Heritage Eagle Bend Golf Club

Rehearsal Dinner

The Hudson Gardens & Event Center

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Reception

Summer

Our Wedding

We met in the fall of 2021 when Reese joined the track team at Hillsdale, however, we did not say more than two words to each other until well into second semester. During that outdoor season, after a long bus ride to South Carolina, we became friends and actually said hi to each other at practice every now and then. A few weeks later we both went to California for a track meet and Benu was very kind to help Reese by bringing her water and her migraine medication after each race because she “had no friends” and he “felt bad.” At this point Reese knew Benu was interested in her but Benu still claims he was just being a “really good teammate.” Two weeks later Benu came to practice “sick” and Reese’s mom convinced her to bring him soup and ice cream after practice. When Reese dropped off the ice cream Benu did not know what to do so he asked her to go on a walk while they ate it. Later that evening Reese received a text from Benu saying, “Don’t finish your ice cream yet, I might feel bad over the weekend again and then we’ll have to go on a walk again.” Then two days later, “I don’t think I’m going to feel very good later..do you want to go for a walk and eat some ice cream later tonight?” Three minutes into that walk Benu turned to Reese and said, “I don’t actually feel sick,” and Reese responded, “I’m not an idiot.”&nbsp; That began a few weeks of hanging out while we traveled for track, packed up our dorm rooms for the summer, cooked in the dorm until Reese set off the fire alarms, and then ate at El Cerritos. Soon Reese told Benu he had to officially ask her out so he did, bringing her flowers and candy, taking her to Olivia’s Steakhouse, driving her through the cemetery and park, and then watching Psych. We continued to hang out a lot and Benu even came to watch Reese be the alternate for the 4x400 at nationals. She did not even run. We very clearly liked each other but did not want to start a relationship and immediately have to be long distance so right before we parted ways for the summer we decided to start “dating” but wait to start our relationship until after break. We know this makes no sense to anyone but for us dating meant pursuing a relationship with each other and being in a relationship meant pursuing marriage together. So we separated for the summer and spent a lot of time on FaceTime getting to know each other and “dating.” It quickly became very clear that we both wanted to pursue marriage together and when Benu came to visit Colorado for the Fourth of July, he asked Reese to be his girlfriend and we had a very awkward first kiss.&nbsp; We spent the next (almost) two years of dating running, studying, laughing, traveling, serving, and learning together. We got to know each other’s families by visiting Colorado and South Africa and through many What'sApp and FaceTime calls. Through lots of prayer, time spent together, and conversations with those we love we both knew we wanted to actually get married and not just pursue it. Reese really starting hinting about a ring in January of 2024 but Benu had the whole thing under control, talked to her dad, broke into her Pinterest, bought the exact ring she wanted, and coordinated the entire proposal (with the help of Parker and Sydney) without Reese having any idea. On May 18th, 2024 Benu completely surprised Reese by asking her to marry him in front of both of their families at Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. Yes, the ring almost fell in the lake but, Benu caught it and after what felt like a year of laughing he actually calmed down enough to ask the question and Reese said yes. And so begins our engagement as we prepare for marriage, continue to pursue each other, and hope to look more like Christ individually and as a couple. We are so excited to be getting married!!!!

Our Story 

Photos

Sydney Dragovich 

Taylor Whitfield 

Sadie McMullen

Alysa Waits 

Anna Lamoreaux

Shura Baldwin 

Abigail Whitfield 

Emmalee Fick 

Jamahl Burke 

Shaun Smith 

John Ethan Baldwin 

Sean Hoeft 

Jacques Botes

Joey Dragovich 

Samuel Dragovich 

Wedding Party

Q + A

DIA is the closest international airport making it the best option for anyone traveling from out of the state or country.

Denver International Airport

Hotel Recommendations  

Hilton Garden Inn Denver/Highlands Ranch

Hampton Inn & Suites Denver/Highlands Ranch

Residence Inn Denver Highlands Ranch

Staybridge Suites Denver South - Highlands Ranch, an IHG Hotel

Campgrounds

Book these as soon as possible because they fill fast! 

Chatfield State Park Campground

Golden Gate State Park Campground

Bear Creek Lake Campground

Travel

A few of our favorites and a bunch of other fun things!

We love Rock Mountain National Park! We recommend visiting Estes Park as well. Head over to Sprague Lake if you want to see where we got engaged!

Rocky Mountain National Park

Garden of the Gods is one of our favorite spots! It is full of great walking trails but also very drivable.

Reese & Benu

Reese & Benu

Registry

Please know that your presence at our wedding is the greatest present of all! However, for friends and family who have been asking for gift ideas, we've created an online registry here.