How did you meet?

“We met in an AmeriCorps Program (the Sierra Nevada AmeriCorps Partnership) in 2014. Cordi had moved from the east coast to work at a land trust, American River Conservancy, in Coloma. Chuck moved from Los Angeles after suffering a quarter life crisis and switching careers completely from a gaffer to a forester! He worked with another non-profit based out of Placerville. Coloma has a winter population of about 300 people so pickings were slim! All kidding aside, we spent time cooking, hiking, and watching movies together. Finally, with some pretty awkward moves by everybody, we started dating!

When did you become engaged, and how?

We were engaged on June 25, 2022. Chuck organized a group of our closest friends for a whitewater rafting and camping trip down the South Fork American River! At the end of the trip, we were bringing our boats up to the parking lot and Chuck rushed over – I had no idea what was going on and he kind of scared me a little bit because he surprised me. Then he asked “Will you marry me?” and I very awkwardly said “Yeah, I guess so,” in front of about 15 close friends!

#CeremonyGoals

Both of us wanted LOOOOOOOOOOW MAINTENANCE and zero stress. Brides are typically put into an event planning or coordination role and that was the last thing I wanted to do. Chuck also wasn’t very interested. Neither of us had strong feelings about the details—we just wanted to have a great party and dance with all of our closest friends. We were hoping for and encouraging wedding crashers because it meant we were having a good party! We knew we wanted our celebration outdoors but the most important aspect to us was having a community-style wedding. We initially planned a pot-luck, but then a couple of friends offered to smoke a pig and make a brisket. My close friend, Lexi, helped coordinate the menu and the rest of the food. A bunch of friends helped purchase, set up and label everything. The wedding far exceeded our expectations! We are so grateful to be surrounded by such an insane, efficient, fun and impressive group of people.

How did the planning go?

Favorite moments were all of the last minute saves from our friends, hosts, unofficial wedding planners, Donna and Dan. They were like wedding fairy godparents and helped us with EVERYTHING. Donna was the only reason that guests weren’t seated directly in the sunniest and hottest part of the property. Right before speeches were being given, Donna, Dan, and many others were frantically opening wine bottles and champagne and handing them out to everybody. They worked endlessly to make everything fall into place. We are so grateful for their support!

#VendorRaves

Can’t say enough incredible things about our photographer!

Memorable Moment

So many special moments! Our friend Betsy Harbert sang us “More of You,” by Chris Stapleton. The speeches from our family and friends were so heartwarming. We felt so held and supported by the community that surrounds us.

Favorite Detail

We have close friends and mentors, Chris and Shirley. Chris grew up in the Sierras and hand-panned for gold in the American and Yuba River systems. They gave us gold nuggets that were hand-panned from the rivers throughout their lives to make rings from! The rings are deeply special and truly one-of-a-kind. They symbolize so much more than just our marriage.

Advice from the couple:

Always make sure you’re prioritizing having fun over appealing to other people’s expectations!