Rebecca Etchen and Adam Peters
River Run Lodge, Bald Mountain, Sun Valley Resort
September 3rd 2011
Sun Valley holds a special place in the hearts of bride and groom, Rebecca and Adam. From family memories to skiing, they were eager to share this beautiful place with their family and friends for the wedding. They pulled together influences from this classic ski town, with their own East Coast-inspired preppy style to create a celebration that they termed, "Rustic Preppy". What they had was a beautiful September day over Labor Day Weekend, that honored their favorite ski town and their love in a Sun Valley wedding that was classic, picturesque, romantic and timeless.
WHERE ARE YOU FROM?
Rebecca is from Ligonier, Pennsylvania, outside Pittsburgh. Adam is from Mechanicsburg, Ohio, outside Columbus.
OCCUPATIONS?
Rebecca is the Divisional Merchandise Manager at Eddie Bauer and Adam is a Senior Financial Analyst at Univar Corp.
HOW DID YOU MEET?
We were in the same MBA program at Georgetown University in 2006. We were really good friends for two years before finally dating in 2008. We made our first trip to Sun Valley to go skiing in March 2009.
HOW DID YOU GET ENGAGED?
Shortly after moving from Washington, DC to Washington State, we went for one of our typical post-work walks along Lake Washington. In the typical northwestern spitting rain, Adam proposed right next to the lake.
NUMBER OF GUESTS?
Approximately 70.
WEDDING THEME?
Rustic Preppy. We both wanted to be married outside at the base of Baldy, and being from the east, the wedding still needed to have a preppy flair that encompassed our taste.
SONG THAT YOU WALKED DOWN THE AISLE TO?
An acoustic guitar solo.
FIRST DANCE?
For the bride and groom’s first dance it was Ray LaMontagne’s “You are the Best Thing”. For the father and daughter dance, we played Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” and then Rod Stewart’s “Forever Young” for the mother and son dance.
GUEST FAVORS?
We gave out Sun Valley Vintage Chocolate Bars and we also had a candy buffet full of our favorites.
HOW DID THE NIGHT END?
The night ended with almost the entire guest list on the dance floor, chanting “One more song!” to the High Street Band. Some then regrouped at the bar in the Sun Valley Lodge.
WHERE WAS YOUR HONEYMOON?
We mini-mooned in Sun Valley for the rest of the week, where we spent tons of time in and around Ketchum, biking, fishing and doing lots of outdoor activities.
WHAT MADE YOUR WEDDING SO SPECIAL?
It was amazing to have all our family and friends in one place at the same time, and for most of them to be introduced to one of our favorite places. My father was born in Sun Valley and spent a lot of time there as a kid. My great grandfather also ran the Sun Valley Gun Club for several years during that time period. My parents also went there on their honeymoon. Adam and I went there on one of our first trips together and we both fell in love with the town immediately. So having our wedding in this place that means so much to us made it incredibly special.
COLOR PALETTE?
Red and Navy.
HOW DID YOU DECIDE YOUR MENU?
We both knew we wanted filet. The toughest choice we had to make was what flavor of wedding cake…all the options at Sun Valley were amazing. We decided on chocolate, but still talk about the spice and vanilla options that we didn’t choose.
D.I.Y PROJECTS?
I made all the wedding ceremony programs, welcome bag notes, and place cards for the rehearsal dinner. It was a lot of work, but it made me feel like I had done something personal for the wedding.
BIGGEST CHALLENGE?
Not being in Sun Valley to plan was a challenge, as well as having both of our families on the East Coast. Our wedding party was from all over the country, so the distance and organization not being physically there was the biggest challenge.
TIPS FOR SOMEONE PLANNING A SUN VALLEY WEDDING?
Having a great planner at Sun Valley Resort, Nicole Ackerman, really saved us. She was extremely professional and helped deliver the big day. Also, Amanda Seaward was our “day of” planner, who also helped with scheduling of events, kept us on schedule, and anything and everything else that came up that day.
VENDOR LIST:
FLOWERS: Tara Bella
HAIR/MAKEUP: Sun Valley Salon in the Sun Valley Lodge.
BRIDESMAIDS DRESSES/GROOMSMEN ATTIRE: Navy Blazers, khaki pants, and the Vineyard Vines Cherry Blossom tie (signifying DC, where Rebecca and Adam first met) for the groomsmen. The bridesmaids wore J.Crew dresses.
MUSIC: High Street Band
FOOD: Filet and corn crab fritter from Sun Valley Resort.
DESSERT: Chocolate cake from Sun Valley Resort.
INVITES: Sally Balt from La Happy in Seattle. She also did all the calligraphy for the invitations as the reception escort and place cards. All the signs for the candy bar were created by her as well.
PHOTOGRAPHER Kristin Cheatwood
OFFICIANT: Pastor Bob Henley
