Jocelyn + Phil
For our real bride Jocelyn, wedding day was all about creating something that felt deeply personal—an experience that reflected both her and Phil from start to finish. On August 24, 2024, the two said “I do” high above it all at Schweitzer Mountain, with sweeping views of Lake Pend Oreille setting the scene for a celebration that felt equal parts adventurous and intentional.From the beginning, Jocelyn envisioned an outdoorsy, campfire-inspired wedding—something relaxed, meaningful, and surrounded by nature. One detail she knew she couldn’t go without? Water. That desire ultimately led them to Schweitzer, where mountain views meet the lake below, creating a setting that felt close to home but still like a destination. Once the location was chosen, everything else began to fall into place naturally. Many of their vendors were people they already knew and loved, making the entire planning process feel even more special—from a dear friend capturing their photos to another creating the florals, and a videographer they instantly connected with.The day itself was filled with anticipation, emotion, and a few unexpected twists that made it all the more memorable. Jocelyn and Phil chose to skip a first look, instead spending the morning with their closest friends—Jocelyn getting ready in a cozy condo with her girls, and Phil hanging with his groomsmen before heading up the mountain via chairlift to the ceremony site. While their planned pre-ceremony tequila shot didn’t quite happen (thanks to a few nerves), it only made the moment they finally saw each other that much more powerful.
Before the ceremony, Jocelyn shared a heartfelt first look with her dad—one of the most meaningful moments of the entire day. And while August typically promises sunshine, the mountain had other plans. Guests bundled up against the unexpected chill, and a light rain fell during the ceremony—but just as Jocelyn began her walk down the aisle, the clouds parted and the sun made its appearance. It was nothing short of magical.And when she reached Phil? No holding back—hugs, kisses, and pure joy took over immediately. A perfect reminder that there are no rules when it comes to seeing your person at the altar.With one of their close friends officiating, the ceremony felt deeply personal. Jocelyn and Phil wrote their own vows, creating a moment that had guests both laughing and tearing up. It was heartfelt, genuine, and completely them.The celebration continued with a pivot—what was originally planned as a mountaintop cocktail hour moved indoors to the lodge below due to the weather. While guests warmed up with drinks, Jocelyn and Phil stayed behind for breathtaking photos at the top of the mountain, soaking in the views and the moment together.From there, the reception kicked off—and it was nothing short of a party. With an incredible DJ (handpicked by Phil), the dance floor stayed packed all night long. The couple wove in fun, personal touches throughout the evening, including subtle and playful nods to Kobe Bryant in honor of their wedding date—8/24, Mamba Day. From Mamba candy tossed before the ceremony, to custom trading card drink tokens hidden around the venue, to outfit changes featuring Jordans, Mambas, and Mambacitas, every detail felt uniquely them.And just when guests thought it couldn’t get better—a late-night fry bar made its appearance at exactly the right moment.Looking back, Jocelyn describes the day as unforgettable—filled with laughter, love, and moments that didn’t go exactly as planned, but turned out even better because of it.Her advice to future brides? Do exactly what you want. This day is about you and your person—not about hosting or entertaining. You are the guest of honor. So soak it in, celebrate your love, and create a day that feels completely, unapologetically yours.
Wedding Date & Location:
August 24, 2024 at Schweitzer Mountain, Idaho
What was the vision for your wedding?:
Phil and I just really wanted our wedding to be a reflection of both of us. At first, my Pinterest board had a lot of outdoorsy, campfire type vibes. I knew I always wanted to get married outside. Phil and I also really wanted there to be water somewhere, so we knew that being up at Schweitzer with Lake Pend Oreille in the background was perfect for us! We wanted to get married close enough to home, but also far enough away that it somewhat felt like a destination. Once we chose our location, a lot of the other vendors fell into place, such as food and beverage services. One of the most important things for Phil and I was the documentation of our day. We knew we wanted incredible photographers and videographers to support our memory making. I have a dear friend who lives in Bellingham who is an amazing photographer. I actually reached out to her even before Phil and I were engaged to make sure she knew she had to be the one to photograph the wedding! She was the first person I reached out to as far as vendors goes after the proposal. We also found an amazing videographer who I happened to meet at a local bridal show. I also have a dear friend who does flowers and knew that she was the right person for the job! I’m so lucky I had her because she moved away right after the wedding.
How did it go on the day-of?:
Phil and I wanted to make sure that we got to spend good quality time with our people the morning of our wedding. Phil and I chose to not do a first look so both of us spent time with our bridal parties while getting ready. I spent the morning in a friend‘s condo up at Schweitzer getting ready with all of my girls, while Phil got to spend his morning in the hotel with his grooms people. Phil and I planned to do a pre-ceremony shot of tequila together with a door in between us so we wouldn’t see each other. Unfortunately, my nerves sat in really heavily and I spent a little bit of time in the bathroom so I was unable to make it to our pre-ceremony shot. But it just made the anticipation of seeing him that much more intense. Phil and his grooms people had to head up the chairlift to go to where our ceremony was being held. While he was doing that, I did a first look with my dad. That was one of my favorite moments of the entire day. We got to spend some really nice time together and share some really good moments before all of the festivities began. The one thing that we did not anticipate for an August wedding was really cold weather at the top of the mountain. We knew that that was a possibility, but the weather had been so nice up until this day. It was actually a funny part of our whole day because everyone was quite freezing, but made the best of it. We had a little bit of rain during our ceremony, but that’s good luck right? And when I finally got to walk down the aisle toward Phil, the sun came out and it was a really magical moment. One thing that happened when I had finally got up to Phil was I immediately hugged and kissed him like 10 times. I was so excited to see him that I just couldn’t wait until the ceremony was over! Don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t do that right when you see your person! We had one of our good friends officiate our wedding. We had a few meetings with her prior to the actual day and planned out certain things we wanted to say. Phil and I both wrote our own vows. We both had people laughing and crying, it was the best! Our initial plan after the ceremony was to have a happy hour up at the top of the mountain at the lodge right by where the ceremony was held. Because the weather was so yucky that day, we decided to move happy hour down into the lodge at the bottom of the mountain, where the reception was being held. Phil and I got to take gorgeous pictures up at the top of the mountain while everyone headed down to have drinks in the lodge. We of course had a cute little grand entrance and needless to say the reception was so much fun! We had an amazing DJ that Phil personally picked out. Our wedding date was also Kobe day (Mamba day), so we had to have nods to our boy. We had a candy guy toss mamba candies out before our ceremony instead of having a flower girl. Phil and I both changed our ceremony shoes (we both wore personalized Jordans) into our reception shoes (Phil wore Mambas that had “8”s and “24”s all over them and I wore Mambacitas). We also created Kobe trading cards that we used as drink coupons for later in the reception that we hid around the venue. Another thing that we did that we received a lot of positive feedback from our guests was a late night fry bar! It came out at the perfect time, when everyone was ready for a snack. We danced the night away and had the best time! The shot-ski was a nice little touch from the venue as well.
What is your #1 tip to future brides?:
I feel like this has been said before, but really make sure you do exactly what you want to do for your day. Today is not about anyone else, it is about you and your person. And you are the guest of honor at this party! You are not the host, so don’t feel like you have to go around entertaining everybody else. They are there to witness your love and celebrate you. Have the day that you want to have!
