A Rustic, Chic Wedding At The St. Regis Deer Valley in Park City, Utah

I fell in love with the boy that lived across the street,” says Julie Freed. “Not right away. In fact, it wasn’t until 15 years later that I realized the man I was supposed to marry – my soul mate – lived 30 yards away from me my entire life.

Julie and JR Howa grew up together. They attended the same school, had many of the same friends, and shared the same interests. Still, they weren’t yet ready to fall in love. “He was a senior in high school when I was just a nerdy freshman,” Julie explains. “He played football at the University of Utah, and I couldn’t wait to get as far away from home as possible. It wasn’t until after I finished college and moved back to Salt Lake that we went on our first date.

After dating for about a year, JR still wasn’t ready to take the next step. The couple broke up, which left Julie heartbroken. For three years, Julie and JR didn’t talk, didn’t wave to each other when pulling out of their driveways, and even insisted their parents refrain from any communication. Secretly, Julie was hoping they would get back together, but pushed the thought to the back of her mind.

“I was so tired of seeing JR’s car every morning when I pulled out of my parents’ driveway, that I decided it was time to buy a home of my own,” she says. “Now, we live in that home together!”

The two rekindled their romance, and JR proposed at Julie’s family cabin in Weber Canyon, by Yellow Lake. Knowing an engagement was in the near future, Julie had already purchased her wedding dress by then. “Our families were so thrilled that we were able to work out our differences,” she adds, “and that JR was able to see what a huge mistake he had made four years’ prior.”

The wedding day was pure bliss, filled with excitement, tears of joy, laughter, and fantastic wine. An elegant tent was set up, and a romantic ambiance was created with flowers, lighting, and music. Even though the top two layers of the wedding cake tipped over, it was still delicious. “Luckily, the cake we were planning to eat was a sheet cake in the back,” says Julie. “Something has to go wrong, and the cake falling was not a big deal – minus one of my bridesmaids screaming at the top of her lungs right before the crash. The pictures really say it all.”

Between the ceremony and reception, the entire day was a flawless fit for Julie and JR’s personalities. “Thanks to my incredibly wedding planner, Meredith Parsons, and all of the amazing vendors that worked tirelessly to make it possible, our day was just as we had hoped it would be.”