From the Bride…

Before the Ring:
Dan and I first met floating down the Provo river – with our dates. The next time we met, we were both single, visiting a mutual friend in the hospital. One and a half months later we officially went on our first date!

The Proposal Story:
Dan proposed, and was so thoughtful. He planned a triple date with my two best friends for all of us to go golfing. (So I never would’ve suspected a thing!) On the 8th hole at Bountiful Ridge golf course, right when the sun was setting, the views of the entire valley opened up, he pretended to hit a ball into the woods. (Our friends had played on so they were on the next hole.) Dan led me down a rose petal path to a blanket with bubbly, roses, and chocolate covered strawberries. It was there that he got down on his knee and made me shed a tear with his tender words, then asked me to marry him. It was that moment that any doubts or fears vanished and I was like a giddy school girl saying yes to the man of my dreams. Awhile later our friends rushed back to celebrate with us and take pictures. I was on cloud 9!

What you would have done differently, if anything:
Danced more and eaten the reception food!

Any advice you have for future brides?
Remember that people won’t know what was “missing,” don’t stress it – especially on your big day! However it looks is perfect and so enjoy it! You can laugh at any mishaps later, I promise.

Favorite Moment?
Kneeling at the alter in the temple. Almost indescribable how amazing that moment was. Such powerful blessings and promises, and such a long-awaited moment with a man I love. Then there’s the feeling of inexpressible love from 100 of our closest friends and family all there supporting us.

Best advice to other mountain brides?
Weather can be unpredictable – be ready for anything! Also, have a good photographer – your pictures can be breath taking! It’s worth paying for the memories

Photographer: Logan Walker Photography / Equipment Rentals: All out tent and event rental / Cinema and Video: Jeremy Anderson Films / Reception Venue: Johnson’s Mill / Floral Designer: Skyline Floral / Makeup Artist: Jill Morgan Peterson / Hair: Sheena Vierra / Ring designer: Tim Bennett / Groom’s Suit: Hugo Boss / Cake Designer: Beth at Dick’s Bakery / Caterer: JK’s Indulgence Catering / Invitations: Hayley Cox / Musicians: Joey Hansen / Submitted via Two Bright Lights

From the Bride…

Before the Ring:
We met in Austin. Ben was a 1st year MBA student at the time and I was visiting a good friend and classmate of his. It was actually their MBA prom at the W hotel. At the time I was dating someone else but we just couldn’t stop talking. While we each went our own separate ways that evening we kept in touch. When Ben came to SF we hung out and eventually went on our “first date” nearly 9 months later on January 7th.

The Proposal Story:
Ben proposed on my birthday. He planned this about a month in advance. His mother gave him a ring of sapphires and small diamonds as a stand-in ring while they would work on designing a ring together. The location was Cavallo Point, in between Sausalito and the Golden Gate Bridge. We had champagne on the terrace of a place called Murphy’s Circle first. He wanted to propose there but there was a family sitting next to us. After that we went inside and sat at a table that was setup alone in a room next to the fire place. While we were finishing the bottle of champagne and opening a bottle of red wine after we had ordered a multi course dinner, he gave me the ring.

Favorite ceremony memory?
Do I really have to pick just one? We honestly loved every moment – we wish we could relive it again. There were so many incredibly special things. From the toast in Cushings Cabin before the ceremony, to the absolutely beautiful service given by Ashley, Ben’s cousin, to the chair ride up and down, and then to the incredible dinner and dancing with all of the people we love the most in our lives.

Details:
We had lift tickets for seat markers, and ski mountains as our tables. Antique wood skis were our wedding guest book.

We had a beautiful white cake with raspberry in the filling and a white icing. We had an orange ribbon tied around it. Dessert was incredible beyond this, with a selection of artisanal cheese made at Deer Valley, and carrot cake and lemon tart.

Old, new, borrowed, blue – Blue sapphire earrings, engagement ring with sapphires, new bracelet from Janet’s mom, and borrowed antique diamond watch from Ben’s mom.

Photographer: Pepper Nix Photography / Dress Store: Amy Kuschel / Dress Designer: Amy Kuschel San Francisco / Fashion Designer: Amy Kuschel San Francisco / Shoes: Gold peep toe Jimmy Choo / Jewelry: David Yurman / Event Venue + Caterer: Deer Valley Resort / Cake Designer: Deer Valley Snow Park Bakery / Floral Designer: Shelly Huynh for Orchid Dynasty/ Makeup Artist: Paula J. Dahlberg / Band: Salamander Music / Event Planner: Kristin Spears of Soiree Productions / Invitations: Nellie Barker from WoahNelliePress / Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Ashley + Nick

How did you meet? We met online (eharmony.com)

What is your proposal story? Nick proposed to me in Heeney, Colorado while visiting some of his close friends. We had visited the same place the year before and fell in love with this beautiful and romantic lake, Cataract Lake. He took me back to the lake to propose, got down on one knee and all!

