Forever on Repeat
Forever on Repeat
Jillian & Jeffrey
In November of 2019, I was gearing up for a weekend of wedding festivities for my friend Laura in Greenville, South Carolina. Laura had been raving about the DJ they hired, Craz-e Crane (AKA Jeff). She and her fiancé, Steven, thought I would hit it off with him, as our personalities and general interests seemed like a natural fit.
At the wedding, I really wanted to focus on Laura and her big day. But once the reception was in full swing, I gained the courage to approach the DJ booth, grab Jeff from behind, and invite him out on the dance floor. We enjoyed a brief dance before he returned to his duties.
Cut to the after-party at a bar in downtown Greenville. Jeff — who doesn’t typically engage in clients’ parties — decided to join in the fun, given the friendship he had built with Steven and Laura. Jeff asked me to dance, and we ended up dancing all night long. Before we left, he jotted down my phone number on a page from a server’s pad, which he still carries in his wallet.
We chatted via text over the next few days, and Jeff officially asked me out on a date. Our personalities and interests were a match from the beginning. We spent time searching for the best brunch spots, riding Jeff’s Vespa around Greenville, cooking dinners together, sharing music, and enjoying the outdoors — which is what ultimately led to our first vacation together in Jackson Hole.
When we landed at the airport, we knew Jackson was going to become an important place in our lives. We packed our days full of hikes; I asked to stop at every overlook because it felt like the views just kept getting better and better. We equally loved exploring downtown, popping in and out of the shops, and grabbing coffee at Cowboy Coffee.
Jeff was ready to make things official on Halloween (my favorite holiday) of 2023. I went trick-or-treating with my friend Emilee and her family before meeting Jeff for dinner at our favorite restaurant, where our first date took place. When we got home, I found an arrangement of candles and framed pictures with a hand-carved cowboy hat ring box (my dad is a woodworker, and Jeff and my dad picked out the wood together before Jeff carved it). Jeff got down on one knee and proposed. I, of course, said, “Yes!”
We agreed to host a small destination wedding (40 guests) in Jackson. I knew Diamond Cross Ranch was everything I had ever dreamed of in a venue, and I was also certain I wanted Madison Webb to capture our special day, as I followed her wildlife photography Instagram profile. Everything else fell into place, from the catering and flowers to the hair and makeup to the day-of coordination. All our vendors were so easy to work with, and planning from afar, I had to lean on them for recommendations, since they knew the area best.
With a smaller guest count, we decided to skip the formal rehearsal and hosted a welcome dinner instead at Hand Fire Pizza. Their mezzanine level is the perfect size for a party, and they even allowed us to build our own playlist. (We are very thankful to Emily of Event Planners of Jackson Hole for this reco!)
Our wedding day, of course, started with a coffee and a burrito from Cowboy Coffee.
Ceremony time arrived quickly. I convinced myself I wasn’t going to cry, but seeing Jeff and all our loved ones in such a beautiful setting with the song, “Wild Mountain Thyme” by Ella Roberts, playing, it was inevitable. Jeff managed his own surprise for the day — shaving his beard into a mustache, which he’s never done in the years we’ve been together. That provided a great laugh when I reached him at the end of the aisle.
We chose my brother, Michael, to officiate, as we felt it was important to have someone close to us carry the honor. My nephew, Finn, served as our ring bearer. We were pronounced husband and wife, followed by the beautiful horse release at the ranch (such an amazing part of their wedding package), then cocktail hour, visiting with our guests over delicious apps and drinks. Our reception was an intimate plated dinner, planned with Betsy Kelsik and Scott Pederson with Provisions Catering.
Dinner was then followed by our first dance to “Everybody’s Talkin’” by Harry Nilsson, which kicked off an evening of dancing to a custom reception-long mix that Jeff (Craz-e Crane) created. Music has always been so important to our story that it only made sense to have him create and execute our wedding-day mix.
The night was topped off in true Jackson style — at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar.
Advice For Couples
Ask your vendors who they like working with. You want a team that is invested and committed to making your day great, so you want to hire people you know will work well together. As a destination couple planning from across the country, we spent a lot of time on Instagram (seriously), following all the various vendors and venues, seeing who they tagged and what we liked and didn’t like. It allowed us to not only visualize how things were executed, but to learn who worked with whom, and see a bit of their personalities shine through.
THE DETAILS
Wedding Date: September 25, 2025
Ceremony and Reception Location: Diamond Cross Ranch Officiant: Michael Hutwagner (bride’s brother) Photographer: Madison Webb Photography Hair & Makeup: Teton Valley Beauty Florist: Historia Florals
Consultant: Event Planners of Jackson Hole Caterer: Provisions DJ: Craz-e Crane Entertainment
Rental Service: Table Manners Event Rentals, Canvas Unlimited Transportation Service: Mountain Resort Transportation Stationary Design: Kimberly Crane Calligraphy