This Skiing Wedding at Mt. Ashland Ski Resort in Ashland, Oregon, Included a Parking Lot Tailgate Reception

Matt and Jessica love to ski, so much so that their wedding took place on a ski slope at Mt. Ashland Ski Resort in Ashland, Oregon. "Matt and I had both grown up skiing. We were raised by skiers and learned to ski just after learning to walk. We even competed in the same league through high school, so naturally, it's an activity that has been very central to our relationship," explains Jessica. "At some point my father told me of a friend of his that got married on the mountain, the bride and father of the bride skied down together and the bride and groom skied off. After hearing that, we knew that we just had to get married on skis as well." 

Not only did the couple get married on Mt. Ashland, but that's actually where Matt proposed to Jessica many months earlier. "[Matt] proposed on Mt. Ashland when we were down visiting my family," recalls Jessica. "He insisted on getting up early to take a drive to the mountain. I'm not a morning person so I was a little annoyed, but I decided to appease him as it was the first time he'd spent much time in Ashland. We got up there and walked around while I told him of old memories. The bunny hill had one chair set up, so we went up there to sit down and he proposed! We came back down the mountain and celebrated by going wine tasting with my family." 

Once the wedding day came around, the couple "encouraged guests to come to the ceremony outfitted in, what we were calling 'apres formal' which can be anything from apres-ski clothes to formalwear. We ended up having about 20 guests skiing together in a group wearing dresses, tuxes and formal jackets," explains Jessica of the dress code. "We made sure that we found the right photographer that could not only take amazing pictures but do so while skiing and we were not disappointed! After skiing, we had a tailgate party in the parking lot where my mom's friends had snacks waiting and we all sipped bubbly and took shot skis. Because of COVID, we had a very small group of attendees, but as all the other people on the mountain were leaving we got honks and hoots and hollers. The mountain even agreed to use our names as the word of the day on the tickets, so we even got shout-outs by name. It was like we also had 300 respectful, fun strangers in attendance in addition to our 35 guests."

Although the natural surroundings at the ski resort were the main decor for the day, Jessica's father, a retired floral designer, did create some special arrangements just for the day. "With the wedding being on the mountain, and the mountain being open while we had the ceremony, we didn't have a whole lot to do, or that we could do," notes Jessica. "My dad, who is a retired award-winning florist, did flowers, but that was just about the extent of the extra decor we incorporated. We had a mountain in the background and an incredible view built-in! My father did beautiful bouquets for myself and the bridesmaids as well as boutonnieres for the men. They were all simple and accented our theme well while adding the right touch of whimsey to our otherwise pretty rugged wedding."

Looking back on the wedding day, Jessica recalls how she "loved skiing with the crew. It was a perfect 60-degree day, with no extra jackets needed. Being able to do the activity that binds both Matt and me and both our families was incredibly special. As a bonus, all the ladies discovered that skiing in a dress is great fun!"