Utah Valley Bride» Cover Stories

Lindsey and Alex

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:45:10 +0000

Falling in love is all about timing — just ask Lindsey Brown and Alex Reese. Their relationship timeline is a numbers game. They first met at a place Lindsey affectionately (and sarcastically) likes to call a “classy Mexican joint” — Beto’s in Provo. They dated for four months, broke up for a year, dated for a year and got engaged. After a short and sweet engagement, they were married on a blissfully warm day in September.
Their engagement story is also full of twists and turns. Lindsey planned a surprise trip to Disneyland for Alex’s birthday. At 3 a.m., she showed up at his house and handed him his boarding pass. Little did Lindsey know, Alex had a surprise up his sleeve, too. A very sparkly surprise. Alex was planning on proposing the next day.
“He just winged it and proposed at Disneyland,” Lindsey says. “It was so fun to have a double surprise.”
Once the ring was on her finger, Lindsey didn’t waste any time planning the wedding.
She had always wanted to have her reception on a rooftop.
“The closest thing I could find to a rooftop in Provo was a parking terrace,” Lindsey says. “When I called to ask if I could do it there, the guy was horrified. I had to convince him it was a good idea.”
The entire wedding was filled with unique touches, from the unconventional venue to the dress (a Monique Lhullier skirt from Alta Moda paired with an inexpensive lace top) to the treats (Smart Cookie sugar cookies and s’mores roasted on a fire pit made by Lindsey and her father) to the groom’s suit (designed by Alex and accented with a J. Crew denim tie).
After the sealing ceremony at the Salt Lake LDS Temple, it took Alex and Lindsey three hours to get back to Provo because of traffic from the BYU vs. Utah State football game. When the couple did finally arrive, Lindsey’s wedding planner, Holly Fowler, had transformed the parking terrace into a chic, urban rooftop. Lindsey says her favorite part of her wedding day was arriving at the reception site and seeing how everything had come together.
“Everything was lit up and everybody we loved was there to support us and our new life,” Lindsey says. “That was the best part of the entire day.”

Reception Provo Town Square parking terrace
Dress Alta Moda Bridal skirt; lace top with alterations by Barbara Gant
Flowers Holly Fowler
Cake Sharon Biegler
Wedding Planner Holly Fowler
Catering Smart Cookie
Groom’s Attire Designed by Alex, Made at Perfectly Suited

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Hailey and Jordan

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:44:39 +0000

Mothers really do know best. Just ask Orem’s Hailey Kern.
Not only did Hailey’s mom set her up with her future Mr., she even offered her own stunningly sentimental wedding dress for Hailey to wear.
“Something borrowed” doesn’t get better than that.
“It was an amazing feeling to wear my mom’s wedding dress,” Hailey says. “It was fun to have a part of her with me the whole day.”
But we’re getting ahead of ourselves (wedding gowns tend to do that). After all, first comes love.
When Hailey went on a blind date with Jordan Mabey to Zupas, there were no maybes about it.
“It was crazy how much we had in common,” Hailey says. “We talked the entire time, and it just felt really easy. By the time he dropped me off, he’d already asked me out for a second date.”
A second date turned into numberless dates, and by June 2011, the couple got engaged at Orem Summerfest on a Ferris Wheel flirting with fireworks.
“He was super calm, and so was I,” Hailey says. “The whole thing was really pretty magical.”
The fairy tale-like proposal carried on into seriously charmed wedding planning.
Hailey instantly knew her wedding colors would be light blue and a peachy pink (“I’ve always loved pastels”), she knew her wedding would have a vintage feel (“I’m a lover of all things old — it adds meaning”), she knew her photographer would be Jessie Alexis Photography (“I love her — she knows exactly how to get the images you want”), and she knew her reception would be at The Bungalow in Pleasant Grove (“I’ve wanted to have my reception there since I was a little girl — and oh, it was perfect”).
You know what else was perfect? The marriage.
“I’ll never forget coming out of the Salt Lake Temple with Jordan and knowing he’s my forever — realizing that no matter what he’s always going to be mine,” Hailey says. “It’s the happiest thing that ever could have happened to me.”

