Has it happened yet? Have you gone wedding dress shopping, and one of the first gowns you try on is the one that you keep comparing to all others throughout the day? It happens to most brides, after all you know your body type and what works and feels best.
Browsing countless bridal magazines tends to provide a good idea of your preferred style. Just don’t be like a bride from ‘Say Yes to the Dress’, make sure the first few dresses you try on are within your budget!
The bride in today’s wedding had the same luck with the first dress she tried on.
Couple
Jennifer & Sam
About This Wedding
Describe your bridal attire
Bride’s Comments: “My mom, maid of honor, and beautiful daughters all joined me on my first trip to Alta Moda to try on dresses. The Modern Trousseau Mika gown was the second dress I tried on. I loved it, but wanted to try on a range of gowns, so that I had something to compare. I tried on half a dozen at Alta Moda and went to a bridal show the following week where I tried on 20 more dresses. Every dress I tried on was compared back to Mika gown at Alta Moda.
“We went back and I tried on the dress again. Without a doubt, this was my dress. The fitted body, the movement of the ruffles, the train, the buttons down the back and the sweetheart neckline and that belt!? I don’t know why I ever tried on another dress.
“The gown has unfinished edges, which I loved. It was a little unrefined with touches of elegance and sophistication. The dress moves like a dream, the bottom sways and rustles with every step, it’s JUST stunning.”
How did you pick your ceremony location?
“We got engaged at Snowbird and we looked there, but the space wasn’t large enough. As soon as we heard about the ceremony location at PCMR on the actual mountain, we were intrigued. When we found out that guests ride the PayDay chairlift to the ceremony, we were sold. Finding out that our guests got to ride the Alpine Slide down the mountain is what sealed the deal for us. Utah mountains represent home for us, and little did we know at the time (we hadn’t moved to Florida yet) that it would mean all that much more. Those mountains represent where we grew up; memories of learning to ski and summer hiking activities. It was perfect.
We couldn’t have picked a better place to get married. I think the pictures tell it all – a breathtaking location. No décor required. That’s what we wanted. Minimalist, serene and romantic with a touch of mountain grandeur and Utah adventure!”
Did you do a First Look?
“We did not. We wanted a few things to be traditional and Sam is a romantic: he wanted the dress to be a surprise. He bought my dress for me, but never saw it until the moment I walked down the aisle. There are very few true surprises we get to experience in this world. Why ruin this one!?”
The most unexpected event on our wedding day was …
1) My mom sewed a handwritten note from my grandmother (who passed away in 2002) into the hem of my wedding dress. It was a card she wrote to me in 1988 that says, “My sweet Jennifer, always remember how much I love you.”
2) After I walked down the aisle, and walked up the steps, Sam took my elbow and whispered a joke in my ear. It broke the ice and made us both less nervous.
Describe your Wedding Flowers
“Purple. I don’t really know. Flowers were not a huge focus for me. I wanted something nice, elegant, with a little edge (I asked Shelly to add black flowers to my bouquet). I knew that I didn’t want uniformity. Other than that I gave my florist the reigns and let her design what she thought would work. The result was spectacular and I was thrilled. The boutonnieres and the low-profile centerpieces were especially neat with the silver features.”
Wedding planning advice you wish you followed?
“We kind of threw all the wedding planning rules out the window and did what we wanted. I think that is what made the day so successful.”
Anything you wish you hadn’t worried about?
“I think we worried about all the right things. Paid attention to the right details. The day truthfully wasn’t stressful because we had such a great team helping to make the day perfect. Hiring a wedding planner was the best thing we did. Don’t skimp here, we paid for peace of mind for sure.”
How did you choose your vendors?
“The resort sent us a list of suggested vendors, our wedding planner had a list of suggested vendors, and I did my homework online. We also have a family friend who works in the industry so we ran things by her. I knew what I wanted; it was just a matter of finding vendors who were within our budget. Every vendor we used I would absolutely hire again. They were all wonderful.”
Best wedding advice you received?
We got two great pieces of wedding advice that I had never heard before, and we took them both to heart:
1) Stay together the whole day. After the ceremony, during dinner and throughout the reception. We were given the advice to not get separated so that we both have the same memories of the day. Often times brides and grooms get separated and their memories of the day don’t match. We stuck together the whole event and our memory of the day for the rest of our lives will be the same.
2) Hug your parents. After the kiss and the pronouncement, before walking back down the aisle we took a moment to turn and hug each of our parents and I am so glad that we did. We didn’t get to see them much the rest of the evening and we wanted them to know how special they are to us and how glad we were that they were there.
If you knew then what you know now …
“Take the time to soak it all in. Take moments, before you put on the dress to breathe. Put on the dress and give yourself a second to reflect. Close your eyes, say a prayer and reflect on why you are where you are. Hug your bridesmaids before you leave for the ceremony. Tell them how much they mean to you. Stop at the top of the aisle, take a deep breath, look around. The day will go by so quickly, taking the time to have quiet reflective moments is the best thing I did. Hold your husband’s hand. Don’t let the true meaning of the day get lost in the chaos. Take selfies, do the photo booth, put on your dancing shoes and have some fun, you’ve waited your whole life for this moment.”
Where did you find inspiration?
“I went with my gut instincts. I didn’t have an overall idea, or a theme in mind. I just knew what I liked when I saw it, and I came to terms with the idea that not knowing what I wanted was okay. I drew inspiration from my favorite colors. I found that when I went with my gut and picked things I liked, rather than things I thought other people liked, or things I “should” like I was much happier.”
What was the feel of the wedding?
“Classic, Sophisticated and Elegant with a touch of Eccentricity.”
Where did you get inspiration for your design?
“PURPLE, SILVER, BLACK. Purple is my favorite color, always has been, after all, it’s the color of royalty! I wanted something simple and chic, elegant but not overplayed.”
Talk to us about the decor!
“I wanted to keep it simple. No handmade favors, no painted frames or candy buffets, no silly chevron paper straws. I noticed right off the bat that it’s really easy to get swept up in all the unnecessary details. Magazines and Pinterest take wedding planning over the top and I got overwhelmed really quickly. The best thing I did was stop trying to plan a Pinterest wedding. I referenced the site for inspiration, but did not aspire to copy the ideas. Once I removed the unnecessary noise, I was able to focus on what mattered most. At the end of the day what mattered was that we got to spend the day with all the people that we love and that I married the man I love. This led me to the conclusion that what I actually wanted was simple, sophisticated and elegant.
“Since our décor was minimal, it was about quality not quantity. Strategically placed flowers on the end of the chairs and two stands with flowers at the ceremony location was all we needed. The landscape was truly the star of the show and that is exactly why we picked the location. With scenery like that, who needs the extra distraction?
“If I had to do the décor all over again? I would do it exactly the same way.”
What personal details did you incorporate?
“We had the photo booth that was a lot of fun. We did a wishing well, in which guests wrote down advice on pieces of paper and put them in vases labeled 1-12. The idea is that you open one each month on your anniversary. It’s a fun reminder of the day and it’s cute to see what people wrote. Some sentimental, some funny, all meaningful.”
Wedding Invitations
Wedding Paper Divas for our save-the-dates, wedding invitations, ceremony programs and thank you cards.
Describe your Wedding Cake
“We wanted something simple. The cake was white fondant with edible silver glitter. I love glitter to a fault. We had a poppy seed layer and a few chocolate layers. The poppy seed cake was incredible!”
Final Comments
“We wished we had not rushed off so quickly the next morning on our honeymoon! Looking back we would have preferred to stay a few days with the family at the resort and THEN leave for the honeymoon. The whole weekend went by way too quickly.”
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