First look? We did do a first look and we loved it. It was such a special moment between the two of us. We were glad to get to have that before we walked down the aisle and saw each other in front of 200 of our closest friends and family. We also really enjoyed the gondola ride up with just the two of us. It was so nice to have that quiet time before all the craziness began.

Details of the Day: I love the colors blush pink, grey and gold. I’m also all about pearls and lace so it was just simple and classic. My wedding flowers were perfect and amazing. They were exactly what I had envisioned. Working with Kelli Daubling from Blooms and Blossoms was a dream. She absolutely understood my vision. I wanted a lot of soft, round flower arrangements. There were lots of roses and they were perfection. I did all the table numbers myself. We purchased picture frames that were on sale and spray painted them gold. For the insert numbers, I printed them on craft paper. Super simple.

Moments you loved, hated, cried, laughed or giggled at: The whole day was perfect and amazing. I have to say getting ready with my girls was such a blast. We had music and mimosas and were dancing up a storm. I love that time we had together. Honestly, I cried most of the day. I’m such a sap and it was an overwhelming and emotional day but I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

Photographer: Pepper Nix Photography / Dress Store: Alta MODA Bridal / Dress Designer: Modern Trousseau / Headband: Pink Pewter / Shoes: Sole Society / Makeup Artist: Julie Jackson / Ring designer: Shane Company / Jewelry: Tiffanys and family jewelry / Hair Stylist: Whitney Jones (bride’s sister and maid of honor / Bridesmaid Dresses: Amsale / Floral Designer: Blooms and Blossoms / Reception Venue: Canyons Resort / Groom’s Suit: Egara / Cake Designer: One Sweet Slice / Event Planner: White Ginger Events / Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Photographer: Ivy & Stone / Dress Designer: Allure Bridals / Tuxedo and Mens Attire: David’s Bridal / Floral Designer: Hillside Floral / Tuxedo and Mens Attire: Joseph Abboud / Reception Venue: Red Cliff Ranch / Caterer: Rockwell Catering / Dress Store: The Perfect Dress / Submitted via Two Bright Lights

From the Bride…

First Look?
We decided it would be best to do a first look before the ceremony! While it is always a girls dream to be seen by the groom for the first time walking down the aisle, it just isn’t practical. Having first look photos allowed us to capture an extremely intimate moment on camera.  It was also great to have ALOT of extra time to take all the photos of the day that we wanted! We also got to spend more of our wedding day together and honestly what could be better than that!

Where did you get the inspiration for your color palette and design?
Pinterest! Every girl loves Pinterest! My color palette went through a lot of transitions but we finally decided on white, light grey and soft lavender. We thought that these colors would be a great contrast to the green trees in the mountains and they also matched our theme of Timeless yet Modern.

Old: Grandmothers Hair Clip
New: My Shoes
Borrowed: My mom’s garter
Blue: My jewelry glistened blue

What you would have done differently, if anything:
Not worried about the weather b/c in the end there was nothing I could do about it and it made my wedding even more special.

Your favorite moment of the day?
All of it! But if I had to choose, it would be walking down the aisle looking at the man I am going to spend the rest of my life with!

What is your advice to other brides?
Plan your transitions! This was a time of stress for everyone. Delegate who is going to carry what and who is in charge of driving certain cars ext. Trying to figure all of this out in a matter of minutes to stay on schedule is stressful but avoidable if you take the time to plan it out! For mountain brides specifically: Plan for changing weather and have a rain plan set in place that you will be happy with! This is something that I ended up doing only 2 days before the wedding and I wish I would have set it up prior to the big day!

Photographer: Logan Walker Photography / Venue+ Catering: Millcreek Inn / Bridal salon: Little White Dress / Shoes: Joan & David / Ring designer: Shane Co. / Jewelry: Garnet Gecko / Bridesmaids dresses: RENZRAGS San Diego / Men’s Attire: Men’s Wearhouse + Tommy Hilfiger / Band or Musicians: Craig Chambers / Officiant: Craig Gordon / Cake Designer: cakes de fleur / Floral Artist: Kim (Independent Floral Artist) / Invitations: Designed by the bride

From the Bride…

The beginning: We met our freshman year in the dining hall on campus at UF. Damon proposed in Savannah, Georgia on New Year’s Eve 2012

The Dress: I wore a fit and flare lace gown by Jorge Manuel. It had an ivory to champagne colored satin underlay with lace on top of the dress. I wore a belt and veil that matched the cream and ivory tones in the dress. I wore pumps that matched my belt to the ceremony and Luchese cowboy boots to dance at the reception.