Reception The Bungalow
Dress Gown from Hailey’s mother
Flowers Forget Me Not Flowers
Cake Sharon Biegler
Rings Sierra-West Jewelers
Invitations My Grafix
Hair Studio 210
Suits Mr. Mac
Videographer Heidi Adams

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Sarah and Michael

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:42:34 +0000

For Sarah Doxey and Michael Heder, it was literally a case of boy meets girl.
The two then-teens met in German class at Pleasant Grove High School, and for Michael, it was liebe at first sight.
“He’s actually liked me since high school,” Sarah says. “Although I never really thought of him that way. We were just really good friends.”
And so the story goes … boy gets crush. Boy makes girl laugh. Boy takes girl to prom. Boy goes on LDS mission. Girl writes boy. Girl still thinks they’re just friends. (Who is girl kidding?) Boy gets home from mission. Boy takes girl on date. Boy takes girl on many dates. Boy proposes to girl. And girl says yes, oh yes. (Danke very much.)
“He’s the sweetest boy I’ve ever met — so kind, so thoughtful and so funny,” Sarah says. “They really don’t come better than Michael.”
Need an example? We propose … the proposal.
The two were at a family reunion in Park City in July 2011, and Michael surprised Sarah with a ski lift ride to a picnic at the top. When they arrived at the beautiful aspen tree forest, the plan unfolded.
“He told me he had to use the restroom, so I started humming and looked the other way,” she laughs. “But when he came back, he was dressed in his Sunday best and handed me a present. It was a scrapbook of all the dates we had been on — and all the things we hoped to eventually do. He told me what he loved about me and why he wanted to marry me. And then he asked me to be his wife.”
After the picnic-perfect engagement, planning the wedding was equally delightful. Photographer? Tamara Elise, naturally. Wedding colors? Blue, green and cream. Theme? Antique. And the gown? Her grandmother’s 57-year-old wedding dress, of course.
“I tried it on in eighth grade for fun. I remember hoping it would fit me when I was older,” Sarah says. “When it did, I was thrilled. It meant so much to me and to her.”
And when boy married girl? It was young love — all grown up.
“The day was just so lovely, and to share it with Michael was everything,” Sarah says. “Even though it was a blur, it was a blast.”

Dress Gown from Sarah’s Grandmother
Bridals Taken At Wheeler Farms
Flowers Pocket Full of Posies
Ring An antique shop in Salt Lake City
Groom’s Attire Banana Republic
Jewelry Macy’s and Forever X

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Jeanette and Chad

admin — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 17:39:51 +0000

Jeanette Warne and Chad Christiansen admired each other from afar at the gym for six months before they actually spoke. It was a one-word note left on Jeanette’s car windshield that got the ball rolling. The note read “Dinner?” with his phone number in tow.
Jeanette took him up on the offer. Her charm earned her a second and third date with Chad — something no girl had managed to do in years. The spell was broken! The couple got engaged in May 2011 after dating for two years.
The couple’s relationship had a very important third party involved — Jeanette’s 5-year old daughter, Emma. While Emma was shy with Chad at first, he won her over with bedtime-story bonding.
Emma was a big part of all of Jeanette’s wedding plans, including selecting a wedding dress. Jeanette fell in love with two Badgley Mishka gowns at Alta Moda Bridal. And what do you do when you can’t decide between two perfect dresses? Combine them, obviously. The designer was able to blend the delicate lace top of the first dress with the feathered skirt from the second dress, and Jeanette added an elegant pink ribbon to tie it all together.
“Emma loved the big, feathery skirt because she could fit under it and pop out from underneath,” Jeanette says. “And I was able to find a dress for her that matched mine.”
The special day started in the late afternoon at a grassy park near Jeanette’s parent’s house. First, there was a wedding ceremony with 150 family members and close friends, followed by dinner from Culinary Crafts. Then, the park filled up with more than 300 guests at the reception.
After a perfect evening filled with friends, family and delicious food, the couple exited with a celebratory confetti send-off. The children at the wedding, including Emma, didn’t hold back when it came to the confetti.
“I was still finding confetti everywhere during our honeymoon,” Jeanette says.
This fairytale wedding has one more happily-ever-after detail — the Christiansen family is expecting a baby boy this spring!

