Ode to “The Village”

Ode to “The Village”

Ellie & Andrew

I grew up in Alta, Wyoming, in the western shadow of the Teton mountains. I started skiing at Grand Targhee and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort shortly after learning to walk, and I attended Alta Elementary School before commuting to Jackson for both middle and high school. After graduating from Whitman College in 2016, I returned to the Tetons, eager to reconnect with the landscapes and the community that raised me. At this point, I was halfway through my University of Wyoming graduate program, navigating remote studies amidst a pandemic and spending every spare moment outside with family and friends.

Andrew Danz was born and raised in northern New Jersey. He played ice hockey from an early age and first learned to ski in fourth grade. Andrew attended the University of Vermont, partly for its access to the outdoors and snowy winters. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, he worked for a large construction contractor that required him to move after the completion of projects. This progression took him from Pennsylvania to Arizona and finally to Idaho in August of 2020 to work as an engineer on a project at the Idaho National Laboratory. While the move was mostly for work, he was excited to live close to the Tetons. Little did he know the abundance of adventure that awaited him.

Our paths converged when we were matched on Hinge in February of 2021. After a little juggling with our hectic lives, we were finally able to make a first date happen. In typical Ellie fashion, I was running late; and in true Andrew fashion, he called the restaurant to accommodate me. After closing down Glorietta in Jackson, Andrew drove back to Idaho Falls with plans to ski at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort with me the following weekend … and the weekend after that … and the weekend after that … until the snow melted and the weekends transformed into time spent camping, fly fishing, biking, and enjoying time on the water together. Then, Andrew took a job in Jackson.

During our first summer as a couple, Andrew introduced me to the world of mountain biking. Despite my “slow and unsteady” progress, Andrew’s patience and encouragement helped me fall in love with the sport. So, later in the summer of 2023, as fall swiftly approached, I set a goal to conquer a tricky trail. Andrew suggested an after-work ride on September 19, not quite realizing I may actually need an entire afternoon to bike the 1,571-foot vertical climb on Snow King. When we finally ascended to a saddle overlooking Jackson Hole — the sky and the distant peaks glowing pink with the setting sun — Andrew popped the question.

After deciding on a wedding date, we chose my childhood home in Alta, Wyoming, for the venue. It was the perfect place for a wedding — where rolling fields of alfalfa and barley blended into a picturesque view of the high alpine peaks in Grand Teton National Park. Family and friends rallied from the start, with Andrew’s parents scouting the scene for a welcome party venue, my parents readying their home, and siblings calling nearly every week asking, “What can I do next?”

Months flew by like seconds, and then suddenly, the week of the wedding arrived. Loved ones gathered from as far away as Norway and Orcas Island, Washington, and everywhere in between. Many came early to help transform the property, spending mornings stringing lights, arranging flowers, and painting signs. Our afternoons were spent floating the Teton River, grilling dinners on the patio, and stargazing under clear mountain skies.

The celebration began the day before the wedding with a welcome party at the Teton Teepee Lodge, providing guests a chance to shake off the jet lag, mingle, and get the party started. Andrew and I, along with Andrew’s parents, choose the Lodge for its proximity to my parents’ home, to Grand Targhee, and to the local amenities in Driggs. Our guests enjoyed their accommodations, along with a cozy indoor gathering place and an outdoor fire pit, and the children enjoyed running around the grounds and feeding the horses on the adjacent property. Our welcome party included a bountiful buffet of delicious barbeque catered by Rhea Brough of Jedediah’s Catering & Concessions, our own playlist of music, and an assortment of beer, wine, and soft drinks.

When the sun came up on our wedding day, smoke from nearby wildfires filled the valley, adding both an unexpected beauty, as well as a dose of reality to the one aspect of wedding planning that can’t be controlled — the weather. However, as Andrew and the groomsmen trekked up Teton Canyon to take a cool dip in the creek, and my bridesmaids and I got all dolled up at home, the smoke miraculously began lifting by the hour.

