St. Ambrose & Alta Lodge
July 2022
Photos by Ashlee Brooke
THE COUPLE
This pair’s love story starts at Baylor University in the heart of the COVID-19 pandemic. Madison, a native Seattleite and a Ph.D. student in Genetics, and Tommy, a Chicagoan and software engineer, had their first date at Tommy’s apartment in April 2020, which he dubbed “Tommy’s Table” for the night. He won her over by making her favorite food, steak and bananas foster, and the rest is history.
THE PROPOSAL
Tommy’s intimate proposal included recreating their first date, down to the bananas foster, with just the two of them at their shared apartment. No photographers, no family, no friends– just the love that had grown between the two.
THE CEREMONY
Following a nine-month engagement, the couple finally made their marriage official in July of 2022 in a Catholic ceremony at St. Ambrose church in Salt Lake City with almost 100 of their loved ones present. “For us, marriage is a sacrament so the whole ceremony was very special to us,” Madison said.
Madison was adorned in her mother’s pearls but opted out of earrings to keep things simple and instead wore her oval-cut gold engagement ring and band. Her dress was a simple and classic square-neck white wedding dress with a front slit.
Madison’s bridal party was composed of her three college roommates, one college friend, her sister, Tommy’s sister and two high school friends. Her bridesmaids were adorned in powder blue dresses to match the wedding’s theme, chosen for the bride’s favorite color.
THE PARTY
After their limousine broke down on the drive from their ceremony venue to their reception and Madison’s dad had to pick them up and drive them the rest of the way, the newlyweds finally made their way to their reception at Alta Lodge, their favorite ski lodge.
Their reception continued with the powder blue color scheme while adding in some more pastels, and the couple were able to show off their love of the mountains in their outdoor party.
“I didn’t really have a vision besides marrying my best friend and celebrating with our friends outside in the mountains,” Madison said.
The menu for the night consisted of steak and salmon and an open bar. The couple’s three-layer, three-flavor cake consisted of a layer of coconut with coconut cream, a layer of chocolate with milk chocolate filling and vanilla with raspberry filling. The cake was decorated with images of trees and mountains painted with frosting, making the cake one of Madison’s favorite details of the night, along with the pastel-colored florals.
The couple had their first dance to My Best Friend by Tim McGraw, played by their DJ.
AFTER THE WEDDING
The morning after the wedding, the couple had brunch at the Alta Lodge. Because the couple had plans to close on their new home two weeks after the wedding, the newly married couple drove down to Sedona, AZ for their honeymoon to mountain bike and relax in a nice hotel after the stress of wedding planning and home-buying.
VENDORS
Wedding Planner: Irene Co Events, irenecoevents.com
Venue: Alta Lodge, altalodge.com
Photographer: Ashlee Brooke, ashleebrooke.com
Florist: Jolleys Florals, jolleysgifts.com
Caterer: Alta Lodge, altalodge.com
Rehearsal Dinner Caterer/Venue: Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, flemingssteakhouse.com
Bride’s Attire: The Bridal Studio, thebridalstudioutah.com
Groom’s Attire: Generation Tux, generationtux.com
Stationery Suite: Shine Wedding Invitations, shineweddinginvitations.com
Hair & Makeup – Lesley Lind, lesleylind.com
Bridesmaid Gowns – David’s Bridal, davidsbridal.com
Groomsmen Suits – Generation Tux, generationtux.com
Videographer – Scarlet Oak Studio, scarletoakstudio.com
Bar Service – Alta Lodge, altalodge.com
Cake – Cakes de Fleur, cakesdefleur.com
DJ/Band – The Ricky Barrera
Inspiration for Utah Weddings
