On Saturday, Oct. 4, 1997, Megan walked into a Revco in Murfreesboro, Tenn., to start her first shift as a pharmacy technician. Later that day she met Ian. He started giving her rides home, making fun of her Chicago accent and inviting her to hang out. They became close friends.

After more than six years of friendship and almost five years of dating, Ian and Megan were married in Asheville, N.C.—exactly 11 years to the day they met.

Few knew about the plans beforehand, and no one attended but the officiant (Victoria Hutchins, a non-denominational minister knowledgeable in a variety of beliefs and traditions), her husband and the photographer. It was a non-religious ceremony where we stood barefoot in a creek and exchanged vows in the mountain air. It was laid back, informal, organic and honest. It was us.