For the winter wonderland destination wedding of Stewart and Hayley, Salt Lake City, Utah could not have been a more perfect place. Family of both the bride and the groom live in the state, making it the ideal marriage location so it would be possible for the whole family to be there for the big day.

Despite the bride’s family hoping for a local wedding, they soon realized the immense benefits of a destination wedding. A beautiful location, close to loved ones? What more could you ask for?

“Stewart and I have always imagined celebrating our special day with the people we loved,” Hayley said. “Having a destination wedding made that a possibility.”

While Salt Lake City may have been close for some guests, it was a long way away for others. With some guests flying in from the East Coast and others from Brazil and London, it was necessary for the couple to give their guests plenty of time to plan their trip.

Planning ahead gave Hayley and Stewart ample time to organize the wedding of their dreams. “We had a lot of time to plan the wedding so we were not stressed or rushed,” the bride said.

The only minor snag the couple ran into was with the bride’s custom wedding gown.

“I felt bad for the lady because I can imagine it was hard to make my dress while I was back and forth in California,” the bride said. “But of course she worked her magic to pull things together by my last fitting, a few weeks before the wedding and it turned out exactly how I imagined.”

For inspiration, Hayley relied heavily on a bride favorite, Pinterest. The bride created a secret Pinterest board to swap ideas with her wedding planner and by keeping it secret, she was able to surprise her friends and followers on W-Day.

Hayley and Stewart’s wedding looked like something out of a fairy tale, and like any fairy tale, problems do arise, but the these newlyweds encourage other destination couples not to let the little things get to them.

“Don’t stress yourself out to the point where you can’t enjoy it,” the couple said. “Soak it all in and be happy!”

Photographer: Ciara Richardson Photography, Wedding Planner: Allison Baddley, Ceremony/Reception Site: Oquirrh Mountain LDS Temple/Salt Lake Hardware Building, Gown Designer: Penelope’s, Florist: Allison Baddley, Groom’s Clothing Designer: Elevee, Groomsmen’s Clothing Designer: Jos. A. Banks, Other Vendors: Culinary Crafts, Layers Cake Company & Fielding Films