Will and Rae's Aviation Wedding in the Sawtooths
What do you get when you combine a bush pilot in Alaska and an all around bad-ass athlete? One epic wedding day I'll tell you. When Rae and Will told me I'd be meeting them at the Hailey, Idaho airport at 8am just outside of Sun Valley to start their wedding day, I was stoked to say the least. The groom (!) would be flying us into a backcountry airstrip on the banks of the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. Not only is the Middle Fork a special place for myself, the couple wanted to exchange private vows before flying back to Stanley, Idaho for their ceremony.
Their private vows were tearful and beautiful - I gave them space while they exchanged notes next to the river (and also so they couldn't see my own tears, hah). Their dog, Ruger, was stoked to get some water time before we made the short walk back to the dirt runway. Friends and family greeted them as we landed at the small Stanley, Idaho airstrip at the base of the Sawtooth Mountains. What an epic way to start the morning. Both Rae and Will could not have been happier with the morning and were beaming after some solo time in the mountains before the rest of the wedding day started to ramp up.
After a brief tick situation and a beautiful ceremony, we headed to the Stanley runway to capture photos before the party really got going down at the Kasino Club. If you've spent time in Stanley, you it's the perfect little corner of Idaho with a dirt road "downtown" and familiar faces all around. I loved this down home crew and got to see so many friends as an added bonus. Thanks to these two for celebrating the day with me, I'll be thinking about this one for a while!
Vendor Kudos :)
Wedding Venue: Sawtooth Meditation Chapel
Wedding Reception: Kasino Club Stanley
Flowers: Tara Bella
Coordinating: Down To Earth Planning - Delaney Fulton
Second Photographer: Cooper Morton
Music: Pisten Bully's
Airplane Loaner: Blake Swanson and Alec Jones
Jewelry & Bolo Ties: Alphakilo Metalworks
Officiant: Taylor Cooper