By half past four, the skies were blue, Thomas and Ben’s music played as gentle as the breeze, and guests eagerly gathered for our ceremony. Andrew walked in first, passing between two retired Blackfoot chairlifts from Grand Targhee. Looking back at the house, he watched family, friends, and soon-to-be in-laws glide down the aisle. Finally, I walked out of the house arm-in-arm with my mother. Andrew was overwhelmed with the energy of the 250 guests, and the love of his life smiling back at him from the end of the aisle.

Our wedding ceremony and reception were a labor of love, set amidst the alfalfa fields, with the grandeur of the Tetons as our backdrop. And every detail of decor, a true reflection of the love and creativity of our family and friends.

The aisle, altar, seating, and tent-scape were sculpted into the fields with weed whackers and mowers just the day before, transforming the space into a rustic wonderland. Hay, generously shared from nearby friends’ crops, lined the paths, creating magical walkways of green and gold that led guests to the heart of the celebration. Our altar was adorned with planters my mom had lovingly tended to all summer, bursting with vibrant blooms and complemented by wildflowers foraged by family and friends that very morning.

Cocktail hour spilled onto the backyard patio, where high-top tables featured elegant cut-glass bud vases, curated by my sister-in-law over the winter. These arrangements, crafted with care by aunts, childhood friends, and family, brought a sense of whimsy and love. Guests mingled around a bar-cart cantina as the warm glow of twinkling lights overhead set the scene. Those lights — a feat of engineering and teamwork by Andrew, our brothers, and friends — were strung 95 feet from the house to 12-foot beams plumbed earlier in the week. Solar lights dotted the property and pathways, ready to guide everyone under the magic of the night sky.

Greeting guests at the ceremony tent was a handmade seating chart and flower box combo (another one of Andrew’s many creations) and an invitation painted by me to partake in our flower bar. Each guest selected blooms of delphiniums, anemones, roses, and ranunculus to add to the centerpieces inside, transforming each table into a collective work of art. Table assignments were stamped and painted onto seed packets filled with a Wyoming wildflower mix — both a keepsake and a gift of nature to take home.

Inside the tent, tables were dressed simply, yet elegantly, with ivory cloths, sage cheesecloth runners, and soft candlelight from votives and fairy lights. More vases filled with a mix of aspen branches (pruned from the property), baby’s breath, and white snapdragons awaited their colorful transformation by our guests’ chosen flowers, creating arrangements as unique as the people who joined us.

Our reception began with a heartfelt welcome from my mom, where happy tears from the ceremony continued to flow. Our DJ, Chad, set the perfect mood to transition from ceremony to celebration, spinning tunes of our favorite artists. Guests were excused one table at a time to load their plates with the incredible dinner spread of smoked salmon and ribeye prepared by the endlessly talented Ron and Reta of R&R Catering. Watching the magic of our planning unfold, Andrew and I stood outside the tent, soaking it all in while snapping photos with guests.

In classic Wyoming fashion, the evening brought an unexpected turn of weather: a microburst rolled through during the toasts. The tent held strong, the wind quickly settled, and the cooler air energized the crowd — just in time for the dance floor to heat up. My mom, always quick on her feet, grabbed the DJ’s mic and rallied everyone with a call for jackets and blankets. Without missing a single beat of the “Cha Cha Slide,” the dance floor transformed into a scene of ski jackets from the 80s, winter scarves, and wool hats — Wyoming charm at its finest!

The perfect day carried on until the early hours of the morning. Many guests and vendors had already departed, but our siblings and closest friends — who set up tents and campers in the field — kept the celebration alive with a silent disco. Three channels, dubbed “his,” “hers,” and “wild card,” kept the music going under the stars. Guests danced, cozied up by the fire pits, and even braved a dip in the hot tub.

The following morning, we gathered one last time for a tearful farewell brunch pulled together by our parents, aunts, uncles, and a trusty Costco haul. It was the perfect close to an unforgettable weekend. Surrounded by smiles and full hearts, we said goodbye to a day that had gone by all too fast. 

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Advice For Couples 

Accept the help. Remember, your family and friends love you, and your special day is a celebration for them too. If they are offering help, say “yes!” Organize your tasks, share your vision, and make it fun. Host a craft day, prep party, or a work week, and be sure to express gratitude along the way. Coolers of beverages, pizza, and a good playlist are always appreciated! We promise — the added labors of love will make your day even more heartfelt and memorable.