Andrea Christensen and Mike Walton

September 27, 2011

Andrea Christensen and Mike Walton

September 10th, 2011

River Run Lodge

Andrea Christensen and Mike Walton know how to have a good time. And their September 10th wedding at River Run Lodge was proof. From their perfectly timed and emotional ceremony to lawn games like Bocce Ball during the cocktail hour to dancing and drumming on-stage way past River Run Lodge hours, their wedding brought family and friends together in a love-filled, autumn-themed affair. A wedding planner herself, Andrea had trouble separating the bride from the planner, but once the day arrived and she started walking down the aisle toward Mike (who was already crying), she knew all the hard work paid off. With classic blue sky framing Baldy and autumn colors all around, theirs was a sentimental and perfect Idaho wedding.

WHERE ARE YOU FROM? The bride is from Blackfoot, Idaho and the groom is from Salt Lake City, Utah.

OCCUPATIONS? I recently left my position as a Conference Event Planner in the Sun Valley Resort Catering Department and became the Developmental Director at the Blaine County Drug Coalition and Mike is the Detail Manager at the Sun Valley Auto Club.

HOW DID YOU MEET?
Mike and I met through mutual friends here in Sun Valley. We started off as friends but the spark between us grew very quickly. It’s an amazing relationship because he is not only my husband now but my best friend, partner in crime and mentor.

HOW DID YOU GET ENGAGED?
I had originally surprised him with a trip to Newport Beach to see Tom Petty and ZZ Top perform for his 30th birthday. The night before the concert we had reservations at an Italian restaurant that looked out over the ocean but once we got there Mike surprised me with a sunset canoe ride. As we floated along the beach there was a bottle floating by; I grabbed the bottle and inside was a poem Mike wrote. When I finished reading the poem, he was on one knee. He said he knew I loved him because I said “yes!” first and then looked at the ring.

NUMBER OF GUESTS?
140 people including six children and five high chairs.

WEDDING BUDGET?
$10,000

WEDDING THEME?
Rustic Elegance with elements of an Idaho fall.

SONG THAT YOU WALKED DOWN THE AISLE TO?
Just acoustic live guitar performed by Art Wallace.

FIRST DANCE?
Frank Sinatra’s “L.O.V.E”
Our dear friend and neighbor also performed a song for our “second dance” that he wrote and sang to his wife on their 50th wedding anniversary.

GUEST FAVORS?
I found some cute little burlap sacks with wooden hearts sewn on the front that said “Thanks”. I filled the inside with trail mix and left a note on the inside of each one that said “ Happy Trails”.

HOW DID THE NIGHT END?
We didn’t want it to end! High Street Band played until almost 11:30 a.m. and everyone left smiling, happy and with their shoes off! Mike and I drove off into the night in our friend's classic Sun Valley Wago and stayed at the Sun Valley Lodge for our honeymoon night.

WHERE WAS YOUR HONEYMOON?
Maui, Hawaii. Amazing!

WHAT MADE YOUR WEDDING SO SPECIAL?
It was definitely all of our friends and family but also the staff at Sun Valley. Everyone put their heart and souls into the party. The love we felt in the room that day was indescribable and we couldn’t have planned a better celebration! Even now, people are still telling us what a great “vacation” they had for our wedding and are sending us thank you cards just for inviting them.

COLOR PALETTE?
Beige, chocolate brown and wine.

HOW DID YOU DECIDE YOUR MENU?
Having worked with Sun Valley Company for the past four years I’ve seen hundreds of the chef’s plated dinners but my favorite has always been the Pesto Grilled Chicken with Prawns. We paired it with Idaho Roasted Red Potatoes (to honor my dad who is an Idaho Potato Farmer). It was incredible.

D.I.Y PROJECTS?
Along with the trail mix party favors, I made wood signs that I decoupaged for each table. They were each a personal, written testament to how much each person at every table meant to the both of us. Also, since wedding flowers can be so expensive, we used a lot of succulents and even some fall wheat for the boutonnieres and centerpieces.

BIGGEST CHALLENGE?
My biggest challenge was separating myself as the event planner and the bride. The wedding day and reception were all handled wonderfully by Sun Valley, but I would suggest an in-town coordinator for general help and for other events like as the rehearsal. Even though I live here, it would’ve been great to have someone else to do all the leg work so I didn’t have to run around finalizing the tiny details the week before the wedding. If you aren’t from the Wood River Valley and are getting married here, I would suggest hiring a local planner. There are some great wedding planners in this town.