Details of the Day: Our bouquets and boutonnières were autumn and mountain inspired picking up on natural coloring with wheat and berries. They were just a little unkempt too, almost like the most beautiful bunch of wildflowers.

I wanted the decor to reflect the beautiful venue at Red Cliff. I wanted it to be reverent of the picturesque surroundings and just add a touch of softness and beauty. We used a lot of burlap and natural colors with floral and lace to soften the look. Most of my inspiration came from the beautiful setting in Park City. I love to decorate and had a lot of fun planning.

Guests left the ranch with little burlap bags with Utah honey and a caramel flavored bee candy. Damon’s sister made little tags with a stamp with our names and wedding date and the line “meant to bee.” We also did welcome boxes for our guests that they received when they arrived in town. They had necessities for the weekend from Kate’s energy bars to custom cozies.

Our cake was a 3-tier vanilla cake with salted caramel dressing. It was decorated with some of our floral and we had a wood grain cake stand and twigs that had our initials connected with a heart for a cake topper. We really loved the groom’s cake that Julie at Layers made for us. We are University of Florida alumni and huge Gator fans and she made a huge gator cake that we served at our rehearsal dinner.

Favorite Moments? My favorite moment was our sparkler exit and ride back to Park City in the classic car Damon picked. I was so excited to be married and so happy everyone had a wonderful time celebrating. As much fun as it was, I was happiest in that moment when I had a moment alone with my husband.

Advice to Couples in the Planning Process: I think the best advice was to allow the wedding to be an example of our love and not to worry too much about the details. I’m BIG on details but I think everyone most enjoyed seeing Damon and I happy and having fun. I wish I would have had a better plan for the rain though! We missed out on some of the things we had planned for our cocktail hour and I really hadn’t wanted to acknowledge the possibility of rain, even while it was raining.

Photographer: Pepper Nix Photography / Shoes: Badgley Mishka / Dress Designer: jorge manuel / Cake Designer: Layers Cake Company / Transportation: Something Vintage Something Blue / Tuxedo and Mens Attire: Vera Wang / Makeup Artist: Versa Artistry / Caterer: Culinary Crafts / Reception Venue: Red Cliff Ranch / Event Designer: Scenemakers / Floral Designer: Scenemakers / Ceremony Location: St. Mary of the Assumption / Submitted via Two Bright Lights

From the Bride…

Before the Ring: We met online.

The Proposal: It was a surprise, my husband proposed during the art festival in park city.

First Look before the ceremony?  I saw my future husband before the ceremony since we shot photos before it. That was one of the best decisions we made since we didn’t miss a minute of the reception and we got one of the most gorgeous pictures at the top of Deer Valley’s mountains, in the chairlift and beautiful family photos in the greens.

Wedding Flowers: Green cymbidium orchids, hydrangea, garden roses, ranunculus, aspen branches, moss balls, chocolate cosmos, china berry, artichokes, hanging amaranthus, hosta leaves, stephanotis, green apples, kale and succulents.

What were some personal details you incorporated? We danced a choreographed Tango as our first dance (Mark Christensen from Wasah Tango was our instructor) which set up the festive mood. We served frozen limoncello after dinner, we danced the Horah.

Any advice to other mountain brides? Don’t buy very expensive shoes, they‘ll get ruined!

Photographer: Pepper Nix Photography / Floral Designer: Roots, Inc. / Dress Store: Danielle’s Bridal / Dress Designer: Pronovias / Shoes: Kate Spade / Event Venue: Deer Valley Resort / Makeup Artist: Paula Dahlberg – Makeup Artist / Jewelry: Pearl and diamond earrings from bride’s mother in law and borrowed diamond and pearls bracelet / Invitation Designer: The Write Image / Wedding Programs: Handmade by Mother in Law / Band: Utah Live Bands LLC / Linens and Coverings: Wildflower Linens / Submitted via Two Bright Lights

From the Bride…

Before the Ring:
We met at a wedding in Utah six years ago in which we were each in the wedding party. We lived out of state and it was special that we met in Utah at a wedding and we had our wedding in Utah as well, it was though it all came full circle.

