Grand Canyon Bridals + St George Temple Wedding - Utah

NATE + REAGAN

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YOUR WEDDING AND NO ONE ELSE'S

From Nate & Reagan:

How did you two meet?

We met on the first day of our Intro to Programming class at BYU. I (Reagan) was actually running late, so when I finally got there I just sat in the first open seat I could find in the huge auditorium, right next to a really cute guy, coincidentally (Nate). A few minutes into the lecture, Nate offered me a piece of gum and I decided to strike up a conversation with him. As we talked, we found out that we were both from the Midwest and start bonding. Class ended and we continued talking, and he mentions that he has a motorcycle and offers me a ride home (!!). It was so exciting and I was on cloud nine. We had nowhere to be, so we ended up driving around the city for a bit before he took me home. We exchanged numbers and talked all night, and three weeks later he asked me to be his girlfriend.

How did he/she propose?

After driving all night to Casper, Wyoming for his family reunion, we slept for a few hours at his grandparents' house before waking up at 6AM to ride hot air balloons with his family. I had told Nate I was super excited to ride the hot air balloon because I’ve always wanted to ride on one and it was on my bucket list. We got to his uncle’s house just in time for the last balloon ride of the day. His whole family was there, and Nate and I got on with his cousin who was operating the balloon. As we floated up I started taking videos and I couldn’t believe how cool it was! When we were at the very top I looked out and saw Nate’s siblings run out into the field with huge signs that said “Will you marry me?” I turned around so fast, and he was down on one knee, with a ring in his hand, and said “Reagan Litsuen Dance, will you marry me?” I was completely surprised and so speechless I couldn’t even find the words to say yes so I just started kissing him! When we landed we were greeted with so many hugs from all of his family members, and I felt so loved to have shared this moment with all of them.

Why did you choose the theme of your wedding?

Just before we were engaged, I took a trip with my family through basically all of southern Utah and some of Northern Arizona (Moab, Lake Powell, Grand Canyon, Horseshoe Bend, Bryce Canyon, Zions, and Saint George). We were constantly surrounded by so much beauty and red rocks and greenery. Nate and I had taken a few trips down to Saint George and Bryce Canyon before, and we love the aesthetic of southern Utah. Saint George was a special place to us, so it made sense to get married there. I wanted our colors to be like the red rocks and the greenery of southern Utah, so we chose terra cotta and sage green as our colors, and we had our pictures taken at Zion NP and the Grand Canyon.

What made you pick your venue?

Since we lived four hours away from where we were getting married, we had to rely a lot on internet searches and online reviews. We narrowed it down to 3-4 venues and took a weekend trip to go on scheduled tours. I believe The Falls was the last one we checked out, but it was by far the most impressive. We fell in love with the venue and booked it!

Did a particular moment in your day stick out to you personally?

Nate and I took a moment while everyone was dancing to just walk around outside, get some fresh air, and enjoy this moment of being together and being married. The venue was decorated so beautifully outside- they strung lights across the palm trees, and the waterfall was going. It was nice to just take a step back from the craziness and focus on the importance of this day.

What kind of personal details did you incorporate into your wedding?

Nate and I gave our parents small gifts the night before our wedding. We gave our fathers tie clips that said "Father of the Bride/Groom" and we gave our mothers earrings in a gift box with a note that said "To the Mother of the Bride/Groom, Thank you for raising the woman/man of my dreams." I did the whole "something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" thing. My "something old" was a promise ring that Nate gave me when we were dating. My "something new" was a pair of earrings that I bought just before our bridal photos session. My "something borrowed" was a necklace that my mom let me borrow. And my "something blue" was my engagement ring, which features an aquamarine center stone, which is Nate's birthstone! We had our own signature mixed drinks at the reception! We really wanted our favorite soda shop, Sodalicious, to cater our reception, but their travel fee to St. George was out of our budget. So, we chose our two favorite drinks off the menu and made them ourselves. It's funny because the drinks we chose are called "NCMO" and "Eternal Companion," which describes our relationship perfectly. At the dinner, we each had our three closest friends and our parents give short toasts. They made us laugh, cry, and feel so loved. Our dancing shoes! One year for our anniversary, I got Nate these light-up shoes and we loved them so much that I ended up getting myself a pair too. We had to wear them on the dance floor at our reception, and they were a huge hit! We accidentally left them on during our first dance, though! We had the DJ play Mr. Brightside by The Killers during our send-off. It sounds weird, but it's one of "our" songs that we always belt out in the car and makes us feel connected. It created a perfect moment as our friends and family sent us off with sparklers.

Do you have any advice for couples planning their wedding?

Just remember that this is your wedding and no one else's. Don't let others' opinions on what you should do with your special day deter you from doing what you and your fiance really want to do. Also, don't try to do something for the sake of "everyone else is doing it." I thought I needed a photo booth at my reception and was stressing out trying to find one that we could afford (I didn't realize how expensive they are!) and I didn't even really want one. My mom and I researched alternatives, and we opted for a caricaturist! It was a huge hit, and actually ended up being way cheaper than a photo booth.

Last Thoughts?

If you're going to have people give toasts, make sure you have someone record them!! They were such a special part of our reception and we regret not having them recorded.

Vendors

Ceremony Venue: Saint George LDS Temple

Reception Venue: The Falls Event Center St. George

Videographer: Jeremiah Harlow

Florist: Jocelyn's Floral

Caterer: Brick Oven

Cake Maker: Cupcakes by Julie

DJ/Live Band: Festival Sounds