I was serving hour d'oeuvres in my finest banquet blacks when I saw Topher socializing after a charity golf event. I was shy and pretended not to make the connection, but the Harlow in him was unmistakable. He called my bluff, made me blush, and invited me to come work with him. He was looking for a coach and I was looking for a job...

I can't tell the story without acknowledging that it was Elle's beauty that struck me first. It's true though, I was in need of a female coach to join our staff, and knowing Elle's ski racing background, I knew she would be a natural fit. She was looking for a job after spending a year abroad, and it was the first "yes" that changed everything. It was the summer of 2017 when she agreed to come to Stowe, and so our story begins...

It took a few months before we understood the professional façade was not serving either of us. Once the love story started, we knew we had stumbled into something different. Fast forward through new jobs, graduate school, and years of distance, we ultimately landed with overwhelming gratitude in a newly purchased house in Manchester, VT right at the beginning of the COVID lockdown. No amount of time together seemed like enough during that insular period. We were able to nest for the first time, turning this small house into a real home. When Topher got down on one knee at the Christmas tree farm during our favorite annual tradition in November of 2022, it felt like the most natural, necessary progression of our lives together. That perfect moment was five years in the making, and while we can't wait to celebrate a life of love with all of you, we are spending our engaged days relishing in the simple joys of being together. We only get to be here once, and we're not taking a moment for granted.