The Proposal: 
Alonso proposed to me at midnight on New Year’s Eve in Santa Barbara, CA at the Bacara Resort. I was very surprised because the groom always hated New Year’s Eve and made me believe that this was a last minute trip, yet all along he had planned this special day for a while.

Something old, new, borrowed, blue?
I would say that my ‘new’ was my amazing wedding dress as well as a handkerchief that my mom’s best friend gave to me. My old, borrowed and blue was an antique ring of my grandmother’s that I wore on my right ring finger. It meant a lot to my grandmother that I chose to wear her piece jewelry.

Let’s talk decor!
I knew that I wanted pale pink as my bridesmaids’ dress color and floral palette, I also was very drawn to the mint trend that I had seen in decor and fashion. I also liked the idea of all the bridesmaids to wear a different style dress. I wanted to use the beauty of La Caille as the primary decor and my my florist at Every Blooming Things really understood my desire to keep the flowers simple and natural. With Robert Upwall’s talent and vision, all my dreams came true. The dining venue was truly breathtaking.

Where did you find your inspiration?
All over the place! Magazines, Pinterest, and I had inspiration from the other 10 + weddings that I have attended. I also was very fortunate to have the help from my wonderful mother and sister. Since they were in Utah and I was in Dallas I relied on them a lot for their help! They were always researching and sending me fabulous and unique ideas.

First Look?
We did do a First Look before the ceremony. My husband always wanted to do a first look so that we could enjoy more time at the party, but I was unsure. However, during our initial meeting with our photographer, Pepper, she really influenced my decision and I couldn’t be happier with the decision. It was so special to have that intimate moment together before I walked down the aisle in front of all of our guests. The First Look pictures was one of my favorite parts of the day. It got a lot of the nerves out of the way, and we were able to participate in the fun celebration after.

Any advice you have for future brides?
Enjoy the planning process and encourage their groom’s to be involved in the planning process. I was very fortunate that my groom was very into the planning process and helped me out a lot. I would advise them to have fun with the planning process, although it is stressful at points it is important to appreciate planning the happiest day of your life!

Photographer: Pepper Nix Photography / Event Designer: C3 design / Cake Designer: Carrie’s Cakes / Floral Designer: Every Blooming Thing / Dress Store: Kleinfeld / Event Venue: La Caille Weddings and Events / Dress Designer: Mark Zunino / Band: Salamander Music / Shoes: Steve Madden / Jewelry: Tacori / Tuxedo and Men’s Attire: Vera Wang / Submitted via Two Bright Lights

From the Bride…

Details of the Day:
We had homemade CDs for the favors (songs from the past 10 years together). We had them printed with a photo of us, and then bought kraft paper CD holders and applied a printer-sticker with a photo of my mom’s to the front of our initials she made out of twigs and copper wire. Also, V Chocolates- salted caramel in milk and dark chocolate. Julie at Layers made the most stunning cake we could have asked for. Julie listened to what we wanted and created something more than we imagined. Classy, simple, elegant and DELICIOUS. We loved that cake. Definitely a huge highlight.

Most Memorable Moments:
We laughed and cried the whole evening. It was more than we could have hoped for. To share such a magical, joyful and intimate evening with close friends and family was what made it so special. It was also incredibly powerful to share our vows with each other for the first time.

Advice for Future Brides:
When it comes down to it, the moments are the most important. Details have a place, but not in the moment as you celebrate and vow to a future with your one and only. Enjoy, savor and breathe! It went so fast! We were totally in the moment the whole evening and yet all of a sudden we were being pulled out the door and ushered into our car…make time slow down!

Photographer: Pepper Nix Photography / Dress Store: Alta MODA Bridal / Bridesmaid Dresses: J. Crew / Cake Designer: Layers Cake Company / Event Venue: Log Haven Restaurant / Event Venue: Log Haven Weddings / Tuxedo and Mens’ Attire: Nordstroms / Cinema and Video: Paper Rock Pictures / Band: Puddle Mountain Ramblers / Floral Designer: Roots, Inc. / Invitation Designer:The Write Image / Favors and Gifts: V Chocolates / Submitted via Two Bright Lights

Get the tissues ready! There are so many heart-melting moments in this video by Kale Fitch Films!

From the Bride…

Before the Ring:
Gray was studying in London and my college roommate was studying at Cambridge. I went to visit her and we both went to visit him in London, as they went to high school together and we stayed on his floor :). We hit it off and …sadly for my friend…we spent pretty much every minute together!

