Us, Forever.

In the fall of 1971, Gunnar Klarr and Dean Champane - hallmates and Freshman at Hillsdale College - became close friends. Their friendship is truly where our story begins!

In 1973, Dean transferred to the University of Miami. The move only strengthened their friendship, as Gunnar found himself visiting often.

In the years following college, Gunnar and Dean were blessed to stand by each other as best friends, hunting buddies, and groomsmen in each other’s weddings.

In the early 90s, Gunnar and Louise moved to Birmingham, MI and Dean and Terry moved to Grosse Pointe, MI where they began growing and raising their families. As years passed and children grew, both families stayed close, making lifelong memories together, especially in their early years.

James, Nathan and Silas became particularly close at a young age, having discovered their mutual love for hunting, skiing, and other outdoor sports. With that, Gunnar and Dean’s friendship began to scale generations.

The first time Silas and Bridgette’s paths crossed as young adults was in the fall of 2009, when Silas and Nathan drove to Grosse Pointe to pick James up for a weekend hunting trip. When Bridgette and Silas caught each other’s eye, they were mesmerized and the two teenagers naturally found themselves chasing one another. From that day on, Bridgette found herself thinking more and more about Silas, and Silas thinking more and more about Bridgette – especially when James returned home and mentioned to Bridgette that Silas had a crush on her.

In the spring of 2010, Silas and Bridgette, were officially hit by the butterfly effect after spending a weekend together with their families in Jackson, MI. Not a day passed where the two didn’t think of one another.

In the fall of 2012, both juniors in high school, Bridgette received a phone call from Silas that he was on his way to Grosse Pointe to pick her up for their first date. By the end of the evening, they realized how much they both have in common: babies of the family, having a passion for dogs, hunting, fishing, skiing, traveling, and being outdoors. Of course, that was the day they first kissed at Cranbrook exploring the gardens under the stars. They spent their time throughout high school and college continuing to grow as best friends and true lovers.

Some of Bridgette and Silas’ fondest moments together were spent at Robert Morris University where Bridgette attended college as a Division 1 lacrosse athlete, Northern Michigan University where Silas attended college, 4th  of July celebrations in Northern Michigan, 4th of July in Elko shooting ground squirrels with Gran, attending Detroit sporting events, and skiing at Nubs Nob.

in the winter of 2019, Silas and Bridgette’s relationship became more serious. Silas was living in Chicago and Bridgette was living in Detroit. No matter the miles between them or days apart, their relationship grew stronger.

Spontaneously, in the summer of 2021, Bridgette and Silas decided to move their lives to Denver, CO, together with their dogs. This was the true beginning of a lifetime of joyous memories with the love of each other’s lives.

Since moving to Denver, Bridgette and Silas have honed their passions, and their love for one another. They are inseparable partners in crime, have become close with each other’s extended families, and spend all of their free time adventuring together to hunt and explore places like Alaska, Utah, Florida, Chicago, and even the Bahamas. Their love for traveling, spending time with their dogs and regaining their competitive spirits by competing against each other in tennis and golf has only deepened their love, they have even started to dress similar. They both have become adults since identifying who they are as a couple and have encouraged each other to grow in work, life, and spiritually both becoming stronger Christians together. 

On May 21, 2022, Silas took Bridgette to Arapahoe Basin for what she thought was just a day of late spring skiing, there Silas continuously was asking Bridgette to get a picture with him on top of the mountain. When she thought they were just going to get a quick picture he got down on one knee and asked her to spend the rest of her life with him. 

They look forward to making new memories and sharing memories with you on November 11th.