Here at Luv Bug Weddings, we have seen many couples who have met their perfect match online, either through a dating service or community group that was a shared interest. Tammy and Frank took a chance on match.com and were pleasantly surprised with a long-distance correspondence that opened the door for their love.

Their decision to elope with a Valley of Fire wedding was a perfect beginning to their walk together as husband and wife, with intimate and breathtaking moments of beauty in the Mojave Desert.

Valley of Fire Wedding 11-18 12
Valley of Fire Wedding 11-18 06

How and where did you meet?

We met on December 1st of that same year (6 years ago) on a dating website, Match.com. We lived 4.5 hrs apart at the time. We started chatting after Frank could see that I looked at his photos. The best part about it was as this was my first time signing up for a Match account I was hesitant to share any photos. Frank took the risk and started communicating with me having no idea what I looked like. We decided we would meet and he drove the 4.5 hrs to meet me.

When I opened my door and looked up at him I just knew there was something about him. Before he came I did share a few photos with him. We went from emails to texting to talking on the phone pretty quickly. He told me he thought I was prettier in person. Before he arrived, my friends asked where he was staying or what we would do if we didn’t connect after he came so far…. I went out and bought a futon that he had to put together. The next day, although we just met, I felt perfectly at ease leaving him at my place while I went to the gym. When I came back he was cooking breakfast and later that afternoon he put together a bbq I had bought months before but never had assembled. Since this was the holiday season I took Frank to all of my family functions and just introduced him as Frank– I think because there was no pressure we both felt at ease and there was no stress about meeting my family. On Christmas day he drove back to see his family. We agreed we had a great time getting to know each other and we would plan to see each other again. He called the next day and asked what I thought of him coming back! So, he made the 4.5 hr drive back and stayed until he had to return to work after the New Year. From that point, he made the drive every weekend to see me. When he could not make it on occasion, I went to see him. We did this for 2 years. At that time he was looking into relocation opportunities. We knew he would either move to western Canada with his brother for work, stay in his city or come to Cape Breton. The decision was pretty easy for us both. I was in Asia for a work trip for 2 weeks and when I came home he was moved in- neither of us had a doubt.

Valley of Fire Wedding 11-18 01

We always thought we might get married someday but didn’t necessarily think about when/ how/ or an engagement. Frank bought the ring and had it for a few months before his proposal. During those months, he asked my father if he could marry me and showed the ring to all of our friends and family. He finally decided that he wanted to propose on a day when we were out on our new boat. We were with other family members who were in their boat. My family on the other boat knew it was going to happen at any time so were watching us, ready to take a photo. Meanwhile Frank asked me to get him a Gatorade from the cooler. I said, what do you mean, you have one… he said he needed a cold one. When I looked in the cooler there was the ring box. When i turned around with the box in my hand he asked if I would marry him. Of course I said yes!

Valley of Fire Wedding 11-18 07
Valley of Fire Wedding 11-18 08
Valley of Fire Wedding 11-18 11

I had two friends who with their partners each respectively went to Vegas to get married. I contacted each to ask details on the process to get married in Vegas. One went through Luv Bug, the other used another planner but went to the Valley of Fire. I ended up using a combination of their suggestions== the location and planner.
Frank had never been to Vegas. We were supposed to go 2 years ago for his 40th birthday. In the end, time got away from us and we didn’t make the trip. Once Frank proposed on July 2nd, (my Dad’s birthday), we started to discuss possible options. We immediately knew Vegas would be perfect — so not only could we celebrate Frank’s birthday but also get married. When we looked at our upcoming year, we thought why wait? November was the perfect time to travel. We arrived to Vegas the day after Frank’s 42nd birthday so he got to celebrate his birthday in Vegas after all.

I was comparing this website with the one my other friend recommended. I liked the simplicity of the information– it was very clear– the types of packages, their names, what you get, and the prices. I fund the other site was more difficult to follow and rather than set 
Valley of Fire Wedding 11-18 02

packages with possible add-ons, you had o figure out what was included with what. So, I guess user friendly, lots of photos, and a clear understanding of what was included made my decision.

Valley of Fire Wedding 11-18 05

Laughter! Not to take things too seriously~ if we laugh together every day (and we usually do) it is a great day! We are definitely best friends and love just being together!
Valley of Fire Wedding 11-18 09

If you are interested in planning your own Valley of Fire Luv Story, you can reach out to us with the contact form below. We LUV spreading the Luv!