Dana and her love were married at the Gilbert Arizona Temple. They were college sweethearts who met in Idaho and had the most gorgeous winter wedding in January 2015. Read more below!
How did you and your groom meet?
We met at school in Idaho, my ex-roommate is his cousin. He came over to make pasta for her and her good friend. As he cooked for them, I came home from a date where I broke it off with another boy and announced when I came inside that I was done with boys. Then I saw him and thought maybe I had spoken a little too soon.
We are dying to know, how did he propose?!
I am a music major and we have had all of our talks about important things in one of the practice rooms. One night he asked if I wanted to go there to talk, and it was a miracle I was ok with that, because I was pretty tired, but once there, we played on the piano for a little while and once done with that, I asked him what we should do next, and he just looked very giddy and said, ‘I know something you don’t!’ He told me to stay on the piano bench and he went to get the box out of his backpack and he knelt in front of me as I sat there, and asked me, using my full name, to marry him.
What were your wedding colors? Did you have an overall theme?
Our wedding colors were cranberry and silver. Our favorite colors are red and silver, so it was pretty close, and appropriate for the winter, when we had our wedding.
How large was your wedding party?
Four bridesmaids and four groomsmen.
Where did you find your dress? Would you say that finding your dress was a relatively easy or a difficult process?
I found my dress at a store also in Idaho. My mother was originally going to make my dress, but she was so far away. She came up once and we went dress shopping at Circle of Love. The first dress I tried on, I knew immediately was the one for me, and although we tried many others, I kept coming back to that one, it was not hard to choose at all, although it was not the style I thought I had wanted all along.
Where did your ceremony and reception take place? Was there any special meaning behind the choice of venue(s)?
Our ceremony was performed at the Gilbert Arizona Temple, and the reception was in the backyard of a friend that lived near me growing up. We picked that temple because the architecture and windows reminded us of Europe, where we both served missions for our church. It was also where he went to attend the wedding of his cousin during the first weekend of our relationship, and we realized that we missed each other more than we thought we would, which was our first sign that our relationship was the right thing. For the reception, the friend who lived there was really close to me growing up, and I sang at her own sister’s wedding, and attended a couple of other receptions there for our other friends. I had asked years before if I could have my own reception there someday, and her mom said of course I could.
What kind of flowers did you have in your bouquet and the ceremony/ reception?
I had a red rose bouquet with silver brooches interspersed, and my husband wore a red rose as well. The bridesmaids and groomsmen had white roses.
What was the flavor of your wedding cake? Did you have a groom’s cake?
Our cake was simply vanilla, so if it spilled on my dress somehow, it wouldn’t get dirty. It was very good, but only two tiers since we served cheesecake as the main cake.
What details from your wedding that made it unique to you?
Cheesecake. We had a beautiful light canopy that made it so beautiful, and our families were involved in every aspect. We didn’t go to too many outside sources for our wedding.
Did you take a honeymoon? If so, where did you go?
We did not get to have a honeymoon since we were already a week late for school, but we will soon get to go to Seattle, Washington, and Victoria, British Columbia for our honeymoon.
My husband and I wrote letters to each other that we shared with one another right before we got married that really meant a lot to us. It’s important to take a few minutes at some point before the ceremony to stop and take in what is about to happen and just soak in what you feel. Also, it absolutely does not need to be expensive to be a stunning wedding. Mine was absolutely perfect and it was at I think a quarter of the regular price that people pay for weddings.
Who were some of the other vendors that were a part of your dream team?
We mostly had our family help us out, even for our invitations, pictures, videography, food, DJ, and hairdresser. Babydoll Weddings however, provided my gorgeous makeup.