This lovely winter wedding, captured by Pepper Nix, at the Stein Eriksen Lodge in Utah is full of love, color and delightfully unconventional moments. I love the grandma flower “girls”! I also love those custom-made mukluks from Iskwew Beadworks. Hand made by Laurie Smith. Pepper Nix was on hand to capture every lovely detail and moment.
Couple’s names
Location
Wedding Date
Why did you choose the Mountains for your wedding?
Dee and I fell in love in the mountains. We love to go up in the mountains together to hike, snowshoe and explore. It is a spiritual place to us.
Wedding Day Weather
We got so lucky. March in the Utah Mountains can mean almost anything as far as weather goes. We got a blue sky with a warm sun. Perfect.
Number of guests that attended
140
What was your theme for your wedding?
Our “theme” was a rustic peacock theme. I didn’t want to over do it on the peacock feathers and so I incorporated more of the purples, greens, and golds into the flower arrangements. My bouquet was THE MOST BEAUTIFUL thing I have ever seen. My sister Kimber, also our floral designer, ordered these beautiful blue and green orchids that hung down sort of like a peacock tail. I couldn’t believe how beautiful my bouquet turned out. The bridesmaids bouquets were also very colorful and held together by burlap cloth. As far as flowers for the ceremony. We hung small wooden woven baskets along the chairs down the aisle with simple flowers incorporating the peacock color scheme. My sister made 5 food flower arrangements for where Destin and I would be standing to be married. She put birch wood in the bottom of the glass vase, then a big popping bouquet at the top. In the reception area, we again kept it simple and had birch tree cutouts on the tables with a small vase holding a gerber daisy or rose in peacock colors and a candle.
Where did you find your inspiration?
One word – Pinterest :). Seriously, I grew up on a farm and one of our animals was peacocks. I always loved how the peacock feathers looked against the freshly fallen white snow. I also have always wanted a winter wedding, but I didn’t want it to look like Christmas. I felt the bold purple, green and gold of the peacock feather looked nice against the winter white background, and my white dress.
How did you choose to personalize your wedding?
I think writing our own vows made it very personal and allowed our guests to feel how much we loved each other. I’ve had older couples tell me that our wedding helped them feel like they were newly in love all over again and that means the world to me. If our love can ignite others old flames, then we must be doing something right.
What was your favorite part of the reception?
Destin: All the speeches, cursing and all, were amazing. But, I’ll remember my brothers speeches the most. Our friends and family did a surprise dance to “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” the same song we were doing for our first dance, complete coincidence, and Mindy and I both got up thinking we had to hurry to start our dance. Mindy’s mom and grandma had to tell us to sit back down while everyone gathered and started dancing. We were in complete shock and they all did a crazy awesome job. The food was some of the best food i’ve ever had in my life as is to be expected from Stein. Our DJ Don Woodbury was amazing, I went to smoke cigars with my groomsmen, took two drags and had to get back to the dance floor. I had leather bottom shoes and they were trashed from dancing all night long. There’s so many more but I don’t want to write a novel.
What are three things you’re super glad you did?
- The reveal before the ceremony
- Had eyelash extensions put on so mascara didn’t run when I cried
- And took dance lessons.
What you would have done differently (if anything)?
hired a videographer
Anything you wish you hadn’t done?
I chose not to talk when it was our turn to give a toast because I wanted Destin to give the toast, but I wish I would have taken time to thank our parents and guests for coming to celebrate our love with us.
Anything you wish you hadn’t worried about?
Looking fat in my wedding dress
How did you find and choose your vendors?
Word of mouth or researching online
What is your best piece of advice to other mountain brides who are planning their weddings?
I am a very organized person and I put together a wedding binder with all of our wedding information in it. I tried to have all of the major things done 2 months before our actual wedding day, so that the last two months could be spent on details and pampering. It really helped to be so organized, then I could just enjoy the day.
Also, have your ceremony outside, even if it is freezing cold!
Deer Valley Wedding Vendors
Photographer: Pepper Nix Photography | Equipment Rentals: Diamond Rental | Mukluks: Iskwew Beadworks | DJ: Don woodbury Productions | Dress designer: Maggie Sottero |Floral Artist: Kimber Harmon | Invitations: Toni Lock of TM Designs |Clothes: Suit from Utah Wollen Mills | Dress Store: Fantasy Bridal | Dress Designer: Maggie Sottero | Event Venue: Stein Eriksen Lodge | Makeup Artist: Gabby from Centre Salon in Fashion Place Mall | Ring designer: Tacori | Cake Designer: Chef Ann Giles from Stein Eriksen Lodge | Wedding Planner: Mindy Harmon | Wedding favors: We made bird seed hearts that people could hang in their yards to feed the birds | Jewelry: Borrowed diamond bracelet from my Grandma, which was given to her by my grandpa. Old pair of pearl earrings that used to belong to my great grandmother. New pearl necklace as a wedding gift from Destin the night before our wedding from | Bridesmaids dresses: I let my bridesmaids choose the style of dress they felt most comfortable in from David’s Bridal, but they all had to be made in the Clover Green color | Officiant: Trina West, the grooms mother
Mountainside Guide
Pepper Nix is a distinguished member of the Mountainside Guide, an exclusive vendor directory featuring the best and most reliable mountain wedding vendors in North America. Mountainside Guide members are screened and vetted for quality of work, reliability, and professionalism, both among their peers and on review web sites.
See Pepper Nix’s portfolio HERE.