A high school romance, two missions, and a long engagement culminated in a frosty wonderland wedding for Sarah and Zach. Read on for their heartwarming story and winter themed wedding.
Sarah + Zach
We met when his family moved into the ward when we were kids, but we never really talked until the youth conference before I turned 16. We dated all through high school before he left on his mission. A year later, I left on my mission. We emailed and wrote to each other all through our missions. We started dating again shortly after I came home, and became engaged a little more than 4 months after that. Due to circumstances, we ended up with an 8-month engagement. It gave us plenty of time to plan, but the wait seemed never-ending. We married on what I thought was a beautiful December day. Imagine my surprise to exit the temple to a sideways blizzard!
WHAT WAS WEDDING PLANNING LIKE FOR YOU?
I am a planner by nature, and having an 8-month engagement gave me time to plan thoroughly. I used spreadsheets extensively and was able to plan a wedding on a budget. I spearheaded all the planning but appreciated input from all my family and close friends.
What were your wedding colors and/or theme?
Since we were getting married in the winter, I chose a frost and snow theme. Our colors were pale blues, pinks and greens, and silver, with frosted glass and snow-based decorations. I picked my dress to match the theme, choosing tulle and sparkle reminiscent of frost and snow.
Describe your wedding style.
I would say my style was themed – most of all the wedding decisions were based around the theme. Within that theme, I chose a lot of DIY elements but aimed for simple elegance. I also tried to give my wedding party the flexibility to be comfortable. I chose the colors they should wear, but they chose their own outfits in the end.
Looking back, would you do anything differently about your wedding planning and/or wedding?
Not that it is in my control, but I wish it had not been a blizzard that day. Since that’s not an option, I wish I was less uptight about plans and just went more with the flow.
What advice would you give LDS couples planning a wedding?
Don’t be afraid of a long engagement if that’s what circumstances mandate. It was long, difficult at times, and many people told us it was not a smart idea. But we felt we had chosen the right day for us, and relied on the Lord for patience and strength.
It is possible to have a beautiful wedding on a budget. We kept everything under $5,000 but were able to still have the wedding of our dreams! Don’t be afraid to shop around and do research!
Tell us about your wedding reception!
We had our reception in an LDS church gym known locally as the wedding chapel – the building itself is more decorative than the average church building (pink walls, chandeliers, crown molding, etc.) We brought in a decorator who hung a canopy from the basketball hoops and provided backdrops and other decorations. We had a hot chocolate and cookie bar for refreshments and played a mix of romantic songs and Christmas music. The only part of our reception that broke with our theme was the wedding cake: a Lego themed cake my husband loved. It was his one main request. Our reception was an open house and we had a thumbprint tree for guests to sign.
What is something specific that you remember about your wedding?
As much as the blizzard made pictures and leaving post-ceremony, it made for amazing pictures once the snow stopped! We were the first to the church building and had pristine snow on the grounds and parking lot. The sparkle of the snow in our pictures was beautiful.
VENDORS:
Decor | Creative Wedding and Party Decor decorated the church. We loved that they had customizable packages and work with you one on one.
Photos | Sasha Mauricette Photography did engagements, bridals and day of pictures for us. We loved her work and her ability to put everyone at ease to take natural and candid pictures.
Florals | We bought the raw flowers from Ensign Floral, which were then assembled ourselves.
Cake | Our cake came from the amazing Carrie’s Cakes.
Invitations | Utah Announcements
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