Dress Alta Moda Bridal
Catering Culinary Crafts
Cake Culinary Crafts
Décor Diamond Rental
Flowers Sunshine Creations
Hair & Makeup Studio Enizio
Invitations Ann Elizabeth Invitations
Groom’s Attire Express

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Rachel & Drew

admin — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:28:17 +0000

by Briana Stewart

photography by Rebekah Westover Photography (www.rebekahwestover.com)

When it comes to the courtship of Rachel Skalla and Drew Parcell, here’s the tall and short of it:

He’s 6’5’’. She’s travel size.

He noticed her (and noticed her, and noticed her). She was too nervous to talk to him.

He asked her out. She was dating someone else.

He waited. She thought about him — a lot.

She asked him out. He was game.

He told her he loved her. She loved him back.

He took a hike … to propose. And on top of Squaw Peak in piles of snow, she totally said yes.

“At first I thought he was joking because he had done that to me before,” Rachel says. “Plus, I didn’t think he had the ring yet, and he was acting really nonchalant the whole day. But all of a sudden he was on one knee, telling me he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me.”

In short (and sweet), Rachel got the picture — and perfect came tumbling after. With the wedding date set for Aug. 28, 2010 , Rachel got her planning on, and adored every moment of it.

From her Alta Moda Bridal gown (“I knew it was my dress the second I put it on”) to the catering (“My wedding wouldn’t have been my wedding without Mary Crafts”) to the hair (“I wanted something different, and Darcy at Suggestions was incredible”) to the photography (“I love Rebekah Westover”), Rachel’s unforgettable wedding fell into place — detail after decadent detail.

Among Rachel’s favorites was her peony-laden cascade bouquet, the idea of which came to her when looking at her mother’s wedding.

“I’m obsessed with peonies,” Rachel says. “And when I saw that my mom had a cascade bouquet, I knew we could do something cool with it.”

But even amidst the vintage parasols, five-tiered cake and sigh-worthy reception (oh, how we editors have been sighing), Rachel was surprised to discover which wedding day memory stole her heart.

“I thought the reception would be my favorite,” she says. “But the temple was the most amazing part. If I could go back to our wedding, I’d go back to the sealing. To walk in with Drew, who I love so much, and see everyone who loves us sitting there? I’ll never forget it.”

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Amanda & Blake

admin — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:26:46 +0000

by Kate Lehnhof

photography by Dan Hixson Photography (www.danhixsonphotography.com)

Orem native Amanda Gedicks’ love story is proof that good things come in twos. When she met her husband, Blake Moore, she couldn’t tell him apart from his twin brother, Adam, for an embarrassingly long time.

“Luckily they were nice enough to never pull any switches on me … at least I think so!” Amanda jokes.

Amanda worked with Blake’s sister and brother-in-law at Nordstrom for more than a year, and they always told stories about their “little brothers.”

When Amanda finally met the “little brothers” coincidentally in her LDS ward, they weren’t so little. She thought they were kind of cute, actually.

“When my best friend, Mallory, and I met them, she pointed at Adam and said, ‘I think that one is cuter’,” Amanda says. “I couldn’t even tell who was who, so I told her to go for it.”

A few weeks later, the twins took Amanda and Mallory to see the Michael Jackson documentary “This is It,” and the two couples knew “this was it.”

During the six months Blake and Amanda dated, Blake figured out the way to Amanda’s heart was through cheesy soft rock songs, and he made sure to incorporate them into his proposal.

He started by taking her on a drive and dedicating a song to her on FM 100 — her favorite radio station. He had called in and recorded a message telling Amanda he loved her and couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life with her.

Then he pulled the car over, gave her flowers and officially proposed with Chicago’s “Just Say You’ll Love Me” playing in the background.

All those melodramatic pop lyrics did the trick, and Amanda said yes.

Three days earlier, twin brother Adam had proposed to Mallory, and the brothers and best friends were married within a month of each other.

Amanda started off her nuptial celebrations with a dinner at Blue Lemon the night before the wedding.

