[Click here to binge read this week’s featured couples.]
They did the 11-mile Pine Creek hike together, featuring steep switchbacks in the snow in the final ascent; the descent sometimes required sitting and sliding down. Although it was the hardest hike she had ever done, she didn’t complain.
By August, it was clear Ms. Hitchcock wasn’t leaving Bozeman, and in October, when her Seattle lease was up, Mr. Brown asked if she wanted to move in with him. She thought it was too early.
Mr. Brown, 34, is a contract recruiter with the Los Angeles office of Nova Talent, working remotely. He has a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Oregon in Eugene. Ms. Hitchcock, 31, is a customer success manager with DocuSign, working remotely out of its San Francisco office. She has a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Colorado State University in Fort Collins.
In August 2021, she moved in with him. Soon, they adopted George, an orange tabby kitten. After he died prematurely, they adopted another orange tabby named Wilson in April 2022.
When Ms. Hitchcock began planning her 30th birthday party in September 2022, that gave Mr. Brown the perfect cover to plan their engagement, with the help of Ms. Hitchcock’s mother. With her parents to host the birthday party, Mr. Brown took Ms. Hitchcock on a day cruise on the Yellowstone River in Paradise Valley. He proposed while on the cruise, and Ms. Hitchcock’s family met them with champagne when they returned. That night, the party celebrated her birthday and their engagement.
Their wedding weekend included a day of skiing at Big Sky Resort the day before. On the morning of the wedding, the groom, accompanied by both fathers and his close friends, did a cold plunge in the Gallatin River, walking on ice to find a suitable place.