💡 life can be a fairytale if you live it that way

some thoughts about love and finding magic

at our wedding by the river where we first started dating. photos by Jess Alder

Kyle Cords and I recently got married at by the river in Washington we first visited five years ago, on the roadtrip where we began dating.

Everything about it was magic: I wore my mother’s veil, we got to share a special place with our loved ones, and I got to say “I do” to the man I respect the hell out of and who I’ve been lucky to fall in love with as we’ve traveled the world and run creative companies together.

photo by Jess Alder

I wore a dress I could have only dreamed of finding, we hired a violinist who played an incredible rendition of Pirates of the Caribbean during the reception, and our wedding dinner was at Mana — one of our favorite restaurants in the world, serving farm-to-table works of art with high-end mocktail (or, as they call, “elixir”) pairings.

photo by Jess Alder

We also gave our family and friends disposable cameras to capture the week, from me attempting not to spill coffee on my dress (success) to the white water river rafting excursions on the same river we got married by.

drinking coffee with a straw before dinner to prevent spilling on my dress :)

I also celebrated my birthday in the week leading up to the wedding, and we spent a lot of time exploring the Leavenworth/Peshastin area and it’s one of the most beautiful places in the United States.

driving around the leavenworth/peshastin area after the wedding

We celebrated our honeymoon with hours upon hours of spa time at the Post Hotel, and views like this from our room:

from our honeymoon at the post hotel

I spent so much time outdoors, going on hikes with our friends and family and losing by just one point to Kyle on the Post Hotel’s putting green.

hiking around leavenworth and the gorge

To me, the magic of these moments lived not just in the grand gestures and beautiful acts of ceremony (although those were undeniably special), but also in the soft conversations under the setting sun, or the nights spent in the hot tub stargazing.

incredible sunsets from the house we were staying at

Much of this time echoed our previous trip — where we stayed in the same house on the river, and did the same river rafting experience! — creating a satisfying feeling of “full circle.”

white water river rafting on the same river that ran right behind the house/where we got married!

Every morning during the week we were in Peshastin, I sat outside on the patio by the river and journaled. I reflected on the immense gratitude I felt to have even met Kyle — and how lucky I’ve been to spend my life with him so far.

I wrote about the deep appreciation for our friends, family, and the incredible nature we were all able to experience together.

And lastly — a sense of wonder of being able to return from such a beautiful experience to a life here in San Francisco that is filled with equal beauty and joy. I’m grateful to be able to show up here on the internet and write and make stuff on a daily basis — and to be able to do this work with Kyle as well? Pure magic.

mornings writing and journaling by the river

💫 life is a fairytale if you decide it is

My version of a “fairytale” is one where I get to do what I love, with those I love.

So far it all seems to be working out. ❤️

photo by Jess Alder

wishing you all the magic in the world,

-Amy