Betsy and Tim signed up for the same outdoor pre-orientation program at Columbia. Tim signed up for the hiking program right away, but Betsy was planning a canoeing trip. Luckily for Tim, the canoeing trip filled up before Betsy had a chance to join, so she also joined the hiking group. They ended up being in the same pod of six, and were going to spend 3-days together hiking in the Catskills before orientation started.

On their first night at Columbia, everyone going on the hiking trip slept outside in the middle of campus. Other than playing a few ice-breaker games with their group, Betsy and Tim didn’t spend all that much time together. That changed over the next couple of days. Betsy’s first impression of Tim is tall, friendly, interesting and Tim’s first impression of Betsy is fun, smart, competitive.

Traveling through the Catskills, they spent more time hiking together, learned about each other, and complained together about the slow pace of the other hikers. The trip ultimately was cut short because of an impending hurricane, but on the bus ride back to NY they sat next to each and talked the entire trip. At the end of the week they were dating.

Betsy and Tim dated for 5 and a half years before getting engaged. Betsy was racing the General Clinton Canoe Regatta in upstate New York and Tim signed up to be her pit crew, which basically make sure she had food and water throughout the 70 mile race.

Tim’s original plan was to propose at the lake where they were staying the night after the race, but halfway through the race Betsy’s boat caught on a submerged tree and snapped in half. She got out of the river, hiked up to the highway, met Tim and the rest of her pit crew on the side of the road. They took a second boat off the back of the pit crew’s car, set it up, and Betsy hiked back down with the boat, put in the water, and finished the race.

Because of the detour, the race took longer than expected, and they didn’t get back to their hotel till almost 10 pm. At that point, Tim decided to wait till the following day. The next morning a wave of thunderstorms rolled through Cooperstown. Tim still tried to convince Betsy to head down to the lake, but Betsy looked at him like he was crazy. Instead of heading to the lake, they started talking about life and some of their favorite memories together and Tim pulled out the ring and proposed.

They’re most excited to express love and commitment to each other in front of family and friends. After nearly 7 years of dating, getting married makes our life partnership official. They look forward to continuing to tackle both the everyday and the one-in-a-lifetime adventures together for forever. They were engaged for a year before getting married.

Betsy is a competitive canoer + kayaker and Tim plays competitive ultimate frisbee. One of their bridesmaids surprised them by designing a custom frisbee with an image of Betsy and Tim in a canoe. Their guests surprised them when they arrived at the Decatur House by creating an archway of the frisbees and also canoe paddles for the bride and groom to walk through as we entered. Betsy draped the wedding cake table with green ivy as a nod to her parents’ wedding cake table.

After the wedding, these newlyweds traveled to the blue ridge mountains, stayed at the Iris Inn, hiked, rode horses, and enjoyed relaxing.

Betsy Ray is Client Solutions Manager from Washington, DC and  Tim Gilboy is Director of Product from Narberth, PA.

Planner – Tiffany Balmer, thedceventplanner.com
Florist – Patricia Berl, patriciaberl.tumblr.com
Hair Stylist + Makeup Artist – Maeion Bryant, maeion.com
Ceremony Venue – Georgetown Presbyterian Church, gtownpres.org
Officiant – Rachel Landers Vaagenes
Reception Venue – Decatur House, whitehousehistory.org/decatur-house
Catering – Heirloom Catering, heirloomdc.com Cake – Lara Halabi, Fluffy Thoughts Cakes, fluffythoughts.com
Signature Cocktail – mango mint mojito
Dinner – tacos with steak, shrimp or chicken, skewers with halibut, grouper + scallop), short ribs, sirloin steak, goat cheese + fig ravioli, shrimp + grits, watermelon + feta, tuna tartar, smoked gouda + chicken biscuits, raw bar
Dessert – mini beignets, mango creme brulee, lemon tarts, chocolate wedding cake with passion fruit + fresh berry curd
Band – Nightsong, nightsongband.com
Wedding Band Designer – Maleika Cole, themomentnyc.com

#timpaddlesawaywithbetsyray