Sarai + Andrew
(September 4, 2020 in Missoula, MT)
Welcome back to the Ivory blog! In todays blog post the author shares about her wedding vision to incorporate her Montana roots and her husband's small-town background. They aimed for a rustic yet elegant feel with natural texture and greenery. They picked vendors based on Instagram photos with similar vibes and read reviews online. The day-of was hot but beautiful, and they did not do a first look. They took group photos between the ceremony and reception, enjoyed a dessert table with a variety of sweets, and danced the night away with the option for guests to play lawn games. The author's top tip for future brides is to splurge on a videographer, as being able to replay those moments on video is priceless.
Sarai was absolutely breathtaking in our Drew gown by Martina Liana. This is a stunning fit and flare gown covered in gorgeous graphic lace appliques. This dress has sheer side cutouts that beautifully accentuate curves. The bodice features a flattering v-neckline and lace straps with an illusion detail so that they appear as if they are floating. The dramatic low back of this gown is accentuated by a beaded multi-strap detail. The lace details continue throughout the beautiful scalloped train on this dress.
By our real bride, Sarai:
What was the vision for your wedding?
I wanted to bring my Montana roots and my husband's roots being from a small town into our wedding day. I wanted lots of natural texture, including the barn wood and lots of greenery. I wanted things to be a little rustic, but also elegant. I wanted the florals to be natural looking and a little "wild" but still elegant. I wanted the vibe of the wedding to be that everyone could relax and enjoy themselves. Andrew and I love to entertain at our house, especially when we can grill and be out on our back patio during the warmer months, so we wanted to pick a venue where we could enjoy being outdoors as well. The finished product was better than I ever could have envisioned, and my friends and vendors were the key to pulling it all together. I chose my vendors mostly based off of Instagram photos with similar vibes to what I was looking for, and then read lots of reviews online!
How did it go the day-of?
We ended up getting married on a Friday (which I highly recommend by the way!) of the Labor Day holiday weekend. We decided on my hometown (rather than Spokane) well before the pandemic hit, and it just so happened that worked out in our favor. We rented a big house in Missoula for us and a lot of our wedding party and closest friends, and that was almost as much fun as the wedding!
The day of the wedding itself was gorgeous and sunny and hot! At the time our outdoor ceremony started, it was 93 degrees outside! However, as the night continued, it was like a warm summer night where we could all celebrate outside and enjoy one of the last nice nights of the year.
We did not do a first look, I really wanted to surprise Andrew walking down the aisle, and just love how he teared up a bit when he saw me! Because we had our ceremony and reception at the same venue, we were able to do all formal and group photos between the ceremony and the reception while guests grabbed drinks and relaxed on the large patio and played lawn games.
Our dessert table included a cake, cookies, brownies, and donuts, as well as both my husband's favorite pie (Dutch apple) and my favorite pie (s'mores pie, which I made the day before the wedding). My MOH did an amazing job making the dessert table incredible!
After a delicious dinner and cutting our cake, we danced the rest of the night away but also had the option for our guests to play lawn games and had a fire pit with a s'mores station set up. One of my favorite moments of the reception was when we danced to "Zombie Nation" with all the Gonzaga alums and fans attending our wedding (both Andrew and I are GU alums). At the end of the celebration, we had a sparkler send-off and met up with all of our wedding party at our rental house to celebrate and relax more. It was truly a weekend of celebration and being loved on by our friends and family, but also getting to love on all our people the way we know best--hosting!
What is your #1 tip to future brides?
Splurge on the videographer! I wasn't going to get one because I already had purchased the largest photography package my photographer offered, but I was talked into booking a videographer less than a week before the wedding by a very good friend of mine, and boy do I not regret that decision! Being able to replay those moments on video are absolutely priceless to me, and we are excited to someday show our kids the video!
