Megan can still remember the first time she saw Nick. “It was the first day of the Fall 2008 Semester and before we could even begin class, this guy wanted to give a presentation about the benefits of studying abroad,” she says. “I can still remember Nick standing up in front of class, going on and on about his experience in Italy and all I could think to myself was, ‘Seriously, dude? Can we please just start class already?’” It would be another year before they were formally introduced on Labor Day weekend. “It was one of those days that could only be saved by a burrito and a cold Mexican beer. Or a pretty girl who engages you in some heartfelt conversation,” says Nick.

The couple got engaged during Megan’s move from Los Angeles to Livermore. “Now, if I asked Megan to marry me at the beginning of the day, clearly nothing would’ve gotten done, and there was a U-Haul that needed unpacking. So, she had to work for it,” says Nick. “After a few arguments about where to put the couch and how best to fit it through the door, we were finally moved in. Well, mostly. I got down on one knee and pulled the ring from my pocket and said, ‘Megan, will you spend the rest of your life with me?’”

With family coming from all over and as far as New Zealand, they picked the special destination of Lake Tahoe for the wedding. “It was so important to Nick and me that everyone at our wedding felt included, loved and had the time of their lives,” says the bride.

Northstar California was the last venue they toured. “They don’t say ‘save the best for last’ for nothing,” says Megan. “When we visited atop of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, we knew this was the spot that we would become husband and wife.”

“Our ceremony was, in a word, ‘awesome,’” shares Nick. “Other than being really windy (Megan’s veil smacked her mom in the face), it was perfect. We were surrounded by our closest friends and family, on top of a mountain, overlooking the forest and trails that were below us. Nothing but pure happiness.”

Having Nick’s dad, David, officiate also made the ceremony extra special. “He loves Megan like his own daughter, plus he got to work in one of his favorite movie lines, saying our happiness ‘makes my heart soar like a hawk,’ among other things,” adds Nick.

Guests moved on to the reception at the Zephyr Lodge at the top of Northstar California. “I can still remember walking into the lodge for the first time,” says Megan. “My first thought was, ‘Oh my goodness! This is my wedding?!’ My vision was not just met, but it was exceeded.”

Nick’s favorite part of the day was seeing Megan at their first look. “I knew she would look beautiful, but actually seeing her for the first time took my breath away,” he remembers “Plus, we got to ride up on the chairlift together and have a little bit of alone time between our photographer yelling back to us, ‘Kiss her cheek! Oh, that looks good!’ I was a nervous wreck leading up to that, and having her by my side pre-ceremony did so much to calm me down. Oh, and getting introduced as Mr. and Mrs. Piermarini for the first time was a pretty close second!”

 —Darren Elms