On the beautiful summer day of June 17th, 2023, Shalisha and Nate joined their lives together amidst the stunning wilderness of the Gateway Campground in Idaho. Their wedding was a celebration of love, simplicity, and rustic elegance, which perfectly embraced the enchanting beauty of the forest surroundings. With their closest family and friends gathered around, the couple exchanged heartfelt vows in a breathtaking ceremony, which radiated an intimacy that filled the air with joy and emotion. As the sun began to set, they danced under the pavilion, a cherished testament to Shalisha's grandparents' love, creating an atmosphere of sheer magic. It was a day filled with sweet moments and everlasting memories, marking the beginning of a beautiful journey together as Mr. and Mrs.! Congratulations Shalisha and Nate! Welcome to the Believe Bride Family!
The Proposal! I was having a bad day, and we were watching our kids play in the above ground kiddie pool and to cheer me up, he proposed. Nothing fancy or crazy.
The Dress! I started shopping June 2022 to get ideas, designers and styles I liked and what I wanted in my dress. July 17, 2022 I booked my VIP bridal appointment and my stylist was Alexa. I told her the important pieces of what I'm looking for in my dress: A-line, no sleeves; thin straps; lace and applique; some sparkle and price range and showed her some inspiration pics and she came back with so many gorgeous dresses. It was my first time ever dress shopping or wearing wedding dresses so I had no idea what to expect. I took the whole two hours to decide from 3 final dresses, but the one I looked and felt best in had a little bit of everything I was looking for in the dress, where the others had some but missing others. So it was the closest to what I envisioned and I looked and felt the best in.
The Big Day! Outdoor with an enchanted forest type aesthetician with some hints of rustic charm. I kind of mixed some different themes together to make it look unique but not tacky or clashy; it actually turned out nice (used bits and pieces of my favorite things from each style). It was also simple but still beautiful and elegant as we didn't have a lot of help setting up.
What was your favorite part of your wedding? Finding out my grandparents helped build the Pavillion where we had our reception and marrying my best friend with some of our closest family and friends and knowing, even though smaller than we had hoped and planned for, those people cared about us enough to drive 2.5 hours and free their weekend to celebrate with us.
Special Memories: I made a speech about my dad, who passed June 25, 2021, and I did the father-daughter dance with my uncle who was always like another father to me (which the dance was a complete surprise.) And he had wrecked his bike and dog got hurt just before, but still made it from California to Idaho to give me away. Also my cousin, and bestfriend, from California as well, who has never left the state, flew out for my wedding too.
What advice would you give to future brides?: To do the best you can and to find a crew that when push comes to shove, will get down to business to help you and your groom out. Don't sweat the small stuff, no one will know what you forgot or took out. Be expected to be busy from start to finish but plan accordingly so you don't have to rush and can enjoy parts of your big day. Giving all your vendors a timeline of the day and/or photography timeline helps keep everyone on schedule and guests have an idea. Have your dj announce when you're going to do your bridal/groom portraits so people don't leave while you're gone. And so much more, but most importantly, have fun and enjoy.
Vendor Credit!
Makeup: Jenna Hutchins
Hair: Stephanie Stroud and Sabrina Moore
DJ/officiant: Dan Farrell MD's Mobile Music
Cake: My Blue Heaven Bakery
Cupcakes: Echo Lynn and Cakes by Brin
Photography: Field + Fern Photography Co.
Catering: Brett Arnzen and Aimee Pace
