7 Steps to the Perfect Trail Wedding

Last Updated on January 30, 2022 by Heather Hart, ACSM EP, CSCS

Last Friday I did something I thought I would never do…I got married.  With a few vows and a signature, I went from Ms. Gannoe to Mrs. Hart.   And I couldn’t be happier.   So without further ado, let me tell you how we pulled off the best trail wedding EVER.

Step One:  Find yourself the perfect significant other.  One that makes you laugh.  One that sticks with you through good times and bad, through endorphin highs and low blood sugar bonks.  One that compliments you, that makes you a better person, that puts a smile on your face every time you see them.  One that will accompany you down any trail you could imagine, including the one you’re about to get married on.

Step Two: Find a venue… you know, the trail.  Preferably a trail that is easy to access for all wedding guests, but still, make them work for it.  Pick the exact location of the wedding in a spot that will be out of the way of everyday trail traffic, but close enough to startle random mountain bikers or runners passing by, leaving them questioning if they just entered the twilight zone.

Step Three: Invite your guests.  Invite the people who are up for anything and not easily surprised by your antics, be it a wedding that requires sneakers, a wedding with surprises such as the groom wearing highly inappropriate shorts (can we even call those things shorts?), or a wedding where people drink moonshine from a fake sunscreen bottle.  The kind of people who are always ready for adventure and laughter. The kind of people who will go out of their way to surprise you by decorating your wedding venue with the most gorgeous (and labor intensive!) altar.  The kind of people that will wear a Bigfoot costume to photobomb your pictures, because they  know how much you like that guy.   You know, the best kind of people on earth.

Step Four:  Find your wedding officiant.  Preferably one that already means the world to you as a friend, and will incorporate Dr. Seuss,  cats and zombie apocalypses into your wedding vows.   One that brings pudding shots, because she knows the bride and groom don’t eat jello.

Step Five:  Pick out your wedding attire.  Trail sneakers are certainly a must.  Might I also recommend something tasteful and classy, yet sporty and easy to move in, such as a pretty running skirt or flowy yoga top.

Or, you could just go for tuxedo underpants.  You know, whatever floats your boat.

Step Six: Get married. In front of all of these amazing friends and family, on the trail that you call home, tell your best friend on earth that you will gladly spend the rest of your life with them, through good times and bad, sickness and health, long pants and short shorts.

Step Seven: Celebrate.  Share this incredible moment with your favorite people on earth.  Laugh. Smile.  Cry (happy tears of course).  Eat lots of junk food, toast to love and friendship, dance like no one is watching, play skee-ball, karaoke Phil Collins, and bowl until 2:00 am when they turn on the lights and kick you out.

There are dozens more pictures and countless more words I want to share. But I’ll stop here.  Our wedding was unconventional, wacky, and exploding with love. I couldn’t have asked for a better day, better family, a better group of friends, or a better husband to spend the rest of my life with.  Thank you, a million times over.  I love you all.

Love,

The Blogger Formerly Known as Heather Gannoe