For some, there will always be Paris. Even if it’s the Paris hotel in Las Vegas. That’s where Mike proposed to Ashley. “He surprised me while I was on a furniture buying trip for my parents’ furniture store,” says Ashley, referring to The Village Shoppe in Yakima. “I was totally taken by surprise when I turned around and he was standing there in Vegas!” When she saw Mike behind her, she wasn’t sure what to think, but she certainly didn’t hestitate to say yes when he popped the question. The wedding reflected their interest in the outdoors, and since both are hunters, deer and elk horns decorated the candy bar.
“Our vows were personalized with fishing and hunting jokes,” Ashley says. “My dad even welded the arch and made a chandelier out of strung mason jar lights.” The bridesmaids wore one-shouldered black cocktail dresses with a feather strap that Ashley had made on Etsy, while the groomsmen wore black slacks with linen Tommy Bahama shirts, untucked. Keeping with the theme, the groom’s cake read, “The hunt is over” and was decorated with shotgun shells.
OCCUPATIONS She’s a buyer/salesperson at The Village Shoppe, and he’s an installer for Randy Grunewald Installations
THEY LIVE in Yakima
AND THEY MET when Mike’s brother and Ashley’s best friend introduced them
HE PROPOSED in Las Vegas
THEIR WEDDING was informal, and captured their love of hunting and fishing
THEIR CEREMONY AND RECEPTION was at Ritter Farms in Cle Elum
ASHLEY’S COUSIN Rick Lyon married the couple
NUMBER OF GUESTS 200
NUMBER OF ATTENDANTS 8
THEME was “rustic glam”
COLORS were Granny Smith green, black and white
THEY ARRIVED AND GOT AWAY in Ashley’s dad’s green ‘69 Chevy truck
SPENT THE NIGHT at a cabin in Cle Elum n AND WILL HONEYMOON in 2013
FAVORITE MOMENT for Mike was when Ashley got out of the truck to walk down the aisle. For Ashley it was when Mike was twirling her during their sunset photos.
Ashley and Mike’s team
CATERING Ritter Farms, Cle Elum, 509-656-2564
EVENT PLANNER Mallory Huigbretse, Breathtaking Weddings and Events, 509-969-3383
PHOTOGRAPHY Michael Fisk Photography, 509-833-2132
FLOWERS Gasperetti’s Floral, 509-248-0628
INVITATIONS Wedding Paper Divas, weddingpaperdivas.com
CAKE Christie’s Cakes, 509-961-5430
LINENS Yolanda at Gala Events, 509-576-7986
WEDDING GOWN First gown from Brides by Demetrios, Bellevue, 425-641-7334. Second gown from Nordstrom, downtown Seattle, 206-628-2111
ATTENDANT GOWNS Macy’s, macys.com
TUXES Tommy Bahama shirts and slacks
RINGS Fred Meyer Jewelers, fredmeyerjewelers.com
SHOES Macy’s and Boot Barn (Ashley wore cowgirl boots with second dress)
MAKE-UP Michelle Roberson
HAIR Liesa Buck and Rene Salinas at Salon at Lakeside, 509-453-2742
DJ Platinum Entertainment, Pasco, 509-547-8760
RENTALS Party Barn Rentals, 509-962-3934
MUSIC Platinum Entertainment, 509-547-8760