Cheyenne and Erick Costa of Vergennes both knew early on in their relationship that they wanted to be together for life. So Cheyenne was not surprised that a marriage proposal was coming. She even gave him some guidance on what she would like in an engagement ring. But when Erick did propose — and how he did it! — did surprise Cheyenne.
On Aug. 24, 2025, they went to Adams Berry Farm to pick some blueberries and Cheyenne noticed that they also had flowers to pick your own bouquet. Being a natural wanderer, she was distracted by a butterfly flitting around the flowers and followed. When she turned around to see where Erick had gone, she found him right behind her on his knees presenting the most beautiful bouquet and the most perfect ring.
“It was truly more beautiful than I ever expected … it was most certainly more perfect than I could have dreamed,” Cheyenne said. “It was so well thought out, and such a magical experience.”
Erick deeply understands Cheyenne’s love/passion for the outdoors and the natural world. She had been a high school student at the Willowell Foundation’s Walden Project, which runs classes in a mostly outdoors setting in Monkton. When the newly engaged couple began to discuss potential locations for their wedding, he brought up the Willowell property as a possibility. (They gave a shout out to Willowell’s Tasha Ball and Matt Schlein for helping make that possible and allowing them to borrow the land that day.)
“We wanted something special, intimate, and personal to us on our day,” Cheyenne recalled.
A typical/traditional wedding with bridesmaids and groomsmen, reception and ceremony and the rest seemed way too stressful for the couple, and way too complicated. Having a private ceremony was important to them.
“We are simple folks,” Cheyenne summed up.
Besides the bride and groom, the Aug. 9, 2026, nuptials included their officiant and Cheyenne’s best friend Liv on photography duty. They are planning a big party for their family and friends to celebrate.
When their wedding day dawned, the weather was beautiful; it felt as if the sun was shining just for them. On the walk down a path into the woods where they would exchange vows, a butterfly appeared and led the couple for a bit. That element struck Cheyenne, because the image of butterflies have always been a special image throughout her life.
“I have always believed that my passed grandmother sends me butterflies when I’m on the right path, so for a butterfly to show up both on the proposal day and wedding day shows me that Erick and I are undoubtedly meant to be!” she said.
“It really couldn’t have been a more perfect day!”
