Ellery & BJ
A rustic-chic reception at the Sundance Resort.
Images courtesy of Rebekah Westover Photography
November 25, 2008 • Salt Lake City LDS Temple & Sundance Resort
Everything about Ellery and BJ’s wedding, beginning with an elaborate, surprise proposal in California and ending with a romantic, rustic-chic reception at Sundance, made for a dream celebration. Ellery based the wedding reception on her wedding attire—inspired by her gown’s crystal beading and Champagne color—using crystals, rather than flowers, as the main décor element. The sparkly crystal accents, combined with glowing candlelight and a roaring fireplace, made for a cozy, winter wonderland-like setting. Guests enjoyed hearty foods and warm beverages, as well as the delectable seven-tier, seven-flavor cake. The couple and all their guests, young and old, danced for hours. When it was finally time to depart, guests were treated to a warm almond drink to heat them up as they made their way home on the cold November night.
Before the Wedding
Occupations: BJ is a student and soccer player at BYU. Ellery is the dance specialist at Cedar Ridge Elementary, and also teaches dance at Wasatch Dance Center in Heber.
How the couple met: Ellery met BJ after he came to BYU his freshman year of college from Yorba Linda, Calif., when she was a senior at Timpview High School in Provo. BJ’s dorm suitemate and Ellery’s best friend knew each other. At the end of September 2004, BJ’s suitemate invited Ellery and her friend to a party at a cabin in Sundance. Ellery and BJ were introduced and spent the night talking about soccer and dance. They dated for a little over a month before BJ went on an LDS mission. When he returned, he and Ellery resumed dating.
How he proposed: BJ flew to California under the guise of visiting his family, then surprised Ellery with a plane ticket to fly out and meet him the next day. “He had arranged for me to miss work for the week, and my mom had secretly packed my suitcase for me,” says Ellery. “I was in shock!” Ellery flew to California, and the adventure began.
The moment the plane landed, BJ sent her a text message that said, “Go to the curb and wait. Hurry!” Ellery went to the curb, and a black limo pulled up. “The interior of the limo was filled with rose petals and roses,” says Ellery. “Giddy doesn’t begin to explain how I was feeling.” The limo dropped Ellery off at an enormous outdoor mall, the Irvine Spectrum in Orange County. The driver handed her an envelope, and told her he would take care of her bags. Inside the envelope, Ellery found a poem BJ had written that read: “Hey there sweet punkin, glad you could make it, this mystery’s about to begin. Your carriage has brought you to the Irvine Spectrum where your adventure lies within. To feel not a mess, go pick out a dress, at your favorite, Anthropologie. To help in this spree, don’t look to me, but ask for a girl named Brittany. After finding the one, let’s continue the fun, at the ferris wheel, my honey bun.”
At Anthropologie, a gift card had been left for Ellery to find the dress of her choice—the only request was that she wear the dress out of the store. Inside the store dressing room was a pink rose and some clothes for Ellery to try on that BJ had selected. Once Ellery found the dress she wanted, she left to make her way to the ferris wheel.
“The moment I exited the store, I heard BJ’s voice yell my name, and there he was with the final rose,” says Ellery. “We hugged and walked arm in arm to the ferris wheel. We rode around and around, talking about how surprised I was to be there, until the ferris wheel stopped at its highest point of the rotation. BJ gave me a really mushy talk about all the reasons he loved me. He was eloquent and sweet, but I couldn’t resist, and right before he popped the question I squealed, ‘Are you nervous?!’ He finished the proposal and said, ‘Of course I’m nervous!’ We laughed and hugged and quickly heard cheers and clapping from the people around us, including his family, who had been hiding and watching the whole time.” Afterwards, the couple talked with BJ’s family and took pictures, then spent the evening alone in Newport Beach having dinner.
Bridal shower themes: Ellery’s aunt hosted a “Black and White-themed” shower. “It was decorated so elegantly, and we had a crepe bar with all the fillings,” says Ellery.
Wedding
Place: Salt Lake City LDS Temple
Date: November 25, 2008
The bride wore: an Allure Champagne-colored, crystal-beaded gown with a custom-made bolero. The gown featured a long train, fitted low on the waist, with a scalloped hemline. To match the sparkly gown, she wore a crystal brooch in her hair.
The groom wore: a black Armani suit and black tie.
