Is there anything more picturesque than a fall wedding? That hint of crispness to the air, the earthy aroma of the carrot and leek bouquets, the way the low-angled sunlight reflects off the bride and groom’s high visibility vests…

OK, so this wasn’t your typical wedding day. Then again, National Public Lands Day (NPLD) is anything but typical. Held annually on the fourth Saturday in September, it’s the nation’s largest single-day volunteer effort for public lands—a celebration bringing together thousands of participants for recreation, education, and appreciation of America’s natural spaces.

This year, over 53,000 people attended more than 750 NPLD events at parks, forests, monuments, wetlands, nature preserves, and other wild spaces across the country. But as far as we know, only one of them included the phrase “You may now kiss the bride.”

Love is in the (Open) Air

The thing is, if you know Anna Cooper and Bryan Pinsky, the fact that they opted to get married on such an important day for public lands wouldn’t seem the least bit strange.

“Our first official date was on a trail,” said Cooper, an elementary English as a Second Language teacher with Fairfax County Public Schools. “So it has always been a really important part of our relationship, just being outside and experiencing nature.”

Nature is indeed a big theme for this Alexandria, Virginia, couple—Cooper leads her school’s garden program and sustainability team, and Pinsky, an IT systems engineer for the federal government, has been an avid camper since his early days as a Boy Scout.

Their meet-cute was a quintessential one for this day and age. After finding each other on a dating app during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the only safe place they could meet face-to-face was in a park or other outdoor space, so the two decided their first date would be a hike along the Western & Old Dominion Trail in nearby Arlington. Strolling through this urban greenway, the two bonded over their love of spending time in nature, and that appreciation for the outdoors has been a cornerstone of their relationship ever since.

Commitment to Conservation

Cooper and Pinsky are also quite active in their community, donating their precious weekend days as volunteer leaders with the Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail. This grassroots group helps protect and manage the eponymous 18.5-mile multi-use path that runs adjacent to the George Washington Memorial Parkway along the banks of the Potomac River, and which hosts over a million pedestrians and cyclists annually.

“We’re a completely volunteer-run organization, and we host events on all sections of the trail,” said Cooper.

As volunteer leaders, they coordinate events every Saturday, helping volunteers remove invasive species, cutting back branches to improve sightlines for trail users, patching uneven trail surfaces, even cleaning graffiti. Often, the biggest challenge is simply getting to that day’s worksite.

“It’s such a large area, and much of it is inaccessible by car,” added Pinsky. “Our events can happen anywhere along the trail, sometimes all the way down towards George Washington’s estate, so we have to use the organization’s electric cargo bikes to bring all the equipment out there.”

Pledging Their Love for Public Lands

After a year and a half of putting in work along the trail, the couple began to hatch an idea—what if their wedding could be an excuse to gather a few more helping hands?

“The volunteer work we've done has grown into such a major part of our lives,” said Pinsky. “We wanted to be able to share that with our families who were coming in for the wedding, so they could see the impact of what we do.”

It also seemed like a natural activity for their friend group.

“[Volunteering] is a thing we do with friends on Saturday anyway, so we might as well get as many people together as possible,” added Cooper.

As they began to send out invites for the big day, they made it clear that their friends and families were volunteers first, wedding guests second.

“We told people, ‘Yes, you can come to the wedding, but really the most important part is the trail work,’” she said.

This Year’s Hot Wedding Trend: Sustainability

After what felt like weeks of dreary rain in the area, the skies on the morning of Saturday, September 28, were overcast, and Cooper and Pinsky were nervous—not that it would rain on their wedding day, but that it might decrease volunteer turnout. However, no sooner had they arrived at that day’s project site than the clouds parted to reveal a crystalline blue sky.

The couple, wearing bride and groom-themed high visibility vests courtesy of the Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail, welcomed their wedding guests and cadre of usual volunteers, quickly putting them to work removing the invasive kudzu vines that were choking out native vegetation along the trail. With what would be their largest turnout in recent memory—54 volunteers in total, about half of them from the wedding party—the group was able to cover quite a bit of ground, removing a half acre’s worth of kudzu in just a few hours.

In fact, Cooper and Pinsky were having so much fun, they almost forgot to attend their own wedding! After thanking their volunteers, the two scrambled to get ready and raced to the event, which would be held in a park near the site of their first date. According to Cooper, they were only “a little bit late,” but fashionably so.

Ever eco-conscious, the couple did their best to hold as sustainable a ceremony as possible. The maid of honor crafted bouquets out of broccoli, leek, and other root vegetables. Decorations and serving utensils were acquired secondhand through local “Buy Nothing” groups. Even Cooper’s wedding dress was thrifted.

“We were just trying to be really intentional about reducing waste,” said Pinsky.

Guests were also encouraged to walk, bike, or take public transit to the wedding and reception, which was held at another park a few minutes’ walk south. Pinsky pedaled Cooper there in the basket of a cargo bike loaned by the Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail. The dinner menu was vegan, and food scraps would be composted.

"Anna and Bryan’s story is a heartwarming reminder of the deep connections we can make through volunteering and the powerful impact that public lands have on our lives,” said Cameron Taylor, a volunteer organizer with the Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail. “The volunteer leaders at the Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail are honored to have been part of their special day."

When the evening’s revelry had ended and it came time for the newlyweds to make their leave—under pedal power, of course—they found that their friends had tied soda cans to the rear of their cargo bike. In a way, it was the most traditional part of a very untraditional day.

Advice for Potential NPLD Nuptials

With Cooper and Pinsky’s big day safely in the rearview, would they recommend a National Public Lands Day wedding to any curious couples out there? Absolutely.

“If volunteering is something that’s important to you, you should definitely go for it,” said Cooper.

They suggest reaching out to local organizations where you already volunteer, or know someone who does, and asking if they would be interested in helping to organize the event. Take it from two volunteer leaders—the more hands on deck, the better.

“Ultimately, if you’re able to bring your wedding guests to the volunteer event, they will appreciate the support,” said Pinsky.

What’s next for these nature-loving newlyweds? More volunteering on the trail, at least until colder temperatures arrive. Then they’re off to Montreal and Québec for some cross-country skiing and other winter outdoor activities.

“There are talks of a ‘part two’ in Colombia, but we’ll see,” laughed Cooper.

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To learn more about National Public Lands Day, including a breakdown of the total volunteer impact from this year’s events, visit NEEFusa.org/NPLD.