Krisina + Merek
June 11, 2011
The Johnson Mill
Heber, Utah

BEFORE THE WEDDING

Occupations:

Merek - Part-time Teller at America First Credit Union/Student studying Finance at University of Utah.

Krisina - Private Banking Operations Analyst for Goldman Sachs.

How the couple met: We met while both working for JP Morgan Chase Bank. Merek was transferred to the same branch Krisina worked at to obtain more hours. Merek always thought Krisina was very cute but didn't feel their relationship would go anywhere and didn't want to try at first. After a few months of working together and Krisina pursuing Merek, he gave in. They started dating and it didn't take long to realize Krisina was the one.

How he proposed: Merek had gotten the ring in the middle of Dec. 2009 and was trying to decide how to propose. He thought of doing it on New Years Eve but was still unsure how to ask. New Years Day came around and just before he was going to ask, they got a call from some close friends with the new they just got engaged themselves that day. He decided not to ask on the same night so the idea was ruined for him. He reasoned New Years Day would be just as nice. Throughout the day, he tried to wait for the perfect moment. However, as he was getting close to propose, a friend came over and ruined his chance. Finally, he decided the next morning would be a nice time to propose as they would be together. Merek woke up early and made a nice breakfast. He brought it to bed and surprised Krisina by breakfast in bed. They talked as they ate breakfast. Merek mentioned how much they had changed for the better and how much he loved Krisina. He than said there is one last thing they need to change, pulled out the ring, and proposed. Finally!

Bridal shower/Bachelorette party:

Bridal Shower - There were two bridal showers. The first one was held at a close friend's house near Krisina's parent's home. It was very lovely and the theme was Kitchen Needs. They played numerous games and Krisina got to talk all to some long lost family friends.

The next bridal shower was held at Krisina's parent's home. This one was themed Honeymoon/Travel to go along with their planned honeymoon trip to Los Cabos. This was held for close friends and family. It ended up being a fairly small party but they played a fun game where Krisina had to answer questions about Merek; if she answered incorrectly, she had to put bubble gum in her mouth. Luckily she didn't answer too many incorrectly!

Bachelorette Party - A small gaggle of girls all dressed up in cowboy boots and jeans enjoyed a lovely dinner at The Melting Pot. Afterwards, they enjoyed relaxing after dinner drinks at a martini bar in downtown SLC. They ended the night at a honky-tonk bar on the way home.

Bachelor party:

The bachelor party was with a group of Merek's groomsmen along with another close friend and was held in Wendover. We drove there from Salt Lake early Friday and started off the day with some Blackjack. There was plenty of drinking, gambling, and cigars to make anyone happy. They than hit up the Craps table to roll the dice. Although no one really came back with any money, they had a blast gambling.

WEDDING

Ceremony Place:

The ceremony was held at the Johnson Mill in Midway, Utah. It was an outdoor ceremony held down in an area called the Grove in which there was an arch made of tree branches and the area was nicely shaded by overhanging trees.

Date: June 11, 2011

The bride wore: A beautiful ivory dress made simply of taffeta and an ivory veil trimmed with curly edges.

The groom wore: A tux rental from the Men's Warehouse. It was a 2 button black tux with an regular ivory shirt along with an ivory vest.

RECEPTION

Reception Place:

The reception was also held outside at the Johnson Mill but was held up in a different area near a lake above where the Grove is. There was also the beautiful building which is a bed and breakfast, a watermill, a gazebo on the lake, and lovely natural surroundings.

Wedding music:

The bride and groom choose to use their own music by hooking up an Ipod. They had created numerous playlists for the reception which included a mellow song list while people were eating along with a more upbeat list for dancing later in the evening.

Wedding song:

Right Next To You by Elizabeth & the Catapults.

Menu:

The food was based on a BBQ setting. During cocktail hour just after the ceremony there were hors d'oeuvre which were grilled chicken quesadillas along with a salsa bar. Once the reception started, there was a BBQ buffet of hotdogs and hamburgers along with all the toppings. We also had flavored water which had cucumber and lemon in. The drinks included two signature drinks for the bride and groom. His was a Cuba Libre and hers was a Cape Cod which both had limes to throw in a bit of green for our colors. There was also a selection of beer inlcuding Merek's favorite, Blue Moon, along with Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon as wine selections.

Cake:

The cake was a raspberry cake with buttercream and duvont as the cream as to make it delicious but not melt out in the sun. It was a very simple 3 tiered square cake which a blue and green ribbon around each cake for our colors. The cake topper was title 'Infinite Love' which showed the groom holding the bride with a ring in the middle signifying infinite love.

Colors:

Kelly Green for the Bride.

Cornflower Blue for the Groom.

Theme:

The theme was 'Perfect Pair.' We used this with numerous parts of the decorations including 'perfect pair' napkins, 'perfect pair' pear shaped soap wedding favors, and had green pears along with Grannysmith apples (which are green and also had the name Smith in it) as part of the centerpieces. The other part of the theme was to use natural things. The centerpieces were created by Krisina's father and were made of wood.

Flowers:

The centerpieces were made up of 3 delphinium with a fern each.

