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This piece initially appeared on Out.com, read the original here.
Czech snowboarder Sarka Pancochova married her girlfriend Kaileen Barley in a romantic ceremony in the Cascade Mountains in Washington State recently. The guests included family, friends, and one curious, uninvited, yet delightfully photogenic bear. The happy newlyweds celebrated their nuptials with a kiss and a long swig of bourbon. Luckily for us, Pancochova posted the heartwarming pics, taken by Cindy Santini (@cindian), to her own Instagram (@sarkasnow), and we’ve got them for you!
Photography by Cindy Santini @cindian
A two-time Olympian, Pancochova came out in a 2017 interview with Gretchen Pleshaw of OutSports. At the time, she said she wasn’t afraid of losing sponsors or facing bigoted athletes or fans “because people nowadays don’t even care about it” and later adding “it is really not the big deal and especially you know in America or anywhere else in the world.”
Photography by Cindy Santini @cindian
“People don’t look at you like you’re gay or lesbian,” Pancochova told Gretchen Pleshaw of OutSports. “They look at you and think of you as a person.”
Photography by Cindy Santini @cindian
The happy couple had originally wanted to wait until marriage equality was legalized in Pancochova’s home country of the Czech Republic so they could get married there. Progress has been made, but sadly marriage equality is still not legal in the former Soviet satellite state.
Photography by Cindy Santini @cindian
Instead, the pair decided they couldn’t wait any longer and took to the Cascade Mountains in Washington State to exchange their vows, and the wedding party was all smiles afterwards.
Photography by Cindy Santini @cindian
The setting was simply beautiful, and the happy couple later shared a quiet and loving moment (along with one carefree young guest) by the gently flowing river.
Photography by Cindy Santini @cindian
The happy couple even set a new precedent for the proper way to toast newlyweds in the future. We’ll drink to that!
Photography by Cindy Santini @cindian
Pancochova, and her new spouse, Barley, couldn’t have chosen a more perfect setting to exchange their vows. In the end, it was pretty clear this loving couple made all the right choices and have a great start to living the rest of their lives together.
And we’re not crying, you are.
Photography by Cindy Santini @cindian
