Mike & Erika met while playing on the same co-ed volleyball team Tuesday nights. They played together every week for 6 months and Erika tried to make conversation but Mike was very shy. There was some flirting but initially it didn’t lead to anything.
One evening Erika ended up hanging out with some volleyball players that also knew Mike and asked some questions about him. They encouraged Erika to get to know Mike but nothing panned out. About a month later Kim & Vince mentioned it to Mike & told him to call Erika. He finally did & asked her to go to the Renaissance Festival with him & some mutual friends (Kim, Linda, Vince). They had a good day & ended up going out to dinner (just the 2 of them) afterwards at Firebirds. Despite Mike’s shyness, conversation flowed easily. That was the first time Erika saw Mike’s long hair out of a ponytail & found out how old he was!
Right away they figured out they had a lot of common interests and took their first day trip a few months later to the Mogollon Rim. They continued doing things together such as playing volleyball, being outdoors, hiking, biking, & traveling. They first visited Zion in September 2005 and fell in love with it. They returned in September 2008 & completed the Zion Narrows. The last trip to the area was in 2011 to confirm that they wanted to get married there!
Their gorgeous ceremony was nestled in a garden shadowed by the red sandstone cliffs of Zion National Park at the Cliffrose Lodge and Gardens May 26th, 2012. Friends and family from hundreds of miles away joyously witnessed Mike and Erika married among the picturesque landscape that makes the location world famous.
Enjoy some of our favorite photographs from their wedding. Check below for a full list of vendors!
The flowers hanging on the 1st row of chairs were memorial flowers and I thought an amazingly gorgeous touch to the ceremony.
The wooden sign that introduced guests to the ceremony and reception location was lovingly made by Erika’s father.
We are never disappointed by the work of Bloomers and this bouquet is no exception. We also loved that every guest received these small plants as favors… which also doubled as name cards located at place settings!
Could you honestly ask for a more gorgeous setting?
These skeletons & skulls were Mikes contribution to the wedding decor. We loved their custom glasses (which were only for bride and groom)! Also note Mikes cuff-links and the design of his watch.
Guest sign-in’s aren’t what they were 5 years ago (or even 2 years ago). We’ve seen a lot of creative ideas to document the identities of those who share in the couples special day. Mike and Erika chose to have guests leave a thumbprint and sign their name to create leaves on their “Wedding Tree.” This is a popular trend, as we’ve seen this several times at weddings now. The guests love it, and it’s much more memorable than scribbles in a book you’ll never look at!
OK, Natasha and I want one of these cameras and we would totally bust it out at weddings. We were actually looking at them online maybe 6 months ago… so when this one turned up at the reception we were intrigued and had to get some photos of the action! Fun, right!
Erika’s dad was the life of the party. I couldn’t quite capture because of everything going on, but when Mike and Erika would dance he would just watch from afar with the most pleasant smile. I think this photo really sums up how happy he was to be a part of this amazing day and to have a daughter as wonderful as Erika.
We’ve seen our share of sparkler exits. However, since everyone had traveled from out of town and were staying at Cliffrose Lodge or nearby they had a sparkler dance instead… which WAS a first for us.
Check out their website and slideshow here!
Vendors:
Event Planning and Design: Forevermore Events
Location: Cliffrose Lodge, Springdale Utah
DJ: Festival Sounds
Catering: Chef Nia’s
Cake: Bridal Cakes by Yvonne
Floral Design: Bloomers
Wedding Bands: Shane Company & Zales
Dress and Shoes: Davids Bridal
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