Mark and Haley's Wedding in Alta, Wyoming

Due to COVID-19, the resort reluctantly cancelled all weddings through July 2020 due to health and safety concerns. Even with the daunting news of this, the staff were very helpful with working through it. We decided to reschedule for July of 2021.

Unfortunately, the staffing issues facing the country also affected the Grand Targhee, but the staff were determined to not let it interfere with our special day. Staff worked double hard to make sure all our needs were met the entire weekend.

The day of the wedding, the groomsmen got ready at a loft that was provided by the resort. The bridesmaids and bride got ready in a suite also provided. I was blessed with two of the most talented hair and makeup personnel from Idaho Falls. Eduardo Llamas and Tiffany Dalling arrived at 8 a.m. to start the day. They did hair and make up on myself, six bridesmaids, and the mothers of the bride and groom while having us all ready in time. On top of that, they made sure that every other part of the wedding was running smoothly. They were ready to take charge and help out in any way possible. To say they went above and beyond is really an understatement.

The Bridal Suite had a view of the ceremony lawn so I was able to watch the progression before I made my entrance. Mark and I were married on the lawn of the terrace, overlooking the beautiful forest of the park. Even with the guest count totaling 100, the ceremony still felt very intimate and private.

After the ceremony, our bridal party was able to join us on the chairlift to the top of the mountain. The views from the top were so breathtaking. Ashleigh Kenny Photography took such beautiful photos up there while Gage Horne studios captured such great film. It was so special to spend the first minutes as man and wife in a place surrounded by so much beauty.

As weather does in Wyoming, the sunny day turned dark in a matter of minutes. For safety reasons, the chairlift was shut down due to nearby lightening and myself, my groom, and half of my wedding party were stuck at the top of the mountain with the other half were at the bottom of the lift. The resort sent trucks up the mountain and we were able to make it to our reception just in time.

Once in the reception, it started to downpour, but hey, they say that's good luck! My groom and I did our first dance to a live performance of Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur. We had a family friend gift us with his performing talents during this, making our day so unique and special. After the dances and dinner, the sky's parted and the sun came out, leaving us great timing to finish our family photos.

We then went to the cake cutting and bouquet and garter toss, and then it was time to dance! Our DJ made sure great music was playing all night and really kept the dance floor busy. We loved seeing the little ones bust their best moves. My family is annoying good at swing dancing, and made sure to showcase their impressive talents. As for us and our friends, we really danced as if no one was watching.

We did our final dance to Garth Brooke's To Make You Feel My Love and said our goodbye's to most of our guests. For the ones that weren't quite ready to call it quits, we went to the Trap Bar provided by the resort, where our bartender from the reception met us there and slung drinks for us for a few more hours. Talk about some rockstar staff!

Our wedding was the perfect day and I was so amazing of how relaxed and calm I was throughout the entire day. The thing that mattered most was marrying Mark, but everything and everyone that contributed to the day made it even more remarkable. I would do it a thousand times over, the same exact way.