Ryan King remembers the first time he met Meredith Chapaton at work. She does not. She was more focused on job performance than dates. Thanks to workplace camaraderie and the end of another relationship, however, she eventually saw King in a new light.
Meet: Chapaton worked as a temp at an aircraft company near the Jefferson County airport. King, a staff member, simply faded into the crowd of other would-be coworkers. “I was just trying to get a permanent position,” Chapaton says. “It all blends together. You kind of put your best foot forward.”
“She was nonchalantly going about her business,” King says, “and I was like, ‘Hey, who’s this new girl?’ So, I kind of took note of it, but she didn’t take note of anything at that point – apparently.”
After Chapaton got the job and settled in, co-workers invited her to countless lunches and parties. That’s just the culture at the small company.
Match: King formulated no real plan to win Chapaton over, other than being himself.
Yet Chapaton learned what she needed to know about King through these outings. “I knew he was just a stand-up guy,” she says. “He’s a very hard worker. He’s dedicated. He has ethics, very wonderful work ethics as well as a good set of friends.”
She also liked that he was a musician and outdoorsy. “His priorities pretty much are enjoying life, being outside and making the most out of things,” she adds.
“You know? When you’re at work, you work. When you’re not, you focus on the other things that give you happiness.”
Marry: Over time, King realized that Chapaton put him at ease, allowing him just to be. “She calls me on all my (expletive),” says King, adding that she has given him guidance on fiscal responsibility and understanding his emotions.
Chapaton spent much of her childhood with just her sister and mother, who was born blind. Alone, they had loads of intuition and lots of time to talk about feelings.
Chapaton also makes King feel safe, like when he separated his shoulder in a mountain-biking accident and she came to the hospital. “That was the point when I felt like I could finally let my guard down because she was there,” he says.
“It was times like that where I felt like, ‘Wow. No only did I have a partner in life, but I have someone who can help me through troubled times.”‘
Since both already “felt” married, they eloped rather than clog their spring with a full-blown wedding. They exchanged vows at The Alps Boulder Canyon Inn, near where King crashed on his bike.
Their parents, siblings and just a few other guests joined the tiny ceremony, where music played from speakers hooked to a lime-green iPod. The Rev. Forrest Whitman cheered the bride through her tears. He also made everyone laugh with some blunt marriage advice, including “When you’re wrong, admit it. When you’re right, shut up.”
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