The next day they were married in the Salt Lake LDS Temple, and they celebrated with a reception in Amanda’s backyard.

A big white tent, sparkling chandeliers, bistro lights and glorious shades of cream, brown, pink and silver turned the backyard into a fall wonderland.

The best part?

Amanda got to dance the night away on the outdoor dance floor with her new husband — you can guess who chose the music.

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Julie & Temana

admin — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:24:51 +0000

by Kate Lehnhof

photography by Photography by McKenzie (www.photographybymckenzie.com)

When Julie Price’s brother-in-law, Mario, told her he was going to “find her a man,” she laughed. It wasn’t until Mario introduced Julie to Temana Paongo that she gave credit to Mario for his matchmaking skills.

Temana was the only guy who managed to catch Julie’s attention — and keep it.

“He was quiet and sweet, and I could tell he was different from the other guys,” Julie says. “He came over the next night, and from then on we started talking on the phone into all hours of the night, like little high schoolers. We just couldn’t get enough of each other.”

Temana and Julie fell in love quickly over those late-night talks. On March 18 — exactly one month from the day they met — Temana told Julie he loved her. But he told her in Tongan so she wouldn’t know what he was saying.

Needless to say, Julie figured it out.

Three months later on July 18, Temana popped the question to Julie when they were having a picnic at the Mount Timpanogos LDS Temple.

“We decided that 18 was our lucky number and that we should get married on the 18th,” Julie says.

So on Sept. 18, Julie and Temana tied the knot at the temple where they got engaged. Later that night, they celebrated with a reception in a chapel down the street. Temana’s sister, Lei, put the reception together with Julie’s help.

“There were only a few things that I was particular about with my wedding, and one of them was that I wanted lots of pink,” Julie says.

Pink? Check.

Julie’s mermaid-style gown from Allyse’s Bridal (one of her two wedding dresses, by the way) was adorned with two hot pink ribbons, the couple’s nieces wore playful pink dresses, and her bouquet was full of tropical pink and white flowers.

But it wasn’t all just pretty in pink. Temana is Tongan, so the wedding celebrations included many of his family’s cultural traditions. Guests dined on heaping plates of Polynesian fare, Temana’s sisters wore traditional Tongan garb and Polynesian dancing livened up the party.

The event was a little bit Julie, a little bit Temana and a lot of fun.

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Sarina & Christian

admin — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 16:22:10 +0000

by Briana Stewart

photography by Nichole V. Photography (www.nicholev.com)

Sarina Thomas and Christian Armstrong were married Aug. 25, 2010 — 12 years to the day they met. And make no mistake: This boy-meets-girl tale is one for Utah Valley’s history books. (Or bride magazine, as the case may be.)

It was 1998, and Sarina and Christian first laid smiles on each other in a Timpview High School ballroom class.

“There was instant attraction,” Christian says.

The relationship continued, but not before they — very maturely — decided they weren’t mature enough to begin a relationship.

“What are the odds two high school kids would say, ‘Let’s wait and do things right,’” Christian says. “What are the chances?”

Not high, indeed. But good old fashioned fate stepped in.

In college, the pair continued to wonder about each other from afar. Christian would come around about once a month (“My roommates called him the home teacher,” Sarina laughs.), but ultimately the two led their own lives and dated other people — even if they didn’t want it that way.

“I have journal entries saying, ‘I’m done loving Christian. It’s too hurtful. I can’t keep getting my hopes up,’” Sarina says. “So I just put him on the backburner for years.”

The years kept burning, and Sarina and Christian both broke off serious relationships and decided to go on LDS missions. Sarina went to Chile. And a couple years after that, Christian went to Argentina.

Thanks to her job at the MTC, Sarina and Christian saw each other while he was at the center. And when the wife of Christian’s mission president turned out to be one of Sarina’s Spanish students, fate was turned up full force. The mission president wanted Sarina to come to Argentina and help his wife adjust. After months of turning them down, Sarina finally obliged.

“When I went down to his mission, I had an impression of, ‘You are going to marry Christian Armstrong,’” Sarina adds. “And I thought, ‘I’m 26! Nineteen-year-olds do this in the dorms!’ But the impression just got stronger.”

