1. Real Weddings

Amy & Doug: A DIY Wedding in Ogden, UT

With a DIY attitude, Amy Stanton and Doug Williams added personal touches to their wedding and stuck to a budget. They even brought their family in to

With a DIY attitude, Amy Stanton and Doug Williams added personal touches to their wedding and stuck to a budget. They even brought their family in to help, beginning with the invitations -- handmade by the bride’s sister -- which introduced the grape, silver, and lavender color palette. The Bride Amy Stanton, 27, writer The Groom Doug Williams, 36, network support engineer The Date October 14 After meeting through mutual friends in Sun Valley, Amy and Doug hit it off immediately and soon began dating. Two years later, the couple was at an amusement park in Farmington when she decided it was the perfect place to pop the question. “Whenever I’m nervous I start to giggle,” Amy says, “Doug noticed that, and said sarcastically, ‘You aren’t going to ask me to marry me, are you?’” She did just that. After he excitedly accepted (and let everyone in shouting distance know they’d just gotten engaged!), Amy and Doug started planning their fall wedding in Ogden.

The Guest Book
“Each of my bridesmaids has her individual style and taste,” Amy says. To accommodate each attendant, Amy chose separates by Alfred Angelo -- she picked out a grape A-line floor-length skirt with a sweep train and let each maid select her own bodice.
The Formalwear
Amy wore a white satin basque-waist gown by Alfred Angelo. The full-shirred tulle skirt was accented with beaded venise medallions and had a semi-cathedral train. For a glamorous touch, she accessorized with elbow-length satin gloves.
The lighting, greenery, and beautiful fountain inside the reception hall created the atmosphere of a lush, outdoor garden. “It’s a very romantic and cozy setting,” Amy says. In between sips of wine, guests could indulge in the flowing chocolate fountain, or make their way to the dance floor (Amy and Doug got things started with “You Say it Best When You Say Nothing At All” by Allison Kraus).
Amy and Doug said “I do” in a gazebo adorned with ivy in the Secret Garden. With a good friend officiating, the couple exchanged vows they wrote themselves before their 75 guests. “I wanted to incorporate Doug’s favorite style of music in the ceremony,” Amy says, so she tracked down an album of romantic guitar rhythms by Michael Chapdelaine. The bridesmaids walked down the aisle to “Unchained Melody,” and the bride to “Groovy Kind of Love.”
Amy carried a simple, elegant clutch of purple and white roses with a mix of stephanotis, tied with silver ribbon.
Doug’s mom made the three-tier cake, with each layer consisting of a different delectable flavor of chocolate: the bottom was milk chocolate, the middle had fudge, and the top layer was devil’s food cake.