When Ona Juliana Ferens and Samuel Murdock Haselden matched on the dating app Bumble in September 2019, they discovered that they shared many loves: snowboarding, dogs and rock climbing.
As the two kept talking, however, it dawned on them that they might have unknowingly crossed paths at the same fitness gym in Boulder, Colo. — without ever meeting.
The gym, Movement, was a regular haunt for Ms. Ferens, and Mr. Haselden had gone there a few times as well. They decided that rock climbing together at the gym would be the perfect first date.
When Mr. Haselden arrived at Movement a week later to meet Ms. Ferens, he was instantly impressed by her skills.
“She had arrived first and was doing a difficult climb,” he said. “But I’m also a strong climber, so I think she was glad that I knew what I was doing.”
After climbing, the two grabbed beers at a bar across the street. Mr. Haselden found Ms. Ferens easy to talk to, but he wasn’t sure how interested she was in him. Ms. Ferens said she had liked him right away and thought he had “beautiful green eyes.”
They went on a second date four days later, when they met for drinks at Avanti Food & Beverage in Denver, where he lived.
“Since he had come to meet me in Boulder for our first date, I wanted him to see that I was also willing to go to where he was,” Ms. Ferens said.
Once they finished drinks, they went bowling with one of Ms. Ferens’s friends and Mr. Haselden’s two roommates. “Everyone was so at ease with each other and having a good time,” Mr. Haselden said. “Ona and I thought that was a good sign.”
Ms. Ferens, 33, who grew up in Oceanside, N.Y., is a training and behavior consultant at the Humane Society of Boulder Valley in Boulder. She has a bachelor’s degree in graphic design and fine art from the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a master’s degree in animal-assisted social work from the University of Denver.
Mr. Haselden, 33, is an elementary science teacher at Alicia Sanchez International School in Lafayette, Colo. He is from Tallahassee, Fla., and he received a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Florida and a Master of Arts degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of Denver.
After that second date, the two spent every moment they could together. When the Covid-19 pandemic began, Mr. Haselden went to live with Ms. Ferens in Boulder, so they could isolate together for what they initially thought would be a temporary period. They officially moved in together into her home in December 2020. Once the lockdown ended, he commuted an hour each way to and from work, and would spend the entire time thinking about Ms. Ferens.
“I knew that I wanted to spend forever with her,” Mr. Haselden said.
He enlisted the help of Ms. Ferens’s best friend, Eve Godat, to find out what type of engagement ring she would like.
“Ona and Eve had another friend getting engaged and Eve would use that as an excuse to talk about engagement rings,” Mr. Haselden said. “Then she would text me what Ona would tell her.”
In July 2022, Mr. Haselden proposed on a trip they had planned to Alaska, during a hike to the top of Harding Icefield Trail in Kenai Fjords National Park.
“I was very surprised, but our friends and family knew,” Ms. Ferens said. “I was on cloud nine.”
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On June 29, the couple read from handwritten vows in front of 120 guests during an outdoor ceremony at Planet Bluegrass, an outdoor event space in Lyons, Colo. Mr. Haselden’s best friend, Griffin Triplett, who was ordained for the occasion by the Universal Life Church, officiated with his wife, Samantha Sudduth, by his side. Mr. Haselden had officiated Mr. Triplett and Ms. Sudduth’s wedding in August 2022.
Ms. Ferens and Mr. Haselden incorporated their shared love for fantasy fiction into the celebration, including an ancient Celtic handfasting wedding ritual that was a nod to Ms. Ferens’s love of the book series “Outlander.” As part of the ritual, which was performed by a family friend with Scottish roots, their hands were tied together to signify their union. Ms. Ferens chose a wedding dress with a delicate crochet pattern and dramatic draped sleeves because it made her feel like the character Arwen from “The Lord of the Rings,” and the two walked down the aisle to music from the movie series.
The couple chose their wedding location for its “quintessential Colorado” surroundings, including the riverbank and rock cliffs, Ms. Ferens said.
“We met at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains and have fallen in love adventuring together throughout Colorado,” she added. “We plan to stay here forever.”
#RockClimbing #Date #Relationship #Reached #Heights
