Wedding Celebration!

 On October 5th, 2024 we held a wedding celebration for Jared & Catherine. It turned out to be all we had hoped for and more. The planning snowballed from a simple get-together in our back yard to a full-blown ceremony and celebration at an event center called Cottage Charm in Sandy, Utah. We had over 70 people in attendance. We all  certainly felt the love.

Alan was the officiator at the celebration. Since Jared & Catherine had previously been legally married in Arizona in August, Alan didn't need to get ordained to perform a wedding ceremony. He simply officiated a ceremony where Jared & Catherine exchanged wedding vows and rings. Alan did this in both English and Spanish for Catherine's sake and for her mother's sake and others watching via FaceTime from Colombia.

The ceremony was great. The vows they shared with each other were meaningful. It truly captured the love they have for each other.

Catherine's mother surprised her with a video of her growing up on Colombia as a child. 

We all watched the video just prior to being seated at our tables for a meal of smothered chicken, garlic mashed potatoes, strawberry salad, and roll.

After eating and mingling with their guests, it was time to cut the cake. There were two flavors to choose from: Carrot cake, and Red Velvet cake. Both were delicious.

Here's a close-up of the cake. Our caterer made the cakes, and our florist provided the beautiful cake toppers and flower meadow.

After the cake cutting, it was time for Jared & Catherine to have their first dance. I love the song they chose to dance to - "How Long Will I Love You" by Ellie Goulding. 

Toasts to the couple were given by me, Daniel Bustos (Catherine's brother), Erica McEntire (The maid of honor and a fellow Spanish teacher of Jared's), and last but not least, Mark Pulsipher (the Best man and best friend of Jared's). 

A highlight of the day was when Ryan, Eric, Cheryl, and Kyle performed a rap-type song for Jared & Catherine. The song featured many of Jared's idiosyncrasies and sayings growing up. It was funny and so much fun to watch. They did a terrific job and everyone got to know Jared a lot better.

Before we knew it, it was time to say goodbye to our guests, take family and wedding party photos, and then clear out because another wedding party was soon to take over the venue.

This picture of the bride and her bridesmaids was taken before the ceremony in the bride's dressing room.

Beautiful couple!

This picture showcases Catherine's beautiful veil and dress. She was a very beautiful bride.

It was a ton of work putting the celebration together. I've decided that I never want to become a wedding planner. Although it was a lot of work, it turned out to be well worth it. It turned out better than we had dreamed it would. Jared and Catherine both expressed their gratitude to us for making their dream celebration become a reality.

We especially wanted this to be a "perfect" day for Catherine. Every girl wants to walk down the aisle carrying a bridal bouquet, wearing a wedding dress, and having her hair and make-up done perfectly. She looked beautiful! She glowed! Jared was very touched when he saw her walk down those stairs and up the aisle. I was weeping a little, myself. 

For such a long time, I had longed for Jared to be able to find the right woman who he could marry and have a family with. I'm glad he found Catherine. It's not easy to find someone living in another country, but somehow Jared was able to pull it off. Their love for each other was very apparent throughout the whole event.

I want to wish them well throughout their marriage. My hope is that they will always treat each other well and that they will have a very happy and fruitful life together. I hope that they will invite God into their relationship. I believe that marriage is ordained of God and is a commandment. I believe that if you let him in, He can enrich a marriage like no one else can. He can strengthen the bond between a man and woman and can open communication, soothe hurt feelings, and help couples commit to full fidelity to each other. 

Congratulations, Jared & Catherine. Here's to many happy, fulfilling years together!