North Idaho Wedding Weekend | Part Two

If Part One of Kat and José’s wedding weekend told the story of legacy, Part Two was bursting with creativity, color, relationships, and so much personality. Everywhere we looked, there were details that had been handmade, borrowed, gifted, reimagined, or chosen because they represented someone Kat and José loved. It felt unmistakably them.

The celebration took place at The Willows at Wolf Lodge, tucked into the beautiful North Idaho countryside. The open landscape and towering trees created such a beautiful setting, with plenty of shade for everyone to gather and celebrate together.

And, of course, there was another dress.

As a clothing designer, Kat had taken two family heirloom wedding dresses and made them her own for the two different days of her wedding weekend. For this second celebration, she wore the wedding dress that had belonged to her maternal grandmother, Judith Dobson Larson, and was later worn by Kat’s mom.

Kat carefully reworked the gown to make it her own, reconstructing the bodice and adding sleeves while preserving so much of what made the original dress special. One of our favorite details was the skirt—a single, solid piece of beautiful French lace with no seams. It was absolutely stunning.

Even the jewelry carried a story. The pearls Kat wore had also been worn by both her mom and her grandmother on their wedding days. Three generations of women, all wearing the same pearls.

There was something so fitting about seeing Kat use her talent as a clothing designer to breathe new life into these treasured pieces. She didn’t simply wear an heirloom—she honored its history while adding her own creativity to it, allowing a dress that had already been part of two love stories to become part of hers and José’s as well.

That creativity and sentiment showed up everywhere throughout the day.

Kat had traditional bridesmaids standing beside her, but she also included a group of very special adult flower girls. These women represented relationships Kat had built while serving in Cambodia, and we loved seeing them have such a meaningful place in the celebration. Kat added beautiful floral skirts to their dresses, bringing even more color and personality to an already joyful group.

The reception tables were another perfect example of how Kat and José made their celebration deeply personal. Rather than matching place settings, the tables were filled with beautiful china that had been borrowed or gifted by family and friends they knew and loved. Little signs shared who each set of china had come from, turning the tables themselves into a collection of stories and relationships.

Kat’s mom also handmade the colorful table runners, adding yet another layer of family and creativity to the celebration. We absolutely loved all of the color throughout this wedding. Every table felt warm, collected, and welcoming rather than overly styled or perfect—and somehow that made it even more beautiful.

And if you know Kat and José, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that a traditional first dance wasn’t quite their style.

Instead, they put together an entire skit with several different songs and dances pieced together. It was hilarious, unexpected, highly entertaining, and completely Kat and José. Everyone gathered around the dance floor laughing and cheering them on, and it was such a fun way to kick off the evening.

One of the sweetest moments of the reception was especially meaningful to us personally. During the anniversary dance, couples slowly left the dance floor as the number of years married climbed higher and higher. In the end, Rob’s parents were the couple left dancing the longest. After spending the weekend surrounded by reminders of marriages, family histories, and generations of love, getting to watch Rob’s parents standing there together was an extra-special moment for our family.

From the heirloom dress and pearls to borrowed china, handmade table runners, friendships formed across the world, and a first dance that could only belong to Kat and José, this second day was filled with the people and things that have shaped their lives.

After three days of celebrating them, what we loved most was how intentionally Kat and José brought their people into their wedding story. It was colorful, creative, meaningful, a little unexpected, and filled with so much joy—exactly the kind of celebration we would expect from these two. We love you both and are so excited for you as you embark on this next chapter!