A bride and groom skied in their wedding attire after saying their vows on a snowy mountaintop | Businessinsider

2022-08-14 03:21:21 By : Ms. Selina Bie

Badenhop, 35, is a full-time muralist based in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where she met Owen Leeper, 37, who is a professional free skier.

Badenhop and Leeper first connected at a volleyball game in 2018, forming a friendship before falling in love. 

"I'm from Ohio originally, a flat farm in Ohio," Badenhop told Insider. "I had moved to Aspen right after college, and we've both now been in Jackson for 10 years."

"For me, once I got to the mountains, I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this would be such a cool spot for a wedding,'" she said. "I always wanted a mountaintop wedding, but never knew the logistics behind it or if it would be possible."

Although they got engaged in September 2021, Badenhop and Leeper didn't start planning their April 3, 2022, wedding until January. 

They decided to tie the knot at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, where Leeper is a sponsored skier, on the last week of the ski season. 

Because they were saying their vows at the snowy mountaintop, it just made sense for Badenhop and Leeper to leave their ceremony by skiing.

Badenhop, Leeper, and their approximately 75 guests used a ski tram to get to the spot they selected for their ceremony — which Badenhop said can be hit or miss weather-wise. 

"Where we had the ceremony is notoriously windy," Badenhop said. "It's very unpredictable."

Badenhop said she was a bit apprehensive the weather would interrupt their nuptials, but they got lucky.

"It was the most perfect day that happened all season, and then oddly enough, the next day, it was freezing and windy and they shut the tram down, which was what brought over guests to the top," she said.

Brian Hunter officiated the wedding.

Although she works as a muralist today, Badenhop went to fashion school and planned to work in bridal early in her career, as she told Insider. Because of her background, she had a pretty clear vision of the kind of wedding dress she wanted to wear. 

She ended up buying a strapless dress from Bon Bride online. The dress costs £2,750.00, which is about $3,362.23.

The floor-length dress had a thigh-high slit, which made it easy for Badenhop to slip on ski boots.

Elastic inside of the sleeves holds the dress up, and Badenhop used fashion tape to help ensure it stayed in place too.

The back of the dress also featured a puddle train, which Badenhop said could be bustled with buttons at the back to make skiing easier. 

She added a waist-length veil from ASOS to the romantic and gravity-defying gown. Badenhop also wore a fur jacket from Selfie Leslie on her way to the ceremony to keep warm.

An updo from Jaclyn Harmon of Frost Salon and a dewy makeup look by Abbey Hewes completed the look.

Badenhop ordered a custom choker with a back chain that read "Leeper" from Glamrocks Jewelry.

It added not only a personal touch but a modern flare to the romantic dress.

The Betsey Johnson boots gave the dress a winter feel, and they made walking around the mountain venue manageable. 

Badenhop wore Charlotte Stone shoes throughout the day as well.

As they planned to incorporate skiing into the wedding, Badenhop wanted to ensure the event had a chic feel.

"Since we ski every day, I just didn't want it to be like any other day," she said. "I wanted it to really feel special and like it was put together really nicely."

One way Badenhop did that was by customizing her and Leeper's skis for the event. 

She put vinyl covers over the skis, using white for her skis and black for Leeper's, and painted "bride" and "groom" on them.

She also designed their invitations.

Badenhop's ski boots are a shade of blue, so she considered using them as her "something blue" for the wedding.

But she ultimately decided white would look more cohesive, so she spray-painted an older pair of her boots. 

Leeper's boots were already black, so they matched his black tuxedo.

Badenhop also spray-painted her poles to match her bridal look. 

Leeper wore a Theory ensemble with a tie designed by Badenhop and Ponto Footwear shoes.

Of Badenhop and Leeper's 75 guests, about 20 joined them in their skiing exit, as Badenhop told Insider. 

"We didn't know if anybody was gonna come ski with us, and then a bunch of people just showed up with their skis that day," she said. 

The rest of their guests took the tram down to the bottom of the mountain at Teton Village where Badenhop had set up an après-ski spread of champagne and charcuterie. 

The couple's wedding photographer, Elise Sterck, skied down with them, capturing their once-in-a-lifetime trip down the mountain. 

"She takes a lot of Owen's photos during the winter if he's going out for a big day or jumping off cliffs," Badenhop said of Sterck. "I've always loved her editing style and the shots that she gets, so I knew she would just get killer shots."

Badenhop carried her bouquet of dried flowers from Decor Flower Bar with her as she and Leeper made their way down the mountain — as if skiing in a dress wasn't enough of a challenge. The wedding also featured flowers from Fern & Sunpalm.

Badenhop posted a video of herself and Leeper skiing that Leeper filmed, as well as other TikToks of them from their wedding day. The video filmed by Leeper has over 5 million views as of Friday.

The non-skiing guests also had flower petals they could toss at Badenhop and Leeper as they arrived at the bottom of the mountain. 

The newlyweds and their guests went to their reception at The Wort Hotel in Jackson after the couple's big entrance. DJ Marco Flexx provided entertainment at the event.

Lindsey Johnson provided their custom cake, and Persephone Bakery provided additional sweets.

"The one thing that I was trying to get away from the most was just to have a cookie-cutter wedding, and I think the coolest part of a wedding and the most memorable parts are when you add in these pieces that are little stories about your lives and doing that in a way that's meaningful to you," Badenhop said.

She advises other couples who are having adventurous weddings to incorporate these personal features, as it will make guests connect with them more too. 

For Leeper, skiing with his bride was the highlight of the wedding day, but for Badenhop, the ceremony stood out. 

"Walking down the snow-plowed aisle with music playing and seeing everybody standing there in a perfectly sunny day and Owens standing there smiling, it was such a cool moment to do something like that," she said. "It was very surreal."

She and Leeper promised their lives to each other with personal vows, which was Badenhop's idea. She surprised herself by crying throughout the ceremony. 

They exchanged rings from JC Jewelers. 

"It's the sense of adventure that he brings to the relationship that is my favourite thing," she told Insider. "He also brings a lot of laughs to me."

"He's always so calm and has an adventure planned like every day for us. If I would let him, he would have something for us to do every single day," she said. "His way of showing love is to have us do things together that are meaningful. I love that about him."

You can see more of Sterck's work here.