Forest Wedding by Alixann Loosle

I wasn't in the wedding industry when I got married, and I hate to think how hard I'd find planning my wedding now that I am. I would find it so difficult to narrow down decisions, especially when I know so many amazing vendors I'd love to work with. So I can only imagine how tough the choice is when you're wedding photographers yourselves, to choose who to capture your big day. Such was the case with Mike & Tara, who were on the search for someone who could capture their individual personalities in an elegant and classic style. Well I'm certain they lucked out when they came across Alixann Loosle from Utah because she's done an incredible job of it. Mike & Tara say it was the best investment they made to remember their day by... which naturally must be music to any photographers ears!! This gorgeous couple put so much time into creating their perfect day... from stitching each and every napkin for their guests place settings, to drying their own flowers.

Tara shares a lot of the sentiment behind their wedding day choices... (read what she says about her first look with her Dad... so sweet!!) 

Our wedding day was literally a labor of love from the very start. Being photographers, we knew we wanted to have a hand in every aspect of our big day. From the smallest detail to the biggest, we made sure we had some level of each and every thing being home made. One of the very first details was a three strand set of pearls my mother left for me before she passed away. They had been my great-grandmothers and my mom requested that I wear them on my wedding day as a reminder that she was there with me. We felt like they were such an important part of beginning the wedding process because they were the only thing we had to go off of when starting the brainstorming process of what we wanted our wedding day to look like. 

We had decided that it needed to be as intimate as the gifting of the pearls was, and as timeless as pearls themselves. We first started with collecting dinner plates from thrift and antique stores, purchasing blue ball mason jars, vintage silverware, decorations, really anything that caught our eye that made sense for our wedding day. Soon enough our family was hooked and they helped with the hunt to make our wedding day everything we ever wanted. It was so fun sharing our vision with them and we were overwhelmed by the support and effort that went into finding all of the plates and silverware we needed so that each and every guest could have their own unique set. 

Mike has an amazing gift for graphic design and he was able to put several of the ideas I had for our save the dates and invitations into one cohesive package. This was one of my favorite parts of the wedding planning process because Mike would put a draft together, print it out, we would edit what we liked or wanted to change, and he would do it all over again. It was at this point, that I really saw us be a team and it was such a great glimpse at what we have we have to look forward to as husband and wife! 

 

Our next adventure was the art of drying flowers. Mike had actually proposed to me in the same aspen grove where we were married. Knowing that we wanted to be married in such a lush, green place we wanted something different from the usual floral centerpiece. It was actually Mike's idea to use the dried florals (he was an incredibly involved fiance), and it all started with some dried flowers we had at home; white roses, pink spray roses, and baby's breath. 

 

We also happen to have a pretty impressive collection of vintage cameras, which is where we came up with the idea of using cameras in place of table numbers. Again being photographers, it was really important that we shared that part of our lives with our guests. Special care was given to where the guests were sat. For example, Mike's dad was sat at the table with the camera he used in college, and gave to Mike years ago. 

We had decided to have pies for dessert pretty early on, I was never a cake person growing up - in fact, my mom use to get me lemon meringue pie for my birthday which is why it was so important on our wedding day. It was just another way to give a nod to her memory on such an important day in my life. 

Mike and I love getting mail, I mean we get truly excited to receive mail from our friends and family. So we decided to forfeit a guest book and have our guests write us their well-wishes, advice, memories, whatever they wanted and drop it in our mail box for us to open at our one year anniversary. Our ceremony backdrop, was one of my favorite parts. I came home one day to Mike drawing a "to scale" model of the backdrop. He was beyond excited about it and even wanted it to be the headboard above our bed when all was said and done. It's one of my favorite memories of our wedding planning process because it truly goes to show the kind of amazing heart he has.

 

We really couldn't have pulled this all off without our day of coordinator, Lindsey Border, of Breathless Moments. If there is one piece of advice I can give to future brides, it's to have a day of coordinator. She made our day run so smoothly and there wasn't a thing we had to worry about knowing she had all of our bases covered. 

 

And the photographer...we don't even know where to start when it comes to Alixann Loosle. This was the most important piece for us from the very beginning and she has exceeded every expectation we've had of capturing our love. 

As with all brides, the dress was a pretty big deal and having lost my mom five years ago it was very important to me that my dad went dress shopping with me, he was actually the one to pick out the dress! I opted to not do a first look on the wedding day with Mike; as nontraditional as most of our wedding was, I had always dreamt of seeing my husband-to-be while on my dad's arm. So I had a first look with my dad instead. This was one of my favorite parts of the day, he is truly my best friend and I couldn't have thought of a better way to honor that relationship that day. 

The other moment I will savor was the moment I saw Mike when I started walking down that aisle, there are truly no words when you see your almost husband standing there waiting for you. Details went just beyond the decorations, we had Mike's dear Aunt Connie officiate our wedding, his Aunt Tessa do a special reading, and our dear friend Father Dave bless our wedding rings at the ceremony. It was really important to us that we gave our guests a backyard barbeque experience filled with family, friends, games, good food, and love. We tried to think of ways that we could keep that feeling, while also giving our guests the impression that we had lifted a room, with all of the amenities of the city, and placed it smack dab in the middle of the forest. It truly was a labor of love, not just from Mike and I, but our family and friends as well. Because of that love and support, we truly had the perfect day tyin' the knot in the forest. 

 

Photography | Alixann Loosle, Day of Coordinator | Breathless Moments, Lindsey Border, Reception | Coconino National Forest, Announcement design | Missing Frame Photography, Groom,  Bride’s ring | Blue Nile,  Groom’s ring | Groom's friend, Mike Rust, Videographer | 5 Digit Studios, Flowers | Bliss Extraordinary Floral, Catering | Jason Bullard, Band | The Folka Dots, Pie | Rock Spings Cafe,  Bride’s dress | Martina Liana, Bride’s shoes | Nordstrom, Bride’s jewelry | Vintage: Great Grandmother's, Hair and makeup | Amara Resort and Spa, Julia Kendzlic, Bridesmaid dresses | Asos, Groom & Groomsmens suits | Asos