SONYA AND RAY’S BIG FAT RV VINEYARD WEDDING

My engagement to Ray was definitely one for the books. High above Luxor, Egypt with 25 friends and family, we set sail in a bright yellow hot air balloon. Everyone got up early to catch the sunrise. We were all in a trance as we gazed at the burnt-orange, balloon-filled sky. It was the stuff of dreams, and I was mesmerized.  Behind me, Ray got down on one knee, and when I turned around, he was smiling wide and holding a ring. It was more than I ever could’ve hoped for in a proposal, and I couldn’t stop crying with happiness.

Ray and I love to travel, both domestically and internationally. So when we planned our wedding, we envisioned getting married at a beautiful Tuscan vineyard in Italy. We’d eat great food, drink great wine and bask in the beautiful scenery. But Covid had other plans, and as we sat out the year, I knew I had to come up with an alternative.

Inspiration struck elsewhere in 2020. Since we couldn’t travel internationally, we purchased our first RV; a 2020 Jayco Redhawk SE. We discovered that we loved RV camping and got on the road as often as we could. We also discovered Harvest Hosts: a membership club that invites RVers to stay overnight in some pretty unique places, like vineyards, breweries and other hot spots around the US.

Although rain had been forecast for the days surrounding our wedding, on the day itself, the sun peeked through the clouds and cast a golden glow on the proceedings. We gathered and lined up four RVs on the grounds of the vineyard. I got ready in a huge Class A RV my friend had brought, with plenty of room to go through hairstyling, makeup and getting dressed. When I stepped off the RV, my dad and I had a short walk to the outdoor aisle where we began the wedding march.

The violinist began to play and when I locked eyes with Ray as I walked down the aisle, it was magical. We couldn’t stop smiling at each other and our guests couldn’t stop smiling at us. As it turns out, our RV wedding was better than getting married in Italy. It allowed all our closest friends and family to witness our union. Guests from Louisiana, New Jersey, Illinois and many other places joined us in Maryland, and we spent the day with far more people than we would have in Italy.

We kissed under a big, blue Maryland sky, with the sun warming our skin and the love of our friends and family warming our hearts. Having everyone there just heightened the magic of the event. The day was filled with love. It was filled with joy. And we never would’ve experienced that level of connection overseas without them.

Ray has been my partner in adventure for some time now. And ever since we bought our Jayco RV, we’ve had so many of them. So it makes perfect sense that when we got married, our RV was there too. After all, adventure isn’t a state you can reach over land or sea, it’s one you carry with you––and Ray and I take  ours with us wherever we go. There’s still plenty of time to see Italy one day, but we wouldn’t trade our Big Fat Italian RV Wedding for the world.