The gorgeous rocky mountains typically inspire a reaction of awe & total captivation just by their sheer force of beauty. Whether you’re looking to climb the tallest mountain or simply be photographed among them, it’s quite easy to see why couple’s take the opportunity to marry with these stunning beauties surrounding them! Elise Cheever & Aaron Lostutter share a deep love for all things rustic, mountainous and adventuresome, and knew that they wanted to share their deep love for the beauty that is Yosemite with their closest friends and family. After locking up the old world Victorian hotel of Wawona Hotel for their fete, the sweet couple’s friends & family went to task hand crafting just about every detail of the wedding! From hand wrapping centerpieces to home made yard games, their bright & colorful day was truly a team effort. The wedding fashion was another highlight of the big day with bridesmaids wearing mix matched dresses in soft teal tones while the boys were gifted customized Nike iD! It was however Elise who truly had something special in the ‘something borrowed & something old’ department, wearing an old vintage glamour veil that has been handed down in the family for over 120 years! This wedding truly is a love affair from the highest mountains to the smallest DIY wedding detail!
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Novella of the Bride…
I was born and raised in Santa Clarita, CA and grew up with a love of camping, soccer, and other outdoor activities. I graduated high school in 2008 and decided to attend Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona to pursue degrees in Civil and Environmental Engineering. Aaron was born and raised in Tucson, AZ and grew up playing ice hockey. He traveled the country playing hockey and even lived in Connecticut for a year. He graduated from high school in 2007 and decided to take a year off school to work at an internship before enrolling at NAU in 2008. Aaron and I met in a freshman engineering class in January of 2009. We quickly became friends and often worked together on group projects. During that summer I got a job at Six Flags Magic Mountain and Aaron, his brother, and a few friends came to visit–while taking advantage of the free tickets I could get them 🙂 We stayed in touch for the rest of summer and remained friends into the Fall semester. Aaron and I started officially dating at the end of September in 2009. We spent a lot of our time driving down to Sedona for hikes, playing Super Smash Brothers on a Nintendo 64, and working on mountains of homework. During our spring breaks and summer vacations we always tried to plan at least one trip, whether it be camping in Zion National Park or snowboarding in Big Bear. After nearly 3 years of dating, Aaron and I got engaged in August of 2012. We graduated from NAU in the Spring of 2013 and moved to Denver right after our wedding. We are now enjoying all of Denver’s outdoor activities with our dogs, Koda and Izzy.
We wanted our wedding to be very warm and personal. Aaron and I were camping in Yosemite for a week when we got engaged. We were lucky enough to receive lottery permits to hike Half Dome and on the top of Half Dome is where he popped the question. Many of our family members and close friends had never been to Yosemite before, so we decided that we wanted to share such a special place with our closest friends and family. There are a lot of gorgeous places in Yosemite to get married but we chose Glacier Point because of the amazing views of the valley and Half Dome. When we decided to get married in Yosemite I knew right away that I wanted to have the reception at the Wawona Hotel, the beautiful white Victorian buildings are amazing! I love shopping at antique malls and am a sucker for items with a vintage vibe and mason jars. When we started looking for decorations we knew that we wanted to incorporate mason jars, vintage pieces, and a few rustic touches. We also decided to add a few subtle details that hinted at Disney Pixar’s UP! (It’s our favorite movie to watch together). One of my favorite items from the wedding is the corn hole boards that my dad built and my mom painted. One side features Half Dome and the other side shows the adventures we’ve experienced so far.
All of our friends and family helped us out! Our wedding wouldn’t have been possible if we didn’t have so much help from our friends and family members. My mom (Becky), sister/maid of honor (Erika), best frien/bridesmaid (Amanda), and I were on Pinterest months before the wedding brainstorming ideas. Because we knew that we wanted to keep costs low, we needed to DIY nearly all of our decorations. My mom, sister, and I did most of the crafting while my Aunt Sarah and Mimi Emily helped us figure out the table arrangements and my Uncle Jeff made the cake holder. Aaron’s mom, Maureen, was a florist in Tucson for several years so she made the bouquets, corsages, and boutonnieres. My future sister in law and third bridesmaid, Pilar Padias, also pitched in by arranging our centerpieces and doing my hair and make-up. Aaron’s aunts, Diana and Denise, are also talented hair stylists and did my bridesmaids hair. I am also very blessed to have a talented photographer cousin, Amy Atkins, who was willing to spend the entire day with us capturing every moment. We had many other aunts, uncles, and friends that helped transform our reception venue, clean up after the reception, and keep things running smoothly throughout the day.
Bride’s Favorite Moment: “I have two favorite moments from my wedding day. My first was seeing Aaron’s reaction to me when I first entered the ceremony. Aaron isn’t a very emotional guy but at that moment I could see tears welling up in his eyes. My other favorite moment was my father daughter dance. Just thinking about it makes me get all emotional and teary eyed.”
Vendor Love
Ceremony: Glacier Point, Yosemite National Park, CA | Reception: Wawona Hotel | Wedding Dress: La Soie Bridal | Bridesmaid Dresses: Mixed per each Bridesmaid | Shoes: Toms, Customized Nike iD | Hair: Pilar Padias, Diana Baker, Denise Winner | Makeup: Pilar Padias | Invitations: Wedding Chicks | Transportation: Grandfather’s White Hummer H2 | Music: iPod playlist per Bride & Groom | Lighting & Rentals: Wawona Hotel/Delaware North Company | Flowers: Arranged by Maureen Lostutter & Pilar Padias | Caterer: Wawona Hotel/Delaware North Company | Baker: Vons Bakery | Wedding/Event Planner: Wawona Hotel/Delaware North Company | Photographer: Amy Atkins Photography