How to Elope at Johnson’s Corner in Northern Colorado

My quick guide to a truck stop wedding. Yes, you read that right.

I get it, cutesy Pinterest-worthy engagement photos and Mason jar receptions are for some -- but not for all of us. So what do you do if you dream of little-to-no planning, 'pinning' or paying for things? Well, you could head downtown to the courthouse... but they don't have cinnamon rolls. Here's what I suggest:

1. Meet someone really cool that you're like, 'Yeah OK. I could hang out with you every day until I die.' This is the most important step.

2. Find something to wear that makes you feel pretty. Who cares if it's even white? I skipped the four-figure wedding gown, and went for a vintage Gunne Sax dress I found in a Fort Collins thrift store for $14 and made myself a flower crown out of tree blossoms (which meant I had to get this wedding over with quickly, because those suckers were dead after an hour).

3. Go to a truck stop chapel. In Northern Colorado, we have one at Johnson's Corner off of I-25 in Johnstown. They're open 24/7 and have those aforementioned cinnamon rolls. Locate the chaplain. The door to the chapel is unlocked, but sometimes he's inside the truck stop drinking coffee and doing a Sudoku (but remember, Jesus is watching...).

4. Grab some witnesses. You need someone there for when they say 'speak now or forever hold your peace.' A trucker with a cool hat, a Johnson's Corner waitress or Dale, the 'regular' eating pancakes and bacon in the corner booth; doesn't matter.

5. Tie the knot. Say what you need to say, put a ring on, fire up the awesome playlist you made and take off to wherever it is you're going next,. And, most importantly...

6. Start your new life together by sharing a cinnamon roll. Congratulations, you're married. In. Out. Done. No stress and no bride-zilla. AND A MASSIVE CINNAMON ROLL*.

*I married the cinnamon roll. Just kidding, but I also never signed a marriage license, so I'm still up for grabs if someone wants to call dibs on me at the Johnson's Corner chapel.