The Proposal:
We were visiting Gray’s parents in Oregon and we all went out to King Estate Winery for dinner. Gray’s parents gave a suspicious reason for needing to do an errand in the middle of rural Oregon and dropped us off. We went inside and the bartender “suggested” a walk and gave us the option between a graveyard and a view and I chose the graveyard…which I’m pretty sure Gray was not expecting, ha! But it was beautiful and a really sweet moment between us when he proposed.

Did you do a First Look before the ceremony?
We did have a first look and we are REALLY happy we did! We’ve been to wedding before where after the ceremony, you have to sit and wait for a long time to see the bride and groom and we didn’t want people to have to do that, nor did we want our family/friends who were in the wedding party to miss an hour of our wedding night for photos! We wanted everyone to all be there celebrating right after we said “I do.” It was really amazing to have a few minutes before we saw anyone else to really just focus on each other, for me to show him my dress :), which I was really excited about and to just connect and really understand how monumental what we were about to do was. We’re both really glad we did it! We got married and immediately got to celebrate!

Favorite Moments?
Just like everyone says, it was amazing to see Gray waiting for me as I walked down the aisle. He looked so cute and nervous! I just couldn’t believe we were actually at our own wedding! My second favorite memory has to be my little nieces walking down the aisle in front of me. They just looked amazing!

Details of the Day:
Our wedding planner, Jen Bennett, did a fantastic job with our flowers! We wanted very organic and kind of overgrown flowers, nothing too arranged. We opted to have some large arrangements but also a lot of smaller vases on the tables along with big overflowing bowls of flowers. Our color palette was very muted because we wanted the whole event to feel subtle, romantic and earthy without any strong accent colors. We really wanted my mom’s garden to seem like it had kind of just bloomed in the tent.

We wanted to make it all feel really natural but kind of “secret garden”-ish. Because it was July, we couldn’t really use peonies, which would have given us the feel we were looking for. But since we also wanted to use more local flowers, we used garden roses, which turned out beautifully and were soft enough in color. We also filled in with hydrangeas and a few other things. For the messy natural looks we wanted lots of sprigs and sprays, which we did with pieris japonica (my personal favorite!) and eucalyptus leaves. My favorite things that Jen did, besides the beautiful flowers, were the barn wood wall at the back of the tent and the gold leaf on the wood.

I knew we wanted some kind of installation wall at the back of the tent, preferably wood, to ground the whole thing and really set the mood. We wanted rustic, but not burlap or hay….more earthy and romantic… more of an old vineyard or winery kind of rustic. I wanted wood and gold accents and lots of flowers and twinkly lights. Jen came up with this fantastic idea of having our wood wall have lots of little shelves to hold candles, flowers, etc. She also thought of applying gold leaf and painting our monogram on it in white. It was just magical. The shelves holding the candles and spilling flowers was just beautiful. It perfectly fit the idea I was trying to convey, which was a sort of messy mix of earthy, romantic, Great Gatsby and woodsy all at the same time. And the gold leaf just sealed the deal! Adding it to the table numbers has to be one of my favorite little touches of the whole wedding!

Favorite part of the menu?
The plated trio–Skewer Caprese Salad, Golden and Red Beets, and Watermelon with feta, mint and pomegranate molasses…YUM. Our signature cocktails were also really fun for us. About half our guests drank and the other half didn’t, so we came up with two cocktails that we thought tasted really good virgin or not: Sorrel Lime Cooler with Gin and Rhubarb Rosemary with Vodka.

Any advice you have for future brides?
I think the most important thing is to hire good vendors and let them do what they are good at! That way, you don’t have to worry about the details on your wedding day so you can relax and enjoy your own party! Specifically for mountain brides, I’d let the scenic mountains do their thing! I wouldn’t over style or over decorate.

Photographer: Pepper Nix Photography / Ceremony Location: West Family’s backyard / Floral Designer: Solamente Celebrations / Dress Designer: Claire Pettibone / Shoes: Old Navy / Groom’s Attire: Vera Wang Tux / Ring designer: Joseph Jewelry / Jewelry: Vintage / Makeup Artist: Kimi McAvoy / Officiant: Lu Smith (Mother of the Groom’s best friend) / Caterer: Culinary Crafts / Cake Designer: Maha Burhani / Band: Joe Muscolino Band / Wedding Programs: Adrienne Berry at Dingbat Press / Cinema and Video : Kale Fitch Films / Rentals: Diamond Rental / Submitted via Two Bright Lights