michelle + cary

wedding at best friends animal sanctuary, kanab, utah

these two animal lovers picked the most incredible place for their wedding. best friends animal society is located in the tiny southern utah town of kanab. located right smack dab in the middle of zion national park, bryce canyon national park, lake powell, AND the grand canyon, it’s easy to see why this is such a gorgeous piece of utah desert. the icing on the cake is that best friends is in kanab, the largest no-kill animal shelter for companion pets in the country. i loved the reasons michelle and cary had for choosing this spot:

“We decided to have our wedding at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary because it encompasses Michelle’s love for animals and Cary’s love for Southern Utah and the red rock. We have a tradition of visiting every New Years to volunteer and escape the craziness of life. The ashes of our dog Dexter are buried there with a memorial at Angels Overlook. The Sanctuary is a very special place to us and we have had so many good memories there. We wanted our friends and family to see the work that Best Friends is doing, as well as the beauty of desert. Many of our friends and family have not visited Southern Utah, so it gave us a great excuse to get them down there!”

I love that they have a tradition of visiting this place every New Years to get away, and to give back! If you have never visited this sanctuary, I highly recommend it.

One of my favorite aspects of their wedding was the huge, U-shaped dinner table they had set up for all of their friends and family. It was as though everyone could see each other and share the incredible food by Sego Restaurant together. Everything about their day felt intimate, like they could connect with all of their guests and weren’t so busy running around from location to location. They got to just enjoy, which is part of what it’s all about.

Some really wise words of advice for future couples:

“Give yourself time to plan everything, and have contingency plan in case a vendor doesn’t have/do what you want. Make lists of items to bring, especially if it’s a destination wedding. Don’t get attached to how it should be. Try to have fun and have faith that it will work out just fine. Expect your budget to be double what you’re hoping for.Decide what is most important to you and don’t skimp in those areas. Remember that the day is about your love for each other, and you won’t be able to please everyone. They are there to celebrate you and your significant other, and are going to have a fantastic time because they love you. Hire Emily Klarer because she is the best photographer ever! Seriously, you’re a badass and we are still getting compliments of how personable and amazing you are. You definitely left an impression on one of the most important days of our life and we are beyond grateful that you were our photographer. <3”

I have so much love and respect for these two. Congratulations!! Wishing you both lots of love and adventure, and happy puppy snuggles. xo