parker lived on the same floor in the dorms. They got closer when Parker would go to their house to hang out. Then they started to play Dungeons and Dragons together and now they play together with other friends about every two weeks.

Rick Brooks

Parker and CJ&nbsp;met in the dorms in the first year of college. They went to the same clubs together and lived together on and off. Throughout college, they studied together and played video games together. Recently, they hang out around every other week to catch up and play some games. Soon, CJ&nbsp;is looking into moving to Denver area which will make it easier to for them&nbsp;to connect.

CJ Stellwagen

Wedding Party

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Registry

Q + A

&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/book/hotel-rooms.06103.html?groupId=6I2HH4V5" target="_blank">https://www.bestwestern.com/en_US/book/hotel-rooms.06103.html?groupId=6I2HH4V5</a>Property LocationA stay at Best Western Plus Boulder Inn places you in the heart of Boulder, steps from University of Colorado-Boulder and a 2-minute drive from NIST Headquarters. This eco-friendly hotel is 0.9 mi (1.5 km) from Folsom Field and 1.1 mi (1.8 km) from NOAA's Earth System Research Laboratory.RoomsMake yourself at home in one of the 98 air-conditioned rooms featuring refrigerators and flat-screen televisions. Your pillowtop bed comes with premium bedding. Rooms have private balconies or patios. Wireless Internet access (surcharge) keeps you connected, and digital programming is available for your entertainment. Private bathrooms with shower/tub combinations feature complimentary toiletries and hair dryers.AmenitiesTake advantage of recreational opportunities offered, including an outdoor pool, a spa tub, and a fitness center. Additional features at this hotel include complimentary wireless Internet access, gift shops/newsstands, and a fireplace in the lobby.DiningA complimentary hot/cold buffet breakfast is served daily from 6:30 AM to 10 AM.Business, Other AmenitiesFeatured amenities include a 24-hour business center, complimentary newspapers in the lobby, and dry cleaning/laundry services. Planning an event in Boulder? This hotel has facilities measuring 2000 square feet (186 square meters), including a conference center. Free self parking is available onsite.

Charlie & Parker

Charlie & Parker

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