INDIANAPOLIS — As the U.S. Olympic Swim Trials continue in Indianapolis, the celebration on Georgia Street got sentimental Tuesday.
Recently, a bride-to-be learned of an opportunity to enter to win a wedding at Indy's Eiffel Tower replica downtown.
"I saw a post on Facebook and I, kind of as a joke, forwarded it to Chris on his Facebook and said, 'Just saying,' then we started talking about it as a serious option," said Kelli Baumgarn.
She said part of the allure was was the chance to exchange vows under a structure known worldwide for romance.
"When people think of the Eiffel Tower, they think of love, and I think for the two of us, what a way for us to represent our love story," Baumgarn said.
Baumgarn, 45, applied for the contest in an email that told their story. She detailed an Olympic-sized trial of surviving COVID and as a working single mom with two boys in school.
Baumgarn said she met Chris Duke on Facebook four years ago. Virtual chats led to socially distanced dates and eventually a lasting love.
"COVID was tough, but this is something wonderful that came out of that," said Baumgarn. "It was time for us to to tell our story."
That story struck gold and winning the contest created momentum, because although they had plans for the future, Baumbarn and Duke were not yet engaged.
"We just did it. We went and got the rings and we got the license and it happened," they said.
They had just 13 days to prepare for the downtown ceremony. The hardest part?
"I had a hard time deciding on my dress," Baumgarn said, laughing.
There was no time to overthink, and now there's a lifetime to celebrate Mr. and Mrs. Duke.