A Mountaintop Wedding
Autumn & Ian
Ian and I met in Hermosa Beach, California. I was a server at a sports bar, and Ian was my customer. After I turned down his initial date request, we met by chance the very next day at the Labor Day Fiesta Hermosa Beer Garden. Usually, they say, “The rest is history,” but that is not our story. We dated off and on (mostly on) for the next seven years. After I moved to Utah, we rekindled our spark long distance, visiting each other once or twice a month. During an extended Fourth of July weekend, Ian went down on one knee in front of the 10th Street Lifeguard Tower, which is a special place for us. A day of celebration ensued, complete with actual fireworks! I immediately decided to quit my job in Utah, move back to Hermosa Beach, and start planning a big, celebratory engagement party. Only then could I begin designing the Teton wedding I had always envisioned.
I grew up in Eastern Idaho with many memories of traveling to Jackson and the surrounding national parks. Despite those visits, our wedding planning involved a great deal of online research and a few Jackson holidays. On our first planning trip, Ian and I stayed in two different places and visited five different venues in three days. It was like Goldilocks and the Three Bears; everything was “too” something until we stopped at Snow King Hotel & Resort. It was just right! The seed was planted, and Ian was determined to wed at the top of Snow King Mountain. I was thrilled with our ceremony’s Teton backdrop.
Our wedding day was very dramatic—complete with rain, lightning, and thunder. We were concerned that we might not be allowed to have the ceremony in our chosen spot due to the weather. The U.S. Forest Service ultimately gave Ian the final decision (the lightning was circumventing the mountain), and he made the call to have the ceremony on the mountaintop in the rain. Not surprisingly, but thankfully, our guests were all willing to go on this adventure with us. A promise of Snake River Brewing beers at the top was incentive for some, but most everyone just wanted to experience a wedding on a mountaintop. The chairlift proved to be part of the adventure, too. My dad and I were the last of the wedding party (behind all of the guests) to ascend on the lift. When our feet touched the ground, a warm wind blew, and I could not believe all eighty-five of our dearest friends and family members had made it.
The rain continued lightly throughout the ceremony, but the dark skies brightened up behind us, and the Tetons peeked out of the clouds. Eventually, the sun joined the celebration, too!
Photos
Wedding Details
Wedding Date: 15 August 2014
Ceremony Location: Snow King Mountain
Reception Location: Snow King Hotel & Resort
Officiant: Judge Tom Jordan
Makeup: Body & Soul Spa & Salon (Karey)
Photographer: Taylor Glenn Photography
Florist: Floral Art
Entertainment: Jackson Hole DJ
Consultant: Lovely Day Events (formerly Events, Etc.)
Caterer: Snow King Hotel & Resort
Dessert: Snow King Hotel & Resort & Persephone Bakery