Between ceremony and reception, Trystan and Riley stopped off at Erbal Ink Tattoo in Waukon, where Jay Erb etched permanent initials of each spouse on the other’s ring finger. (Photo by Keela Jo Photo)
By Denise Lana,
When Riley Bodley met Trystan Riley in early 2021, she knew it was the beginning of something special. (Photo by Keela Jo Photo)
When fresh-faced elementary school teacher Riley Bodley met Trystan Riley at Goodfella’s Bar in early 2021, she knew it was the beginning of something special.
“I had a really good feeling, and when I found out his last name was Riley, I made a joke,” Riley said. “We began talking, and I said, ‘If we got married, I would be Riley Riley!’”
Trystan asked her to dinner the very next day, and Riley was smitten from that day forward. The relationship between the two 23-year-olds blossomed over the next two years. In late 2022, Trystan visited Elliott Jewelers to find an extra special jewel for his special jewel.
Riley explained Trystan didn’t want to propose in an over the top way and, unbeknownst to her, he carried the ring in his pocket for several months whenever the two were together so he would be prepared to spontaneously pop the question, should the moment arise.
And eventually, it did.
“We were out driving around, one random night — nothing planned. My grandparents have these woods I just love. I spent a lot of time there as a kid, and it’s just a spot that is really special to me,” said Riley. “He was like, ‘Can we go to the woods?’ And I was like ‘sure,’ and he proposed to me there. We hope to build a house there someday.”
That was in January of 2023, and they tied the knot June of 2024.
The couple selected a beautiful overlook in Dorchester as the location to hold their nuptials. They didn’t have bridesmaids and groomsmen, choosing to keep the ceremony intimate. Parents, grandparents and select friends attended the ceremony. The couple’s two retrievers, Boog and Dale, delivered the rings during the ceremony.
“Boog was very photogenic, but there are no good pictures of Dale, he was just a goober and so energetic,” said Riley. “They each had one of our rings around their collars.”
During the wedding ceremony, live acoustic music was presented by JR Brink, who performed a selection of songs Trystan had dedicated to Riley throughout their courtship.
After exchanging vows, Riley and Trystan travelled to Waukon to Erbal Ink Tatoo, where Jay Erb inked the first initial of each spouse on the other’s ring finger. Friends and siblings then joined the newly weds as they traversed to nearby Waterville Bar for a few cocktails before heading back to Goodfella’s in Waukon to celebrate where their relationship began.
Eventually, the party made its way to the wedding reception, located at the Waukon Event Center.
“Trystan owns the event center,” Riley said. “He bought it back in 2022, and we bartend there together on the weekends part-time.”
The couple shared their first dance to Kameron Marlowe’s “Steady Heart,” which was performed live by JR Brink, who also provided deejay services throughout the evening. In lieu of traditional wedding cake, the couple chose to cut a blackcap pie made by Trystan’s mother, and guests enjoyed an assortment of bar desserts made by grandmothers, aunts, great aunts and other family members.
“We’re not big cake or cupcake or icing people — the pie we had is Trystan’s favorite,” Riley said. “That made it even more special.”
Now, as the 27-year-old pair are enjoying their first year of marriage, Riley says they aren’t in any hurry to rush life. They currently live in Waukon but have hopes of one day making their way to the country and still hold fast to the idea of building their dream home at the woods where Trystan proposed to Riley. The one thing Riley can say with certainty is she loves her ‘T’ tattoo on her finger and wants more in the future.
“I love it, and I look down at it every day,” Riley said. “I want to get my maiden name somewhere, and my grandpa’s handwriting. Whatever I get, it’s gotta really connect with me. And I want to get more tattoos with Trystan for sure.”
Whatever the future holds for Riley and Trystan Riley, diamonds may be forever, but their wedding day tattoos are also permanent and eternal.
Find more photos from the Riley wedding in week two of the ‘Driftless Weddings’ special edition.
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