TRISH & ED
JULY 21, 2021
Photography by Donna Marie Photography
Bride’s name: Trish Murphy
Groom’s name: Ed Stang
How they met: "We knew each other as children due to our families having summer cabins in Council, AK, just down the dirt road from each other,” says Trish. “We interacted in junior high when I beat him in a wrestling practice once (I don’t remember, but he sure does). We actually got to know each other and started spending time together in 2014. … We were both in Council for the 4th of July and went on a canoe trip together and haven’t stopped adventuring together since then."
Number of guests: 53 (“We expected 81 but the weather made it hard for a lot of people to come.”)
Wedding colors: Dusty rose, sage green, beige
Unique and special aspects of the day: "Our wedding day had a record amount of rainfall and the river in front of our cabins rose 3 feet by the evening of our wedding. Winds gusted to 30-40 mph and we had to reinforce the tent stakes with old dredge buckets,” says Trish. “Our dog Darby laid at our feet during the ceremony. We did a handfasting ritual during our ceremony to include my dad’s Irish heritage. Our first dance was a choregraphed dance to ‘Lover’ that we practiced all winter long.” The couple also designed and customized many special details for their day: Trish created all the handwritten signs, food/drink labels, flower arrangements and other décor – she even learned how to make macrame wall hangings for some bohemian flair; and Ed made the corn hole boards and built the bar and the arch. He and his dad also built 10 picnic tables for guest seating in the tent. The couple also handmade the meatballs for the wedding dinner out of the moose they harvested together from the previous fall. The blueberry-lemon cupcakes for dessert were made with blueberries picked off the tundra from the hillsides surrounding Council.
Most memorable moment...
For her: "I remember that even though it was pouring rain, windy, freezing cold, and most of my wedding day plans got blown away (literally), I was filled with so much happiness. I couldn’t feel my toes but my heart was overflowing with warmth from the love I felt from just getting married to the love of my life while surrounded by friends and family."
For him: "Being surrounded by our friends, in the worst weather, but very happy"
Funniest moment: "When our officiant pronounced us married and we kissed, our guests hollered, cheered and clapped, and our dog Darby got so excited that she started running zoomies through the tent around all the guests."
Three words that best describe their day: "Monsoon, dreamy, rustic."
If they had the chance to do it again, what they would do differently: "I would give myself way more time to accomplish all the pre-wedding day tasks and allow time to do a walk through the venue the morning of the wedding to make sure everything was in place."
Best advice for a couple planning their wedding: "Make it your own; don’t feel trapped by traditions or by what others want your wedding day to look like/be like. The day will go by quick, be present and get a great photographer/videographer to help preserve the moments!"
