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Ally & Holly

SALT LAKE, UTAH

 

We met when we were both 17 years old. We found a program that took a group of teens from around Utah to India for a humanitarian trip. We met while doing training for the expedition and instantly connected. A year later, we realized that our feelings were definitely more than just friends. 

We went to college together and our relationship blossomed. We hid it for a few years because we feared judgment and rejection. Since Utah is such a religious LDS (Mormon) state, we, unfortunately, received a lot of hate from close friends about our relationship. 

A few years later, we told our families, and they embraced us with so much love and support. We got so lucky with the family and friends that have supported our relationship. We have now been together for 7.5 years and are happy newlyweds!

 

We briefly talked about a proposal and that we wanted to get married. In December 2017, Holly proposed to Ally in their favorite spot up the canyon where they like to hike. She tricked her into thinking it was going to be a photo shoot in the snow, and then she popped the question. She set up roses and photos and had a fire going. Holly’s dad and Ally’s mom were there for support. Little did Holly know, Ally had a surprise proposal planned for her. 

The next week, Ally surprised Holly with a proposal on her birthday. She was completely shocked because she had no idea that Ally was going to propose as well. 

We both got custom rings made by the same company, so they knew about both of the proposals and were awesome when working with both of us.

 

Any stories from the lead up to the wedding, stressful or funny?

Every time we called a vendor, they were very confused when we told them there were two brides. For example, we were trying to get our dresses dry cleaned and we had to tell the dry cleaner more than four times that there were two bridal gowns. He kept asking if one of them was a bridesmaid gown. When we finally went in to drop our dresses off, he asked us which one of us was getting married. We had to explain to him AGAIN that we were getting married to each other. He gave us a very confused look. We don’t think he ever understood the situation.

 

What was the inspiration behind your wedding’s vibe?

We wanted to get married outside, in the mountains in the fall. We found our venue by looking at photos online, and when we went for a tour, we fell in love with it. It was actually the only venue we toured in person. We wanted our wedding to feel comfortable for everyone. We just wanted everyone to relax and be able to have a good time to celebrate us. We had a small intimate ceremony, and that was one of the biggest things we wanted. We wanted to feel ourselves completely and not have anyone that would judge us present. We wanted it to be simple and elegant.

 

Talk to us about your experience finding the perfect outfits.

We went to Davids Bridal just to try on wedding dresses to see which styles we liked. We had appointments back to back, which ended up being perfect. Ally went first and found her perfect dress. It was blush, so we were very worried that it wouldn’t go with a white/ivory dress that Holly wanted. We were able to have the same group of employees at David’s who saw both of our dresses and told us that they would look great together. We were so excited because we knew that our dresses would look good together without having to see each other’s dresses until the first look. 

Talk to us about the big day! 

We had our first look a few weeks before and had a photo shoot for that. On our wedding day, we woke up and had coffee together. We made it to the venue and it was raining. We were a little worried about the rain but decided not to let it bother us. We got to the venue and started getting ready together. 

While we were getting ready, our families and some friends came to set up the venue and make it look exactly how we wanted. They did an excellent job. After we were ready, we did a first look with Holly’s dad, and it was beautiful. 

Holly’s dad walked her down the aisle and Ally’s mom walked her down the aisle. Holly and Ally met at the back of the guests and held hands while walking the rest of the way down the aisle together. 

Ally’s cousin married us, and she did a beautiful job. We both exchanged vows and it was just lightly sprinkling while the sun was out, It was perfect.

We finished our small ceremony and then we had a small dinner. Our parents said some beautiful toasts, and we just mingled and laughed with each other. After this, we took a few pictures with our guests. Then, we had a large reception (we called it a celebration) with more family and friends that joined us. It was an instant dance party, performing a flash mob with some family and friends that joined us. That was definitely the highlight of the night for our guests. 

We cut the cake and just laughed and celebrated with the most important people. We then had a sparkler send-off and then went to our hotel!

 

What are your favorite moments?

The flash mob was such a fun way to send the vibe that we wanted. We wanted everyone to just let loose and party with us. This got everyone dancing and having a good time. 

The ceremony was one of the best moments. We both read our vows, and it just solidified how much love we have for each other. We felt like the ceremony showed our family and friends how deep our commitment is to each other. We loved that the most important people in our lives heard the promises we made to each other and saw us promise to spend forever with each other.

Do you have any advice for other couples planning a wedding?

Our advice would be to plan according to what you want us a couple. It’s hard, but try not to incorporate what your friends and family want you to do unless you both want to do it. The big day is about just the two people getting married. Make it exactly what you want because you only get this day once! If couples get negative feedback from vendors, educate them instead of getting offended or being disrespectful. We had a couple of negative vendors because we weren’t having ‘traditional’ marriages, but we remained professional and ended up changing some of our vendor’s minds. They saw that we are just people and that our love is just like anyone elses.

 

Anything you are glad you did? Or wish you didn’t do?  

We are glad that we made our day exactly what we wanted. We invited specific people that we knew wouldn’t bring judgment with them. This was one of the biggest things we did that was super hard for us, but the best thing we did. We may have offended some people by not inviting them to the ceremony, but we wanted it to be very intimate. 

We are so glad that we did a ton of research to find the perfect photographer. We are in love with our photos and our video. We are also happy that we got the whole day and our first look on video and in the photos. We can relive that day over and over again!

 

What does marriage mean to you?

To us, marriage is about commitment. It means that we get to wake up to each other every morning and go to sleep with each other every night. It means that no matter what, your spouse is there for you without fail. 

We have lived together for six years, but after being married, we feel like it made us a family. It is a big deal to us that we are able to get married just like everyone else. 

Photographer Terra Ong Photography

 

Bridal Boutique Davids Bridal

Cake Granite Bakery

Catering Cosmopolitan Catering

Ceremony & Reception Venue Louland Falls

Cinematographer Jade Hall

Entertainment Craig Chambers Disc Connection

Engagement & Wedding Rings Redford Jewelers

Florist CC&Bout

Gown Designer Melissa Sweet & Jewel

H&MU Kelsey Bench, Taylor Endris

Shoes Steve Madden, Keds