So strong, in fact, that Sarina wrote Christian two letters — one that had a scripture and motivational quote, and another that told him of her impression. She sent the first, and tucked away the latter “never to be sent.”

Little did Sarina know, Christian had a similar experience. He wrote her a letter with a marriage impression of his own — “never to be sent.”

“They were letters we were divinely inspired to write,” Sarina says. “And when he finally got the courage to send me his letter by the urging of his mission president — I sent my tucked away letter in response.”

The coincidence (we think not) and romance of it all still gets to Sarina.

“I don’t have words for it,” Sarina says. “It leaves you in awe. We’re constantly saying to ourselves, ‘How did we get so lucky? But then we realize something more divine was pushing us together. It doesn’t get better than that.”

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Stephanie & Dane

admin — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:23:56 +0000

For Stephanie Matthews, it was love at first date.

“I knew right away I was going to marry him,” says the Orem bride of her now-hubby Dane Thomas. “I called my mom and told her he was the one.”

And when you know, you know.

So after three months of dating, the pair spent their happiest moment in the happiest place on earth.

“We got engaged at Disneyland,” Stephanie says. “But he tricked me! When we were walking out of Club 33 restaurant, the waiter came out and said I forgot something. I thought it was my inhaler, but when I turned around, there was Dane on his knee with a ring.”

With a July 1 wedding date, the next step was planning, planning, planning.

First up? A gorgeous gown — with no cookie cutters in sight.

“I found a Monique Lhuillier dress I loved with a Queen Anne neckline and lace, so I took that raw idea to dressmaker Shawna Schauers who made me a beautiful dress that was all my own,” Stephanie says. “It was so perfect and unique. She ended up using more than 30 yards of fabric!”

With the help of her photographer, McKenzie Deakins, Stephanie planned the rest of her wedding with ease — which led to a perfectly perfect day.

“We got sealed early in the morning, and it was absolutely my favorite part of the day,” Stephanie says. “I’m a convert (to the LDS Church), so my parents weren’t able to attend the ceremony. But coming out of the temple and giving my parents the biggest hug was a moment I’ll never forget.”

So first came love, then came marriage, and then comes … well, you know the rest!

“Our pregnancy was a surprise, to say the least,” Stephanie says. “But we couldn’t be happier about it.”

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Jenna & Brady

admin — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 22:13:20 +0000

BRIDE AND GROOM Jenna Oldroyd and Brady Jardine BRIDE’S HOMETOWN Orem GROOM’S HOMETOWN Twin Falls, Idaho BRIDE’S OCCUPATION Secretary at Central Valley Machine/student at USU GROOM’S OCCUPATION USU basketball player/student WEDDING LOCATION Mount Timpanogos LDS Temple HOW YOU MET We met after a Utah State University volleyball game. I was a volleyball player, and he was the new basketball player on campus. He approached me, but I didn’t think much of it because of his “dating machine” reputation — and, of course, the blond hair. I soon realized he wasn’t the Casanova I’d blackmarked him as — and I even love the blond hair. FIRST KISS We were in his apartment watching “The Count of Monte Cristo.” Two seconds into the movie, he kissed me and said, “I’ve waited long enough, right?” Our friends came in right after so we got to watch the rest of the movie. FIRST DANCE Our first dance as a married couple was one of my favorite parts of the night. I danced with my father, who then let Brady cut in; it was a sweet moment I will always remember. WEDDING THEME Bucolic, fall, rustic WEDDING COLORS Olive green, eggplant with accents of rust-red and mustard yellow SIGNATURE DETAIL Getting married in the fall was something I always hoped would happen. I was so excited about an October wedding that in addition to the fall colors everywhere, I had little pumpkins and artichokes on the tables and in the flower bouquets. SOMETHING YOU DID AND LOVED I decided early on the most important things to me were to have a great video and great pictures. I went with my favorite photographer and videographer — regardless of the price — and I was extremely happy with the results. UNEXPECTED MOMENT Before we were married, the fire alarm went off at the temple and stopped things for about 10 minutes. It was just an accident and something fun to remember.

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