“Drew and I had been dating for 6 years before getting engaged. During those 6 years we travelled, graduated college, bought a house, travelled some more, and fell even more in love. Drew proposed in San Francisco on our 6-year dating-anniversary trip. I knew it was coming during the trip, but didn’t know when or where! Our wedding planning process was different, I was a wedding planner for a company in Park City, so everyone assumed I knew everything I wanted. Wrong. I had seen so many things that it almost made it harder! It was fun being on the bride side of things, getting to make all my own choices. I wasn’t sure how involved Drew would be with the planning, but he was super helpful and opinionated (in a good way!). I had made so many friends in the wedding industry it was also hard to decide who to work with. I am so grateful for the incredible team that helped our special weekend come together! Almost a year after getting engaged we found ourselves in Southern Utah getting married! It was everything we dreamed of. On Friday for our Rehearsal Dinner, I wore my great-grandmother’s wedding dress from 1934. I had never tried it on until the week before my wedding, so obviously I already had an outfit picked out. I was still going back and forth if I wanted to wear it, but it wasn’t until that morning that I finally made up my mind. We had a welcome party that night too so I was able to do an outfit change! My great-grandmother, Verna, also bought a new Chevy Impala in 1972, she didn’t drive it much and it sat in our family so it only has about 60K miles. I knew I wanted that car at our wedding somehow, whether just for photos or hopefully to be the getaway car! We’re glad it made the trip down to St. George (about 4 hours from where it was “living”). When I graduated college my grandmother gave me earrings that were made out of her 50th anniversary wedding band, I knew I had to wear them on my wedding day. I hand sewed a hair piece to wear after the ceremony. I took pieces of lace from scraps of my wedding dress and my mom’s wedding dress to make the base, then added beads and sequins from my mom’s & grandmother’s dresses for detail. I also used my mom’s wedding-day purse as my purse. I wore two other rings on Friday and Saturday that were both my great-great grandmother’s. The Friday ring had an “A” on it, for Ann, same as my initial. The ring I wore Saturday was made with two pearls and two opals. I had also bought an opal bracelet, the birthstone of October which is Drew’s birth month and the month we got married. Drew’s cufflinks were custom made with a hand written “I love you” from me. His & the groomsmen’s bowties and pocket squares matched the material of the bridesmaids’ satin dresses. I loved being able to incorporate so much family history in our special day!”
– Ava, the bride
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