Kailey and River
We're
Getting
Married
Our
Love
Story
On a Thursday night at Burning Man, when the playa was just beginning to glow with possibility, Kailey and her dear friend Amanda decided it was time for an adventure. They left their camp behind, stepped into the dust, and set off with one simple plan: hitchhike art cars and see where the night would take them.
Out in the distance, shimmering against the open playa, they spotted it. A magnificent golden dragon art car moving like a myth brought to life. Its name was Abraxas. Without hesitation, they started running, laughing, chasing it through the dust like little kids. They flagged it down, and as if the universe itself had pressed pause, the dragon stopped for them.
They climbed aboard and made their way up to the third story, and were called over to the far end of the dragon's back where a group of groovy looking folks were seated on a purple velvet couch. She met a man called Papa Bueno and that is when Kailey noticed a boy with long hair and a headband, dressed almost like Shaggy from Scooby-Doo.
He turned to her and asked, “What’s your name?”
“I’m Dipsy Daisy,” she replied.
“I’m River,” he said with a smile, “It’s nice to meet you”.
They talked about burns. It was Kailey’s third. It was also River’s third. A small, quiet synchronicity. The art car rolled back into the open playa, carrying them deeper into the night. After a short while, music called from the distance, and Kailey and Amanda decided to jump off. Kailey wished River a good night. No numbers exchanged or expectations. Just a short and sweet moment, floating free.
The night continued in a blur of movement and magic. Kailey, Amanda, and their friend Cieran spent hours leaping from art car to art car, chasing sound and light like trains disappearing into the dark. Eventually, they arrived at a massive installation called Naga, a giant serpent dragon rising from and sinking back into the earth, surrounded by a wrecked pirate ship. Kailey and her friends stood there, mouths open, completely awestruck.
And then Kailey turned around… and to her surprise, it was River!
“River??” she asked.
“Hi!” he said, in total disbelief, “Didn’t we just meet a couple hours ago??”
At Burning Man, running into someone twice in one night feels like a cosmic wink. So they decided not to part ways again. River had two friends. Kailey had two friends. Suddenly, they were a group of six, walking out toward the open playa together.
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That’s when the third dragon of the night appeared.
A man dressed in a dragon costume pedaled up on a trike towing two couches in a sort of train like vehicle you would only see at burning man. “I have a service kink!!” he announced. “I’ll take you wherever you want to go! Hop on.”
Confused, but delighted to give their weary legs a rest, they piled on the mobile couches. Like an absurd, magical Uber, the dragon man with a need to please chauffeured them all the way to the trash fence, the far edge of Burning Man, where the desert meets the unknown. They went searching for Tycho’s sunrise set. There was no set, but the sunrise arrived anyway, spilling soft light over the mountains and the dust.
As the sun rose, the dragon chauffeur turned around to River and Kailey who were seated on separate couches but now holding hands and Dragon man asked, “How long have you two been dating?”
River explained they met just a few hours ago, blushing just a little.
“Well then, we’ll need to adjust the seating arrangement…” he said, promptly seating them next to each other like a proper matchmaker. Kailey and River looked at each other shyly, like kids with a secret crush. As the sky warmed and the world turned gold, River asked if he could kiss her. She said yes. And just like that, their lives together began.
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They talked. About skiing. About traveling. About art. They bonded as they gave each other details of their lives in the real world. River loved listening to Kailey tell him about the mountains of Colorado that reminded him of his hometown in Idaho. Kailey loved his free spirit, kind demeanor, and charming nature. And somewhere between sunrise and dust, River confessed “I think you’re my wife”
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They spent the next five days together at Burning Man, inseparable, falling completely and wildly in love. Three days in, River told Kailey he loved her. Soon after, she said it back. Before the week was over, Kailey asked if he wanted to come to Tahoe for her 30th birthday after the burn.
He said yes, and changed all his plans.
River came to Tahoe, met all her friends, and felt instantly at home. They danced under Pretty Lights, swam in the turquoise lake, and laughed until the days blurred together. On that trip, he asked Kailey if she would accompany him to his mother’s wedding taking place the following week in Sicily.
As you might suspect, she said yes.
They spent the next month wandering Europe, meeting old friends and family all along the way. The rest of the story wrote itself. Three months later, Kailey moved from Denver to Boise. And a year after that first magical night, back where it all began, on the playa at Burning Man, River asked Kailey to marry him. From the golden dragon ride and sunrise kiss, to travelling around the globe, and back home again, their love feels as if it is orchestrated by the universe itself. They are so excited to keep writing their fairytale love story and for you to be a part of the magic this summer in Salida, Colorado. See you soon for a real life Happily Ever After.
Our Engagement(s)
There was not one, but two engagements. The Burning Man engagement, and a real world engagement too, because their story has always lived in both worlds.
Early in the summer of 2025, Kailey and River made a trip to Helena, Montana planning to mine for sapphires. There, they acquired a beautiful padparadscha colored sapphire, knowing it would someday become the center stone of Kailey’s engagement ring. Because of that, Kailey assumed the creation of the ring would take some time and the engagement would happen the following year...
Unbeknownst to Kailey, River had a plan…at least the makings of one. Exactly one year and one day after they first met, back where it all started, River had the gut feeling that this was the right time. Their night kicked off with the blazing sacrificial Burning of the Man and a dazzling firework show overhead. From there, the night progressed as they shared a lobster and wagyu feast cooked on a 1000° Yakitori grill at Saki Noma camp, interspersed with fresh sashimi and Saki shots served by the infamous “Fry Guy”. They danced to playful and resounding house music near a fuzzy bunny art car and climbed whimsical art sculptures scattered throughout the playa. As morning arrived, the playa softened into gentle shades of lavender, pink, and peach as they lingered near a wooden troll sculpture named Rose.
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Then, with butterflies in his stomach, River knelt in the dust, catching Kailey completely by surprise. There was no ring or rehearsed speech, no friends or camera (which he caught some flack for) just that moment filled with certainty and love. He asked her to marry him because he knew, with his whole heart, that Kailey was the one. She of course said yes! With happy tears, they held each other as the morning sun rose to warm their faces, what they would later describe as the best night of their lives… so far
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Because the question had already been asked, Kailey thought that was it. She knew the ring would come someday, but she never expected another proposal…
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On December 28, River asked Kailey to dress up for ice skating at the Sun Valley Lodge, which immediately made her curious but excited. The day was crisp and bright, with a perfect bluebird sky overhead. They glided across the ice together in circles when their song, I Found You by Fred Again, began to play. Kailey felt butterflies before River even turned toward her and began to kneel.River told her how much he loved her and how certain he was that choosing a life with her was choosing home. Then he knelt once more and asked her to marry him again, this time holding the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. The pink sapphire ring had been thoughtfully designed and handcrafted by their dear friend Everett, who grew up with River in Sun Valley. Soon, another close friend, Kristian, popped out of the bushes with his camera… River didn’t forget the pictures this time!
Afterward, they went inside the Lodge’s Duchin Room for a glass of champagne, still glowing from the moment. River suggested they go upstairs to admire the view and finish their drinks. When they opened the door, Kailey was shocked to see friends and family gathered to celebrate with them. Champagne popped as they all yelled SURPRISE!!.
Once in the dust and once in the snow, each perfectly reflecting the worlds they love. Together, the two proposals wove into a single love story, leading them toward their wedding and the chapters still waiting to be written.
