A weekend filled with family, friends, love and laughter was more than Ski Gypsy Man and I could have ever hoped for. The gorgeous White Mountains of New Hampshire provided the perfect backdrop for the union of two skiers: the best possible follow-up to a Proposal on Top of the World. We were granted so many gifts including the presence of some long missed relatives, sunshine on what was meant to be a stormy day and the omission of a speeding ticket (whoops).
Now that it’s over (*sob), there is a wedding planning sized hole in my life. Almost all of our planning was done from abroad, which meant tons of emailing, online searches and shopping as well as enlisting the help of family and friends. It was a tad more complicated to say the least. After the whole DIY experience, I’ve had this little voice in my head saying: “I could TOTALLY be a wedding planner!”… Safe to say I’m probably not the only bride to think that.
With that less-than-rational thought in mind, I figured I would share a few tips and tricks to tame the beast within:
1. Choose your venue before all else
This was the corner stone of the whole event and one of the rare pieces of the puzzle that was put together while still on site. It determines the look and feel of your day, how many guests you can accommodate as well as the kind of food and drink that can be hosted. For us, the location held meaning as the home state of Ski Gypsy Man and a ski destination long visited by my family. The amazing people at the Inn at Jackson took care of so many details that I would never have thought of; I could not be more grateful for their kindness and attention to detail.
2. Make it you
If formality and taffeta just aren’t your thing then nix it. Nowhere was it said that weddings have rules. Sure, maintaining some traditions is an excellent way of honouring or including certain guests, but it needs to do right by your own values. We decided to do so by incorporating items that had meaning to us. Etsy was my source for most of the details as it offered one-of-a-kind, handmade, repurposed and customized items that perfectly fit the bill. For those of you who know the site, I need not delve into detail on just how amazing it is to deal with real people that are thrilled to make your day special. Among my favourite items were:
- My gorgeous, made-to-order wedding dress from Tatyana Merenyuk at Reddoll
- Our adorable, personalized mountain peak lapel pins from Jessica P. Valesky at Fox Bear Designs
- The custom stamp we used for everything from invites to programs from Jen F. at Bleu Collar Paperie
- If you want to know what was UNDER my dress, check out the fabulous pretties from Dottie’s Delights
3. Ask for help
The biggest lesson to emerge from my experience with wedding planning was that you can’t do it alone. Ski Gypsy Man and I are fortunate enough to be surrounded by some very loving, creative and talented people that helped us with many of the details. My friend helped me design the invites that were then sent to a letterpress specialist. My mum and dad assisted us in ninja-ing all the decor including flowers (amongst many other things). My brothers took care of sound and DJ-ing. My now father-in-law officiated, making our ceremony unique and oh-so-personal. I could go on and on about how many people helped pull the whole thing together. Not only did it alleviate some of the pressure, but it allowed for some pretty intense bonding for an experience that we will not soon forget. THANK YOU!
A mountain wedding was hands down the way for us to go, but I’m curious to know how other skiers have celebrated or dream of doing so… Share below!
Winter is coming,
K
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Photography by Philippe Depault