Our Story

San Bernardino Mountains, California

A few chapters from our story, and why we are celebrating among the San Bernardino Mountains.

Dan and Madison with their dog Watson on a dock at the lake, mountains and pine forest in the background

How we met

We matched on Hinge and quickly found out we had more in common than a good profile photo. We both love karaoke, the louder and more committed the better, and our first dates often ended with a drive and a song list instead of a fancy reservation.

Dan was in Crestline and Madison was driving over from her apartment near Blizzard, so a lot of our early relationship looked like mountain roads between visits: coffee, karaoke nights, and long talks on the drive home. Those miles in the pines are part of how we fell in love.

This photo is from a weekend when Madison stayed at a lake Airbnb with Melissa and Brandon Shephard. Dan came up to visit, and we spent the days on the water with our dog Watson. It still feels like us: friends nearby, the mountains close, and time together that turned into the life we are building.

Dan and Madison taking a selfie outdoors in Sorrento, blue water and sky behind them with Mount Vesuvius in the distance

The proposal

Madison came with our family on a trip to Italy, our first big adventure abroad with the people we love in one place. We ate long meals, got lost on purpose, and let the whole trip feel like the start of something bigger than a vacation.

Dan proposed in Sorrento with Mount Vesuvius across the bay behind us. It was the view we had been walking toward all week, and when he asked, everything we already felt for each other finally had a name.

We were surrounded by family when it happened, the people who had cheered us on from karaoke nights and mountain drives to this trip. Having them there is part of the yes we said, and part of why we wanted a wedding that feels like home.

Dan and Madison in formal attire, Madison leaning in to kiss Dan on the cheek against a wooden wall

Building a life together

In 2025 Madison moved up to Crestline to be closer to Dan and to the mountains we had been driving between since we met. Packing up her place near Blizzard and landing in the same town turned those visits into coming home to the same address.

We live in Crestline now with our dog Watson and our two cats, Mookie and Nandor. The house is usually a little chaotic in the best way: Watson waiting by the door, the cats claiming the sunny spots, and both of us fitting our lives into the same quiet rhythm of the pines.

This is the life we are building day to day, not just on trips or special weekends. Crestline is where we cook dinner, walk the dog, and plan a wedding that feels true to the place we already call home.

Dan and Madison on a sunny mountain trail selfie, green forested hills and blue sky behind them

Why the mountains

The San Bernardino Mountains remind us of the places we each grew up. For Dan it feels like New England: pine air, seasons that turn, and weekends that slow down. For Madison it feels like Colorado: big sky, elevation, and light that hits the ridges in a way you do not forget.

We like living close enough to Los Angeles to drive in for a concert or a meal, then come back up the hill where summer heatwaves stay bearable. Crestline is our compromise between city energy and the quiet we want when we close the front door.

The weather up here puts on a show: summer thunderstorms, winter snow on the pines, fog that rolls through the canyons. That drama is part of why we are getting married in these mountains, at SkyPark and Twin Peaks, instead of somewhere flat and forgettable.

Venues and program · RSVP

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