Bridesmaids: Jess Rogers, Katie Sundberg, Emily Baum, Courtney Meldrom, Shalice Hadley, Dani Bree Pugmire
Groomsmen: Donny Baum, Aaron Pugmire, Jeremy Meldrom, Jason Sundberg, Dustin Rogers
Wedding song: BJ served his mission in Mexico, so the couple used their favorite Spanish love song: “Collecionista de Canciones” by Camila
Reception
Place: Sundance Rehearsal Hall
Wedding music: Soft, romantic music played at the start of the evening and later moved to fun dance music.
Menu: The couple chose to serve a selection of warm, winter-themed foods including soup shooters, grilled vegetables with dipping sauces, chicken tartlets and beggar’s purses.
Cake: a white buttercream-frosted seven-tier cake. Each layer was a different flavor, including chocolate chip cake with cream cheese filling, two layers of white chocolate lemon cake with raspberry filling, chocolate cake with strawberry and chocolate custard filling, applesauce cake with caramel filling, German chocolate with coconut pecan filling, and carrot cake with cream cheese filling. “I love cake so much,” says Ellery. “That was all I wanted.”
Flowers: The only flowers used for the entire wedding were in the boutonnieres and Ellery’s bouquet, which consisted of a variety of white orchids, greenery and crystal accents.
Colors: Champagne, cream and black.
Décor elements: Ellery used fabric, branches and crystals, rather than flowers, for the reception décor. Lit crystal balls hanging in trees lined the pathway leading to the Sundance Rehearsal Hall. The interior was dimly lit, and candlelight created a romantic atmosphere. Draped ruffled fabric decorated the entrance. Centerpieces consisted of bare branches with crystals hanging from them, accented with subtle, glowing lights. Other branches, hung with glass picture frames, arched over the cake display and the hall’s roaring fireplace. Scattered crystals topped the reception tables, which were covered in cream silk tablecloths, and more crystals decorated trees throughout the reception area. Rather than use a traditional guest book, the couple asked guests to sign cream-colored cards and place them in a large glass vase, adding another decorative element to the setting.
Special touches: As a unique—and delicious—wedding favor, guests were served warm almond drinks just outside the exit of the rehearsal hall as they departed. “We decided to do this so the guests could enjoy a warm drink as they walked back to their cars in the cold weather,” explains Ellery.
Most Memorable Moment
Ellery’s answer: Wedding: “Having all of my siblings in the temple, since I’m the youngest, and having my grandpa perform the marriage.” Reception: “Having so many people dancing. I hadn’t given my DJ a lot of specific songs to play and he ended up playing things that I wouldn’t have ever picked, like “YMCA” and the “Chicken Dance,” but it got everyone on their feet. I almost died laughing watching BJ’s grandpa dance, and BJ and his mom had a contest to see who could do the chicken dance the fastest. My nieces thought they had died and gone to heaven. The dancing made the reception.”
BJ’s answer: Wedding: “Entering the ceremony with Ellery and seeing all our loved ones gathered together with us.” Reception: “My first dance with Ellery. That was a special moment for me.”
Honeymoon
Place: San Francisco
A memorable moment of the honeymoon: “We rode a mini go-cart with a GPS system that guided us through the entire city, up and down the hills, along the bay, and next to the Golden Gate Bridge. It was a blast!”
Sources
Rings: Brian Patch, Goldesign Jewelers, Provo, 801-377-3040, goldesign.com; e-Wedding Bands, Provo, eweddingbands.com
Invitations: Vicki Reeves, Provo, 801-224-4496
Rehearsal dinner: Glenwild clubhouse, Park City, glenwild.com
Photography: Rebekah Westover, Orem, 801-655-3406, rebekahwestover.com
Bridal gown: The Perfect Dress, SLC, 801-568-3737, theperfectdress.com
Groom’s suit: Nordstrom, nordstrom.com
Bouquet: Kimberly Roy, Celebrations, Provo, kimberly.celebrations@comcast.net
Decorations: Kimberly Roy, Celebrations, Provo, kimberly.celebrations@comcast.net
Catering: Sundance, 877-533-1929, sundanceresort.com
Cake: Merilyn Jenkins, Provo, 801-224-4086, marjenkins@juno.com
Venue: Sundance Rehearsal Hall, Sundance, sundanceresort.com
Wedding planner: Kimberly Roy, Celebrations, Provo, kimberly.celebrations@comcast.net
