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Utah Mountain Dessert Groomnal | Tyler Rye Photography

Holly and Dustin

Dustin & Holly where married on March 9th. They wanted there wedding to be natural and carefree. They had a small wedding in St George and took these pictures after the ceremony. Holly was gracious enough to share her hindsight wedding advice…

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Holly + Dustin
March 09, 2013
St. George, Utah

Why a Mountain Wedding

I chose to have my wedding in Utah because it’s my home. Destination weddings are great and exciting but I wanted mine to stay intimate and close to home. I grew up in the Salt Lake area but have lived in Saint George for the past 3 years. I met my amazing husband here who is originally from Idaho Falls. We did our wedding in Saint George because it’s where our story began and it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been and usually good weather!

Where did you find your inspiration?

Pinterest was literally a lifesaver. I became a pin addict long before I even met Dustin so it was already a major inspiration fountain for all aspects of my life! However, when wedding plans came into view, it was all I used! I quickly found so many ideas on how to save money, “do-it-yourself”, and be original. All of these things I could never find in the magazines. This stuff was real from real brides who have been there! Pretty much everything I did or made and my color scheme sprouted from endless hours on Pinterest :)

What were some personal details you incorporated?

Some details I definitely wanted incorporated were just little aspects of who Dustin and I were. I had to have pink in my color scheme to show off my girly style and I had to have popcorn served because there is NOTHING I love more. Dustin was very adiment about not having our wedding/reception in a church gym and I agreed therefore we looked and looked for our perfect outdoor location. A lot of the crafty details I have to give credit to Dustin because he insisted on helping me make a lot of our decorations and took a lot of time making sure they looked perfect.

Your favorite moment of the day.

Well first off, I woke up that day to a weather forecast telling me it was going to rain all day and most likely snow during the same time as my ceremony. As any bride, I was already nervous and worrying let alone now having to wonder if I should grab a poncho or not. As the morning progressed I was still worrying and excited and freaking out at the same time. I arrived late to the first look which made me even more stressed out however as I was waiting behind some bushes waiting for them to tell me to come, I looked across the garden and saw my groom just walking around and talking with his friends. He didn’t see me and I didn’t even see his face yet but just seeing him for the first time that day and knowing he was there, I instantly knew that everything was going to be okay. I remembered, this is my freaking wedding day!! I wisped away all my worries and doubts just as I looked up and saw the sun coming out. Then my second favorite moment was when he saw me for the first time as if I was the most perfect thing he had ever seen.

Three things you’re glad you did.

The number one thing I am glad we did was put our photography as a priority. We looked at a lot of photographers and decided to spend as much as we needed to to get someone we could trust to capture this amazing day for us. Luckily we found him and still look back grateful for our choice and his beautiful pictures. The second thing I am glad we did was not go into debt for our wedding day. It is a very special day and it only happens once but I did not want to still be paying it off on our 10th anniversary nor did I want my parents to have that burden. We were thrifty but still had the perfect day, we have no regrets. The final thing I am glad we did as I mentioned before is that we didn’t have it in a church gym, I am not saying there is anything wrong with it, I have been to many beautiful receptions in them and it is a great way to save money! However it wasn’t for us and looking back we are glad we chose what we wanted even if it was a little chilly!

Anything you wish you hadn’t done?

The only thing I can think of that I wished we hadn’t done is take a red eye flight to our honeymoon that night. It did save us a little money and a day of travel however, after a long day it wasn’t the most enjoyable thing and not a fantastic way to spend your first night as a married couple if you know what I mean!

What was the best piece of wedding advice you got?

The best advice I got and I honestly am not even sure who it was from but it was to delegate tasks and assign people specific jobs for your day so you do not have to even think on your big day. Thankfully my sister (also my maid of honor) was kind and willing to take on this not so easy job. She took the time to learn every little detail and plan that I wanted and even took video to remember! So on my wedding day I really did not worry at all about where stuff was or who was where or if things got done because she made sure that between her or family and friends, it was taken care of. I guess it is like having a wedding planner yet one who works for free and who I trust with my life :)

What piece of wedding planing advice do you wish you followed?

Well a lot of my friends and co workers would suggest to get lots of help and would offer but I guess I thought it would be easier ans stay “my way” if I just did it alone. Looking back now, I do wish I had involved my friends more regardless if it made things easier it would have created those fun and bonding memories that I can never get now.

Anything you wish you hadn’t worried about?

I wish I hadn’t worried so much about what other people were going to think or say. In the end, you will be the one enjoying your day and remembering it all. I struggled with this at times but Dustin kept reminding me that it didn’t matter what others think, it is my wedding day not theirs.

Anything You wish you had known about sooner rather than later?

Well I wish I had known how different our location was going to look in March versus when we first picked it in November. It was an outside garden area and in november it was really pretty and lush. We figured that in Saint George, it would be green and flowery and even more beautiful in March! Unfortunately it wasn’t, a lot of things were still dead and the flowers hadn’t bloomed yet. We were disappointed but decided to laugh it off and just love it anyway still!

How did you choose your vendors?

Choosing vendors is one of the most stressful aspects of wedding planning and in most cases has to be done asap, maybe before you have even picked out your colors! With me, I wanted to minimize the amount of vendors I had to actually get by asking around friends and family to see who could help with certain things. Also, a lot of things I felt we could handle on our own and minimize costs such as not having a caterer or a D.J. or a wedding planner. Our location was just a local garden area who let us use it for the day for only 100 dollars. We found our photographer from browsing multiple ones we had liked on Facebook. I found Tyler Rye Photography and fell in love with his pictures, I told Dustin “I want this guy! please please please!” He too gave us a great deal. Our cake was made by one of Dustin’s sisters and it turned out exactly how I wanted it! We really couldn’t afford a videographer unfortunately, however we asked a couple friends from Dustin’s photography class if they could take some footage for us, they were glad too and we got a very cute video from it! My hair stylist was Sarah Gardner who just happened to be our photographer’s wife, it was a packaged deal with those two because they both did amazing. I loved my hair and they were so fun to work with!

What is your very best advice to other mountain brides?

My best advice for a bride planning her wedding is to just do what you want! Of course there may be budgets that have to be followed and weather that can’t be changed. But in most cases, you are limitless. Don’t be afraid to tell people no if it is not exactly what you have dreamed about (be nice about it of course!) And don’t make choices based upon what what others want or what the magazine says is a “must have” this is YOUR day and it needs to be one that you can feel beautiful and carefree. My secondary advice is include your fiance, it is kinda sorta his day too. You would be surprised to find out what he is wanting to help out with or maybe that one thing that he has always wanted for his wedding day but won’t bring it up because you matter more. It is a fun and exciting time that you can share together and it wouldn’t hurt to get some pre-marriage practice on how to compromise and make decisions with each other!

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