Kathleen Urbany and Mihai Gherman
September 10th, 2011
Galena Lodge
Kathleen Urbany and Mihai Gherman
September 10th, 2011
Galena Lodge
After getting engaged on a romantic December night in a Christmas light-filled park in Ketchum, Kathleen and Mihai spent the next year planning their September wedding. Both live and work in Ketchum and love the outdoors, so choosing Galena Lodge as the location for their ceremony and reception was easy. And so was the rest of it. Kathleen and Mihai planned the wedding themselves with tons of help from family and friends, Kathleen's brother DJ'ed, family members helped with hair and makeup, Kathleen and her mom did the flowers and a friend even created the invitations. What resulted was a ceremony that was as comfortable, exuberant, and romantic as this great couple.
With photographer Joncee May of Boise, capturing all their special moments, it is easy to see the love between this couple and all their friends and family. From the sparkling and and lively dancing, to jumping with joy and raising hands into the air, this Ketchum couple celebrated in all the right ways. Check out all the romantic details and all the amazing photos right here!
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
The bride is from Hailey, Idaho and the groom is from Turda, Romania.
OCCUPATIONS?
Kathleen is a server and aspiring teacher. Mihai is also a server.
HOW DID YOU MEET?
Through mutual friends, we ended up being roommates in a Ketchum condo. We quickly became best friends and the rest is history!
HOW DID YOU GET ENGAGED?
Mihai proposed to me in Cimino Park in Ketchum on Christmas Eve. I thought we were going to take pictures in the snowy Christmasmy lit-up wonderland, and then he got down on his knee and proposed. Soon after, the Christmas Eve fireworks in Sun Valley went off in the distance and it was magical!
NUMBER OF GUESTS?
80.
WEDDING THEME?
Keep it simple!
CULTURAL TRADITIONS?
We had a Romanian flag next to the American flag at Galena. We also did the money dance, and cutting of the cake but no bouquet toss or garter throw.
SONG THAT YOU WALKED DOWN THE AISLE TO?
We walked down the aisle to the sound of the strong winds coming from the Boulder Mountains into Senate Meadows.
FIRST DANCE?
“You Are The Best Thing” by Ray LaMontagne
HOW DID THE NIGHT END?
We danced and danced, then everyone got on the school bus and rode back to Ketchum. The bus dropped us off at the Sun Valley Lodge then took the guests into town!
WHERE WAS YOUR HONEYMOON?
Kauai.
WHAT MADE YOUR WEDDING SO SPECIAL?
The beautiful outdoor scenery, the perfect weather, and the full moon shining on the dance floor. Every aspect of the wedding was outside in the open air–no tents were used. Also, my family was involved in the planning and preparation of the wedding, making it much more special. In addition to my mom's help, my aunt did my hair, another aunt tailored my dress, another aunt chauffeured us on the wedding day, and yet another aunt officiated. My cousin did my makeup, my brother did DJ duties, and my sister-in-law coordinated the ceremony and reception. Having family help made me feel that much more blessed.
COLOR PALETTE?
The bridesmaids had dark purple dresses and the groomsmen had golden yellow ties. But other than that, we didn’t really pick colors.
HOW DID YOU DECIDE YOUR MENU?
We chose from the selections at Galena. We chose the Tri-Tip Steak and Idaho Trout. It was perfect.
D.I.Y PROJECTS?
We made our own website, save the dates, and invitations. We also did all the flowers. We bought several potted flowers and decorated them with ribbons, then we put small sizes of our engagement pictures in the pots. My mom made all of the bouquets.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE?
The biggest challenge was keeping the guest numbers down. But now the biggest challenge is planning our second wedding in Romania!
TIPS FOR SOMEONE PLANNING A SUN VALLEY WEDDING?
Do your wedding outside and take advantage of the beautiful scenery of the Sun Valley area! Make sure to have transportation for your guests and stay organized with your planning!
VENDOR LIST:
WEDDING PLANNER: None.
FLOWERS: We did them ourselves.
HAIR/MAKEUP: My aunt did our hair and my cousin did our makeup.
DRESS/SHOES: I bought the dress and shoes in Salt Lake. Dress was Allure Bridal and the shoes were Steve Maddens.
GROOMS ATTIRE: DKNY.
BRIDESMAIDS DRESSES/GROOMSMEN: The bridesmaid dresses from Nordstrom's online. The groomsmen suits from Tuxedos Now in Twin Falls.
MUSIC: I made playlists on my iTunes then used my laptop at the wedding. My brother made announcements and coordinated the music.
FOOD: Galena Lodge.
DESSERT: Cristina's made a cake for us. It was a traditional three-tiered round wedding cake with strawberries and whipped cream.
INVITES: Keely from Business as Usual made the invitations and Save-the-Dates.
PHOTOGRAPHER: Joncee May
VIDEOGRAPHER: Meredith Richardson
OFFICIANT: My Aunt DeeDee. She marries everyone in our family.
