Marie Bell August 5, 2026
My Husband and I have been chasing Vermont covered bridges for 25 years. We were married in Vermont under a series of covered bridges 5 years ago. We come back to VT every year for our anniversary. I wrote this story as a gift for him on our 5-year anniversary. I thought I would share with you, as a thank-you, for being such a wonderful organization celebrating all the bridges we love so much!
It was a beautiful Vermont afternoon. Just a small threat of rain, but isn’t that a good sign of luck for a wedding? As my sister, the maid of honor that would have been – had there been – drove me down Covered Bridge Road, the picture started to unfold right in front of me. Rounding the corner, the bridge came into view. Emily’s Bridge.
Every covered bridge has a story. Some tell tales of engineering. Some whisper local legends. Emily’s Bridge has both. Built in 1844, it has watched generations pass beneath it, accumulating stories with every season. One of my favorites tells of a heartbroken young woman, forever waiting for the love who never arrived, now haunting the bridge to remind careless men that broken hearts have consequences.
Why did we pick this bridge for the big day (well, 1 of 5 big days at least)? It’s one of the very first Vermont bridges that Bob and I had visited nearly 20 years earlier at the beginning of our relationship. It’s so very charming, with views accessible from all sides. It is also nestled just outside of the most enchanting village, Stowe, Vermont.
Rounding the corner to see this bridge, I also began to appreciate the large areas for parking or picnics since at that very moment it held 60 of our closest friends and family. There, along the left bank of the bridge, was our humble little ceremony. Bob had positioned his truck to block the area, but it also served as a nice screen from the group. We pulled in next to the truck, and I took a breath. This was it. The 5th and final wedding in our Road Trip Wedding!!!
Bob and I had begun our relationship right around 21 years earlier. A friendship that budded, then floundered, then rekindled. We share a wanderlust. A need for travel and adventure. We were friends first and that continues to be the primary glue that binds us. We were happily living our lives, traveling, laughing, and collecting adventures. I thought we were simply continuing the wonderful friendship we’d built over the years. Then, on July 29th 2016, while standing inside a giant man-made eagle’s nest, Bob turned to me and said, “I don’t want to freak you out.” Then as I turned around, I found him on one knee.
It took another 5 years for me to warm to the idea of a wedding. It was difficult for me to imaging myself in ‘the dress’. All the traditional ceremony was also a little too confining for me. It was a friend from Vermont that suggested, “You like road trips and covered bridges so much, why don’t you do a Vermont Road Trip wedding?” She was right, why don’t we. The plan was simple, buy a simple dress, drive up to the bridge with our officiant in tow, and get married. My son was to be our officiant. I was his officiant just a couple years earlier for his wedding to his husband, so he was destined to be mine! Simple right? Nope!
Most people have one wedding. Our road trip wedding had:
Five ceremonies.
Five days.
Six covered bridges.
Four officiants.
Four dresses.
Three suits.
We wrote personal vows for each ceremony with themes to suit our relationship values Adventure, Charity, Friendship, and Wanderlust. As the plans started to unfold, our friends and community really came together.
Looking back, I realize we didn’t just plan a wedding. We gave everyone we loved a chance to build one with us.
I didn’t plan to have flowers (due to allergies), my sister made the most beautiful paper flowers that even now 5 years later bloom with style. My other sister designed a wedding logo and invitations for us. My brother-in-law cut wedding favors on his CNC machine. My niece made a charming little nest for my nephew to carry the rings in down our makeshift aisle of nephews casting bubbles from their bubble gun salute as another brother-in-law played the guitar and sang. Bob’s Aunt even brought her concertina to play our custom wedding march at four of the weddings.
The road trip began in Woodstock, Vermont. The plan was to hop in the truck and have a quick wedding at the Middle Bridge away from the main town center. I made the mistake of leaving Bob alone when at a rest stop visitor center the previous day, and before I knew it, we were promenading across ‘The Green’ in our wedding attire, then across the bridge to the concertina playing “That’s Amore!” We had 16 close friends and family at this wedding.
Every bridge became its own chapter. We posted the coordinates and time for each wedding.
Middle Bridge in Woodstock welcomed the beginning. The first and the official wedding.
The Willard Twin Bridges in Hartland reminded us that marriage is built side by side. Bob’s sister officiated this one.
The Kissing Bridge in Waterville…well…its purpose was pretty obvious. Bob’s friend officiated this one. This bridge didn’t disappoint. As the sun started setting, the orange light cast through the slats of the bridge to give a romantic glow that only a Vermont covered bridge could produce.
Grist Mill Bridge in Jeffersonville celebrated the friendships that carried us there. My friend officiated this one. It was in a small park just north of Stowe. To get to this bridge, we all had to drive through Smugglers Notch. A windy single-lane road that feels otherworldly to most of the New Yorkers in our group. We were delighted to hear everyone comment how fun it was to do something they normally wouldn’t if it hadn’t been for this road trip.
And Emily’s Bridge became the place where all of those stories came together. All 4 officiants lined up to lead their part of the ceremony.
We had a little after-party at each wedding. Usually dinner or lunch with the few people that joined the road trip. After the Kissing Bridge, we had a tailgate pizza party in Hyde Park. The pizzas were perfect…including the heart-shaped one custom-made for us. After the last wedding, we headed up to the Trapp Family Lodge for a fun reception.
We never wanted the celebration to be only about us. If our wedding could bring together the people we loved, maybe it could also leave our little corner of the world just a little bit better than we found it. We registered at the Food Pantry (bring a box of cereal or write a check to the pantry). We raised over $1500 for our pantry back home. Our paper-flower centerpieces were never going to wilt, so we auctioned them off to the highest bidder, with all proceeds going to the Child Advocacy Center. This raised $1200. And on my way out of town at the end of the celebrations, I donated my wedding dresses to the thrift store that donates all proceeds to the Lamoille County Hospital.
Our weddings were super casual and completely flexible to whatever was going to come up. On a few occasions we had to step aside for a car to drive through the bridge, but most Vermonters just waived us on and waited for the ceremony to end. Our magical week of weddings was made all the more spectacular by the charm of Vermont!
Vermont is where our hearts fill back up for the year. We wander freely and find community around every corner. It calls us back year after year with its magical charm.
Every anniversary since, we’ve returned to Vermont.
One by one, we’ve visited every remaining covered bridge in the state. Some were tucked behind farms. Some crossed roaring rivers. Some required long dirt roads and a little faith.
This year, on our fifth anniversary, we’ll reach a milestone that somehow feels like the perfect continuation of our wedding.
We will have crossed every covered bridge in Vermont.
One hundred and seven bridges.
Thousands of miles.
Countless laughs.
A lifetime of stories.
Looking back, I don’t think our wedding was ever really about five ceremonies. It was about building a marriage the same way Vermont built its bridges—one beam at a time, strong enough to weather every season, and always leading us toward the next adventure.
Our thanks to our new member, Marie Bell, and her husband, Bob, for submitting this article to us via Facebook Messenger.
