Sept. 4, 2008
Photography by Bryant Livingston Photography
by briana stewart
Before she became the “little Mrs.,” Provo’s Jessica Reichman was the “little sis.” Derek Olthuis — Jessica’s hubby-to-be — was friends with her older brother, but it was only a matter of time before his Reichman allegiances changed.
“He asked my brother if I could cut his hair,” says Jessica, who works as a stylist at Suggestions Salon in Orem. “So I did, and that’s when he casually mentioned going out sometime.”
That casual connection soon led to an inseparable one — but it didn’t last for long. After a few months of dating, Jessica was off to study abroad for three months.
“It was so, so hard,” Jessica remembers. “But it made us realize how much we loved each other. And when I got home, he was waiting at the airport with a rose.”
First came the rose — then came the ring, the giddiness and the planning. Although for Jessica, the planning was as easy as “I do.”
“I was never stressed,” Jessica says. “And it was all because of my wedding planner. If she needed an opinion, she’d call. But she just kept telling me, ‘You’re the bride. Go get a pedicure.’” So Jessica was fancy free with fancy feet — all she had to worry about was her absent groom.
“Derek was in Chile for three weeks before the wedding doing some professional skiing,” Jessica says. “And I remember saying goodbye to him at the airport and pleading, ‘Please come home alive. Please be in one piece.’”
Of course, Derek did come home in one piece. And six days later, the wedding went off with a magical hitch.
Vendor list
Dress
Alta Moda Bridal
Bridals
Taken At
Thanksgiving Point
Hair
Suggestions Salon
Rehearsal
Dinner
White Willow
Cake
Kneaders
Flowers
M&K Designs
I wonder if she’d let me borrow her dress…