Grand America Hotel

For our anniversary, Chad surprised me with 2 nights in the Grand America Hotel. I have never been so excited to stay in a hotel, let alone a five star hotel. It was hands down the most amazing hotel I have ever stayed in. It was BEAUTIFUL. Our room was the size of our house in Provo. It was spectacular.

The view from our balcony

Saturday morning, we treated ourselves to the amazing buffet in the hotel. We couldn't stop stuffing our faces because it was THAT good. After breakfast, we decided to go to the Hoogle Zoo to work off our breakfast. Plus, Chad had never been. It was busy and very hot, so we didn't stay too long. We were grateful for the mist fans throughout the park!

After the zoo we went to the Gateway to do some shopping. There was a Farmers Market going on in the streets. It was fun looking at the the booths and watching the local dancers. We stopped at a small burger joint for some lunch. 

Later that night, we decided to get dressed up and go to dinner at the Garden Room at the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. We had a great view of the city. As we were about to leave, our waitress gave us a balloon and told us to make a wish. As we were thinking of what to wish upon, the ceiling retracted and opened into the night sky. Everyone in the restaurant watched as we let our balloon go (it was kind of awkward actually, but a memorable experience). 

As we were walking around temple square, Chad surprised me with a carriage ride around the city. Neither of us had done it before. It's fun because you get to see the city from a different perspective. It was a romantic way to end our date.  I would definitely recommend it if you've never done it :)

This past year has been the best year of my life. I love having my best friend with me through everything. I'm so excited for the goals that we've set to help us become even stronger. I will be eternally thankful for him and his example to me. I love you Chad!!!!

Meeting the Sandlot Cast

For our anniversary, we decided we were going to spend the weekend in SLC. Friday night, Chad surprised me with tickets to the Bee's game. Normally I wouldn't be too excited for a baseball game (it's my least favorite sport), but the Sandlot cast was going to be there for pictures and autographs to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the movie!

We had awesome seats at the game, 5th row behind home plate, but we decided to wait in line for 3 hours to meet the cast instead. We would occasionally go back to our seats and watch for a few minutes and then get back in line. The people that were behind us in line were kind to keep letting us back in :)

Although 20 years have passed, it's still so easy to distinguish the characters... they all look the same! It was so fun to be able to meet them. It was definitely worth the wait!

Happy 1st Anniversary

One year of marriage down, eternity to go! I can't believe it. I feel like it was just yesterday we were kneeling across the alter, staring into each others' eyes, deeply in love. The memories are still so vivid.  I want to be able to remember those precious memories forever. Since I never officially did a detailed wedding post, I decided our first anniversary is the perfect time to post it. (Sorry for the overload of pictures, I wanted to upload most of the pictures in case anything happens to my wedding album, that way I know I will always have them :)

July 20, 2012

6:45 am - After pushing snooze 3 times, I jumped out of bed.. time to get ready!
6:50 am - Took a quick shower and ate a bowl of "Life" cereal
7:00 am - Kira, my hairstylest, arrived at my house
7:45 am - Nicole, my makeup artist, arrived (45 minutes late!! I was stressing!)

One thing I absolutely loved about my photographer, Ryan Chai, is that he photographed the ENTIRE day. I love the "getting ready" pictures!

10:00 am - Chad picked me up to go to the temple! I loved the "first view" moment. Chad's face was priceless. 

10:15 am: Since it was the middle of July, we decided we should take pictures before the sealing so we didn't have to stand out in the heat. I loved doing it before the ceremony because it was just us, we didn't have our entire families watching and waiting for us.

There was construction on the Temple (we didn't know until we arrived). You can see part of the scaffolding on the temple.

12:00 pm - Our sealing was absolutely amazing! I can't even describe how perfect it was. I really liked our sealer, he connected with us from the moment we met him. He said exactly what we needed to hear. I love this gospel. 

The entire family

DeVore Family

Devore Siblings & Spouses

Chad's Parents

Chad's High School Friend's + Spouses

Entire Weitzeil Family

Weitzeil Family

My Parents

2:00 pm - We had our luncheon at Tucanos, a Brazilian Grill in Provo. We had about 60 guests. It was so fun to be with everyone. We were officially married!!

5:00 pm - We had our reception at The Bungalow in Pleasant Grove, UT. Ever since I was younger, I have always wanted my reception outdoors. Once I saw the The Bungalow, I immediately fell in love and knew it was the place. The flowers, decorations, music and atmosphere was more than I have ever dreamt of. It was perfect! Chad and I arrived 2 hours before the reception to take pictures.

Weitzeil Family

The Weitzeil's

The DeVore's

DeVore Grandchildren

The Parents

Chad's Siblings

7:00 pm - We had people showing up before the reception even started. Since Chad and I both grew up in Orem, we had TONS of people at the reception (almost 400!). It was sooo fun to see old friends, family members and to meet new people.

 Instead of the guests signing in on a book, they signed in on a patch of fabric. My sweet sister, Stephanie, offered to make a quilt of all the patches of fabric. I saw this idea on Pinterest and loved it! 

My mischievous brothers got ahold of my car keys and decorated our car. They filled the inside with toilet paper and newspaper. They put vaseline on all the inside and outside doorhandles and all over the windows (bad idea! It took us almost 6 months to get it completely off the windows).

Our beautiful cake was made by "Cakes by Donna"

9:30 pm: My brothers have this tradition of kidnapping the bride right after the reception. I completely forgot that they do this, so I wasn't expecting it at all. Next thing I know, my brother has me over his shoulder and is running to Sean's BMW convertible.

They drove to a Smith's grocery store, handed me a list and said I had to complete the scavenger hunt before I could return to the reception. The things on the list were the "necessities" for the honeymoon.

It was so fun being with my brothers!

Once I finished the scavenger hunt and returned to the reception, Chad and I left for our honeymoon. We stayed in a Suite in the Holiday Inn. It was a perfect wedding and I am so excited for the many anniversaries to come!