A Change of Plans, Twice
Wallis Dolan ’07 walked down the aisle wearing an ivory double-faced silk charmeuse gown and gossamer silk veil. As she walked, she gathered the hem of her dress, showing her footwear: flat, felted wool boots, wet with crunchy Colorado snow.
The boots, though practical, weren’t part of the plan. But then, the groom wasn’t initially part of her plan either.
Wallis and Peter Whitcomb ’06 first met at a fraternity party, and though Wallis remembers being aware of Peter, the two never became romantically involved as students. “I just had this sense that he was a good person,” she remembers. “I mean that in such a genuine way. Truly, an authentically good person.”
Wallis was focused on finishing college and embarking on her business career.
After graduation, she’d go on to spend 10 years at Thakoon, a womenswear designer who would help her create her wedding dress. Living and working in New York City, she dated in her free time, but she never felt a genuine connection. During a particular “funny, if not bad, relationship,” Wallis remembers talking to her mother, who described the ideal type of man she hoped Wallis would find. Wallis recalled Peter, offhandedly, as an example.
Meanwhile, the first thing Peter had noticed about Wallis, at that fraternity party, was her name: His sister was also named Wallis, but his parents changed her name when she was 6 months old. He also remembers, in those early days, being in awe of Wallis Dolan’s bold personality. “She enjoyed socializing, but she always did her own thing and was very independent, and in a noticeable and respectful way,” Peter says. “So there was this mysterious allure to her, this woman with a name that I loved, and wasn’t like anybody else.”
Fast forward to 2018, Peter was living in Seattle while Wallis was based in New York. The couple remet the way many do in the digital age: through social media. It was unexpected — they hadn’t talked in years, but once they connected, they carried out the early days of their relationship through text messaging. This, Wallis says, allowed them to get to know each other “without the distractions of dating in person in a fast-paced city, where relationships can outpace their real value in the beginning.
“There wasn’t any pressure to be anything but truthful with each other,” she says. “It was very much our own decision to participate for two months, and to dedicate time every day to saying hello.”
In time, the couple started planning their wedding — it would be March 14, 2020. As the weekend approached, the COVID-19 pandemic was beginning to take hold of the United States. A mere 20 hours before they were set to say “I do,” their Aspen, Colo., venue canceled. The ceremony was moved outdoors, with the Elk Mountains overlooking the bride and groom as they said their vows. With no more dinner arrangements, Peter ran around town looking for a replacement until a restaurant owner, who remembered Peter’s grandfather (the town doctor for more than 40 years), happily agreed to host the reception. It was a race against time, but with the help of those close to them, Wallis and Peter, who wore a Hugo Boss tuxedo and Charvet silk charmeuse bow tie, beat the odds and tied the knot, with fewer than half of their original 140 guests wishing them well. “Everyone there was just so aware of the situation,” Wallis says. “They went through the changes of plans with us, so there was just a lot of presence of mind, and intent, I think, which ended up being a very special thing.”
The couple recently relocated to Denver, Peter’s hometown, to be closer to his parents. More than a year after they exchanged vows, they settled into married life as the world remained in lockdown. Peter, the outdoorsy one, took Wallis on several hikes and bike rides, and Wallis, the movie buff, showed Peter favorites like Indochine and Imitation of Life. The isolation also gave them the time to prepare for a new addition — a daughter, who was born in June.