Sparkling Celebration

When Alice and Eric first met, they never imagined they would end up falling in love. As they spent time together as friends, they slowly realized that they had more than a few things in common, and eventually, Alice agreed to go on a date with him.

Many dates later, they eventually got engaged and then married on a beautiful summer day in Provo, Utah. Alice spent the night before their August wedding at a hotel in Downtown Provo, giving her the opportunity to get ready with her mom and bridesmaids the morning before their LDS temple sealing.

“We got ready together, which was so fun because it was my two best friends, who were like my sisters, we grew up together, my sister-in-law, and then some of my other best friends. ”

Alice knew she wanted to have their first look on their August wedding day in Utah, so they set up a private and intimate moment for them to see each other before their ceremony and exchange private vows. “I’m not a crier, really. But the second he turned around and looked at my dress, I was crying.”

We don’t blame him; we nearly cried at the sight of her dress too, it’s so stunning.

Her original vision for what she wanted in a wedding dress wasn’t what she ended up with—but we can agree with Eric when we say we’re thrilled with the end result. It was a custom-made gown from Janay Marie Designs, decked out in sparkles head to toe and with a structured bodice and sleeves that make us want one for ourselves in every color.

Sparkling Smiles

Their sealing ceremony followed, which Alice and Eric reflect on as a special moment for both of them, and for Alice especially. “My biological dad had passed away right before we got engaged. And so having a sealing was really cool because I felt my dad there.”

And of course, they did everyone’s favorite part, the temple exit, which ended up being some of their favorite photos because they were so genuinely happy in that moment. “The smile on our faces is the most genuine smile I’ve ever seen of us in pictures. I feel like both of us in pictures try and have smaller smiles, and look cool. But in those photos, we both are genuinely just so happy.”

Their luncheon and reception were held at the White Shanty, the perfect backdrop for their color palette of classy neutrals, and of course for Alice’s gorgeous dress. Between lunch and the reception, it was important for them to have a ring ceremony, so they could include their entire families on both sides, and because Alice always knew she wanted to have her “walking down the aisle” moment.

Sparkling August Wedding Ceremonies in Utah

Alice’s uncle officiated, and her stepdad walked her down the aisle. Their ceremony was a romantic and special highlight of the day, not just for them, but for everyone there, too. “My uncle had a really beautiful speech that he wrote. And he talked about my dad a lot, which was really sweet.”

And then they read their vows to each other again, this time in front of all their loved ones. Eric loved seeing his family there. “I think some of my favorite photos from the day are from around that time. You can see each of our parents in the background behind each of us. You can see how emotional they are and how happy they are for us. It was a touching moment.” We have to agree; looking at those photos makes us emotional too!

Alice says about the ring ceremony, “That’s the moment you dream of growing up. Standing across from Eric and seeing him, his green eyes looked so good. It was like a fairy tale. I think about how genuinely happy we were at that moment, we were like that all day. We would just be near each other and giggling; we both were so happy.”

Here’s a fun detail: Alice walked down the aisle to Twilight songs…the same song that was used for Bella and Edward’s first dance. “It was perfect. I didn’t care that it was geeky, it was so cute.” It’s only fitting that her diamond dress matches the sparkly skin of everyone’s favorite vampire!

A Sparkling Exit

A big thing for Alice was making sure that everyone was dancing at their reception. “Everyone I know, I told them, ‘You will dance. If you come, you are going to dance.’ Because I’ve been to a lot of weddings where like three people dance for 10 minutes and then you leave.”

“I’m not about that. I want to have a party.” We couldn’t agree more. Who doesn’t love an awesome dance party at their wedding?

Alice changed into her getaway dress halfway through their dancing. With all that beading, we don’t blame her. That much glam can get heavy!

Then they had their last dance and a sparkler exit, and looking at photos from those moments brings tears to our eyes at the sight of them, they’re so sweet. “Those are more of my favorite pictures because they’re not posed. It’s very us, we’re really happy.”

Their advice for couples who are planning a wedding is to start as soon as you can! “Make sure you have enough time to plan and make sure you start planning early. I think we had our temple date about a week before we actually got engaged.”

And Alice wants brides to know that they’re in charge. “For Brides, this is your day. Every girl’s been dreaming about it their whole life. Be very clear about what you want. This is your one day where you can be as bossy as you want. So tell people your expectations and expect no less.”

Alice and Eric’s August wedding day was everything they had dreamed of and more, a party filled with love, giggles between vows, and some tears, too. From their intimate first look to their romantic vows, every moment was a sweet glimpse into their love story. And let’s not forget those sweet Twilight tunes that had us swooning!

Between her incredible dress and the sparkler exit, this August wedding in Utah was literally a sparkling celebration.