Jul 22, 2016

This Is The Place Wedding | Ashley & Taylor

It's a holiday weekend here in Utah, yippee! The 24th of July is Pioneer Day, the day we celebrate when the first Mormon pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. Up near the canyon the pioneers entered through, there is a gorgeous park full of pioneer heritage, historical buildings, and gorgeous grounds. This is the Place Heritage Park has become a hot wedding venue for LDS brides in particular, as it is close to the Salt Lake Temple and many brides have ancestral ties that make the venue special on a more personal level. It is also gorgeous. Couples can choose from 9 unique venues at the park, and there is something for every style, size, and budget. Today we are thrilled to feature a Salt Lake Temple wedding with a reception at The Garden Place at This is the Place Heritage Park. Taylor and Ashley's summer wedding was an absolute dream and we are excited to share it with you!

First, The Love Story

It started out with a group of boys and girls going Taylor's ranch. Taylor and Ashley's cousin had a little fling going on. Ashley's cousin invited Ashley to come along even though she had a boyfriend at the time. Ashley wanted to go just because she loves horses and not so much to hook up with someone. Well, Taylor discovered that he had a huge crush on Ashley that trip and realized he couldn't like Ashley's cousin when he liked her. Months passed after that trip and Taylor and Ashley and a group of her friends went sledding. Ashley still had a boyfriend at this time and didn't think anything of Taylor. Taylor went home that night and wrote in his journal that Ashley was the type of girl he saw himself being with. Months after that Taylor asked Ashley out and they had a lot of fun together but nothing was there for Ashley. She had just sent off her missionary and wasn't ready to date anyone. Ashley left on an LDS mission and while she was on her mission Taylor's dad and Ashley's dad were put in a singles ward bishopric together. The families became best friends and the parents would always joke about an arranged marriage. Anyways, Ashley came home from her mission and went to church with her parents and Taylor was also there... It was love at 3rd sight. They went out a few days later and the rest is history!

The Bridals

Ashley and Taylor opted for a First Look and Bridal session before the wedding day, so they could capture all their formal shots and not stress on the wedding day! Silver Lake near Alta is divine in the summer, and the beauty of the lake was the perfect setting for these intimate formals.

The Dress

Ashley's gorgeous dress is the 'Leonora' by LatterDayBride at Gateway Bridal and Prom in Salt Lake City. This is one of LatterDayBride's best-sellers, and you can see why. It is absolute feminity with it's flowing A-line and lace elbow-length sleeves.

The Couple

Ashley says "Tay and I love the outdoors and playing sports together. We are both really athletic and love anything active. We love riding horses. Taylor and I love doing photography and videography together. We shot a wedding together and it was the most fun thing on this earth. We simply just love being together and whatever we are doing is just a plus! The best thing about "us" is that WE LAUGH. We are both pretty hilarious and so everything is funny.... at least to us!"

Her Ideal Wedding Day

When the couple's photographer, Abbey Khyl, asked Ashley how she envisioned her wedding day, Ashley said, "PEOPLE. I am all about the people. I want it to have that fun-loving, upbeat, family & friend oriented feeling.... as well as the romantic feel for pictures of Taylor and I. Pictures of people laughing and interacting with us is always fun. I will definitely need to point out the IMPORTANT people because there are obviously some not so important people to capture. haha. Pretty much anyone who was at the temple grounds is important. I would much rather have more pictures of people than details of the table cloths... etc. (even though detail shots are awesome) RANDOM NOTE: I like close up shots. ex: If its with a best friend I'd much rather have it closer up of our faces rather than fully body shots. WE WILL DANCE THE NIGHT AWAY... seriously... my family goes hard at these receptions. haha. So we've gotta capture that.
I don't know, obviously every bride just wants it to be the perfect day and I believe it will be! PICTURES ARE MOST IMPORTANT TO ME and I know you will make it look beautiful, classy, unique and FUN."