Jackson Hole Wedding | Jessica's Photography

Their Story

“The beginning to our Jackson Hole wedding story started when Matt and I met almost 12 years ago, in a bar in New York. Surrounded by loud music, it was one of those bars where the lights are dim and anything is possible. Immediately the sparks were evident. After a proper date, we quickly became an item. At this time we were 20-somethings exploring New York, starting new jobs, moving into new apartments, and falling in love. But, as the old adage goes, even if everything else is perfect, timing is truly everything.

After a few years of dating, a combination of mutual youthful uncertainty and job opportunities brought our story to a brief hiatus. Soon after I moved to the west coast. Similarly, we both took a few years to independently build our careers, acquire life experience, and grow up a little. During that time, we never fully lost touch. In addition to the passage of time came greater clarity that our story wasn’t really done. After 4 years, a business trip took me back to New York. Knowing Matt was single, I asked him to meet me for a drink, and the rest – as they say – is history.”

Changing Plans

” ‘On a day when the wind is perfect, the sail just needs to open and the love starts.’ Those were the words read out loud at our wedding ceremony, between bouts of lighting and thunder, followed by blue skies and rainbows, and nestled in the towering Teton mountains. While the weather may not have been perfect for our Jackson Hole wedding ceremony, after a year’s delay due to the pandemic, the love was so evident on that day.

When we started planning our wedding in 2019, getting married in the Valley was a no brainer. We each have our own ties to Jackson – Matt’s family is from Jackson and I’ve been visiting family and friends there since I was a toddler. Jackson is also the location of many of our relationship firsts – our first “I love yous,” meeting each other’s families, our first ski trip.

Once we agreed to host our wedding in the valley, we knew we wanted Snake River Ranch as the backdrop for our vows. I called up some very good family friends to see if we could use their beautiful ranch. By the end of 2019, we had a great vendor team lined up and were ready to celebrate in 2020. That was until COVID hit. As well as so many couples, we therefore had made the tough decision to rethink our wedding. We knew we didn’t want to risk anyone’s health and safety. Additionally, we knew we didn’t want to miss out on a special celebration with our “tribe” of friends and family.

With some reorganizing, amazing kindness and flexibility from our vendor team, we postponed our plans in Jackson for 364 days. We then turned our attention to replanning for this year’s celebration.

The Wedding

‘On a day when the wind is perfect, the sail just needs to open and the love starts.’ Those were the words read out loud at our wedding ceremony, between bouts of lighting and thunder, followed by blue skies and rainbows, and nestled in the towering Teton mountains. And while the weather may not have been perfect for our Jackson Hole wedding ceremony, after a year’s delay due to the pandemic, the love was so evident on that day.

Most of our guests had to travel to get to Jackson. We wanted to make sure that everyone had a chance to enjoy the splendor of the Teton Valley, from fly fishing, backyard parties, lawn games and group hikes in the mountains. Moreover, it was important to us that the weekend was personal and highlighted the importance of our families.

We wrote our own vows, the table numbers were hand made by my father, my veil and the lace table runners were both sewn by my mother. In fact, our welcome party was held in Matt’s parents’ backyard where so many of our fond memories are. In other words, we intentionally to created a sense of an intimate and personal celebration. And celebrate we did.

Worth the Wait

In spite of the rain and thunder that damped the Valley throughout our wedding weekend, after almost 18 months of living through the pandemic, the love and excitement from our friends and family couldn’t be damped.

In the same way our dating journey wasn’t a straight line, it’s almost destined that neither would our wedding planning journey be. Whether you’re weathering the challenges of wedding planning during a pandemic, or just planning for the uncertainties of weather in Jackson, having the right team is key. Most importantly, we learned that if you make your love the priority, surround yourself with a thoughtful and talented team of vendors, and are willing to roll with whatever surprise the Valley throws at you, Jackson Hole is a truly incredible place to celebrate your marriage.”

-Kristen, the bride

See their wedding featured in Rocky Mountain Bride here!