The bridal bouquet was made up of blue hydrangea, blue delphinium, ivory roses dotted with white stephanotis, and white Veronica, greened with mint, rosemary, and surrounded with ferns and a hint of yellow goldenrod, wrapped with an ivory satin ribbon.

The groom's floral was made up of a single stephanotis with 2 delphinium florets, and fern.

Décor elements:

We used along of wood and natural elements to make up the Décor such as the vases, the fruit around the vases, and the announcement board along with all of the outdoor surroundings.

Unique details:

The wooden vases were extremely unique as Krisina's father made them himself. They are very simple but have an square hourglass look to them. They looked extremely good with the flowers along with the fruit baskets surrounding them.

The announcement board was also unique with it's wood frame Krisina's father made. It had a sheet with the announcement details which the Bride created and had printed on special paper. This also included a tribute and pictures of Grandparents who had pasted away.

The bride created little posters which they framed that went on the bar and showed the drink options along with some cute sayings.

There was also a sign with details and instructions for our sign in quilt. People had a piece of ivory fabric and could put advice, draw a picture, write or quote, or simply sign their name for the bride to use later in making a wedding quilt made of the sign ivory squares along with blue and green squares from the wedding colors.

MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT

Bride's answer: When Merek and I finally got a moment with each other for our first dance. It was so romantic with him holding me in his arms to a song we both treasure. Singing the words to each other and trying to talk about all the new we had staying the night apart. I will always remember the joy I felt as I realized he missed only me as I am his best friend as he is mine.

Groom's answer: Seeing Krisina for the first time in her dress was the best moment. We decided to see each other before the ceremony so that we could get pictures done early. I had to stand looking out waiting for her to come up behind me. I remember being so excited to see her and my heart was pounding since I hadn't spent the last night with her (It is VERY rare that we spend a night apart). She came up behind me and tapped my shoulder. I couldn't believe how beautiful she looked when I got to finally see her. Her dress was amazing and she was just glowing. I couldn't believe how happy she looked. It was truly one of the best moments of the wedding, if not my life. I'm very happy the way we did it since it all got captured by our photographer.

HONEYMOON

Place:

Los Cabos

A memorable moment of the honeymoon: One day they planned to visit a place called Lover's Beach. They were told it was very romantic and beautiful on the beach there as it was a great place to snorkel. They purchased their own snorkeling sets and traveled the 20 minutes to the beach. They were so excited to finally get in the ocean and see some wildlife. As it turns out, Merek's snorkeling gear did not keep the water out of his eyes. While Krisina swam around with her successful snorkeling gear, Merek steadily grew more and more annoyed that his gear wasn't working. Krisina realized Merek was getting upset; she decided that since Merek couldn't enjoy the swim, she didn't want to either. They gave up trying to snorkel and just enjoyed the beach together.

WEDDING ADVICE

Here are two pieces of advice to save yourself from a terrible amount of stress and confusion:

1. Do your best to have everything planned and paid for at least a week before the ceremony. It was extremely hard trying to still deal with planning and picking up stuff while also figuring out the tiny details that come up randomly. If you have everything planned, it makes it much easier to think about the little details that will come up in the last minutes of preparation.

2. The biggest advice we have is that it is a very good idea to select certain people (such as parents or bridal party) and sit down with them so that you can discuss the little details and where things need to be going. We were trying to get ready and enjoy our own wedding but constantly had our family/friends asking us where things needed to be or other questions you simply shouldn't have to deal with. During the reception we started to realize things that we made had not been put out along with many things went unnoticed because of where they were placed. Most of our guests didn't receive a wedding favor because they were hidden. Our sign in quilt was also missed by many due to the same problem and we had nobody planned to try and direct people towards it. By having more than just yourselves prepared with that knowledge will not only help you but help them to get things set up for the big day while you can relax and enjoy everything going on.

Rings:

Bride's - Fred Meyer Jewelers.

Groom's - Maceys

Invitations:

Beautiful Wedding Announcements in Salt Lake City

Rehearsal dinner:

Merek's mother rented a home in Midway to have the rehearsal dinner.

Guest book

Bought fabric and fabric pens at local store for people to write on; will be made into a quilt.

Photography:

Opie Foto

Videography:

N/A

Bridal gown:

Fantasy Bridal

Alterations

Fantasy Bridal

Hair and Makeup:

Salon NV in Salt Lake City

Bridesmaids' dresses:

David's Bridal

Groom's Tux/Suit:

The Men's Warehouse

Flowers:

Basket of Gold

Decorations and rentals:

Tables and Chairs LLC for the tent, Basket of Gold supplied lights for the tent. Used a local person that rents out speakers.

Catering:

JK's Indulgence Catering

Cake:

Midway Country Corner

Venue:

The Johnson Mill

Entertainment/Music:

Used own Ipod

Wedding favors:

'The Perfect Pair' Scented Pear Soap from www.weddingfavorsmarket.com.

Wedding planner:

N/A, The Johnson Mill manager acted as a coordinator.

Officiant:

Jeff Clark, LDS Bishop. He is also a friend and neighbor of the Gould's.

Transportation:

N/A. Guests were provided with complimentary valet service at the Johnson Mill.

Guest lodging:

Guests had the option of staying at the Johnson Mill during the wedding.