May 22, 2010
The Mr and Mrs
Cody and I officially tied the knot! The day was absolutely perfect! We were surrounded by family and friends which made it even more special. We had people come in from all over the country and out of the country as well. Cody’s aunt and uncle, Keith and Kathy, won the award for the most time in an airplane and the furthest distance travelled. Kathy flew in from Germany and Keith was re-routed all over the country from Tennessee. Together they logged about 63 hours in the air! I feel so blessed to have people that love and support us like that.
So I guess I’ll start from the beginning of the day 
There is way too much to try and cram in every detail so I’ll give you the abridged version
8:00 am – Wake up and eat breakfast. Me and all the bridesmaids stayed the night at the Little America Hotel so we would all be together and ready to go first thing.
8:30 am – Make Mimosa’s, yum!
9:00 am – Amy Lowe arrived to do all of our hair and makeup. She was able to get us all dolled up with time to spare, now that takes some serious talent!
10:00 am – Pick up freshly steamed dress from Alta Moda.
12:00 pm – Amy Lashelle photographer extraordinaire arrived at the hotel room. She was hoping to catch some “getting ready” pictures but we were ahead of schedule so she just took some random shots of my boots and the wedding rings.
12:30 pm – Head to First Look location. Our First Look was initially planned to be in the canyon. The weather had been very hit and miss so Amy put together a “plan B” just in case it decided to rain.
1:00 pm – Me and my bridesmaids were able to get some rockin’ pics in the woods just before it started to downpour rain and hail.
1:45 pm – Cody arrived at the First Look spot in the midst of the rain and sleet. We all headed back down the canyon to SLC to the plan B spot. The valley was nice and the sun was shining so we totally lucked out!
2:30 pm to 3:30 pm – We had our First Look which turned out so perfect and then we all took a bunch of photos with the groomsmen and bridesmaids. Around 3:30 we were all pictured out and decided to go to a local coffee bar named Divas. Not only do they have the best barista in town, they have the most amazing gourmet cupcakes and beer AND wine to boot! We all had so much fun sitting around in our wedding attire drinking, eating and relaxing.
4:30 pm – Time to head back up the canyon to Log Haven. To my delight, the weather broke just in time so we didn’t have to deal with the rain J
Between 5:00 pm and 6:00 pm – There was so much going on, me and my ladies just hung out in the bridal suite touching up our makeup and taking a moment to kind of collect ourselves again. Right before we were told we had 5 min before the ceremony, I had a “moment” but it was quickly taken care of with a shot of whiskey and a hug from my dear friends, thanks ladies
6:00 pm – The Ceremony….. I remember beautiful music, flowers, a rush of cold air as me and my dad stepped outside and thinking to myself “Don’t cry now woman! You’ve had all day to get your tears out! Pull yourself together!” Our officiant, Pastor Mike Galica, performed the most beautiful ceremony. The words are all a blur except the vows, my favorite bible verse and a special passage that is said to be of Apache origin, it goes “Now you will feel no rain, for each of you will be shelter to the other; now you will feel no cold, for each of you will be warmth to the other; now there will be no loneliness, for each of you will be companion to the other. Now you are two persons, but there is one life before you. Go now to your dwelling place to enter into the days of your togetherness, and may your days be good and long upon the earth.”
The best part of the ceremony however was when Cody surprised me with a one of a kind wedding band. Initially he told me I wasn’t going to get a band and I would just have to use my engagement ring. I was a little disappointed because I really wanted one. I had no idea he had this all planned out, and it was the most wonderful surprise I could ever received.
After the Ceremony pm – I had to no sense of time at this point. We had an excellent buffet dinner provided by Log Haven, which me and Cody started off. I had plenty to eat, I was not going to be one of those brides who claims they didn’t have time to eat The decor and flowers were provided by Trifecta Design, they were soooo georgeous! Our cake was done by Mrs. Backers pastries, the one thing my mother insisted on was and “edible” cake We had our first dance, Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley, champagne toast, cake cutting, boquet and garter toss. And yes, we danced our booties off!
We finally packed up around 10:30 pm and my sister drove me and Cody back to the Little America for the night, and the rest as they say is history…….
There is much in between that I will remember and didn’t mention. I want to thank everybody who supported us that day. Words can’t express how happy and perfect it all turned out. For those of you who weren’t there, you were missed.
My photographer put together an awesome blog post about the day and pictures to go with. Check it out at Amanda & Cody
The groom stands still and waits while the bride approaches him from behind, when they get about 4-5 feet away from each other the groom turns around and faces him lovely bride. Then the two have some time to let it all, as I think of it. A chance to let some of the nerves settle, relax and have some quality time together before the ceremony and all the people. I loved, loved, loved this idea! We haven’t chosen the spot for our First Look yet but we want it to be kind of rustic and cozy. I also plan on taking a bunch of photos with the bridesmaids and groomsmen so we don’t have to take a lot of time away from our guests and partying at the wedding. 
