Our Story
Like a perfectly proofed sourdough, good things take time. We lived in three of the same cities without ever meeting. We read the same books, listened to the same sappy sad songs on public transit, ordered the same favorite dish at Thai restaurants. (It’s the oft-overlooked coconut soup.) We wondered, occasionally, what our mysterious other half was up to. Without knowledge of the other, we named our cats complimentary semi- onomatopoeic names, Mush and Puff. (They are now best friends.) We spent our parallel lives learning and growing and doing whatever, and then, in 2021, we met by chance in northeast Los Angeles.
Our first trip together was to the Arata family cabin in Wyoming. Matthias taught Aiden how to spatchcock a chicken and Aiden taught Matthias how to shoot a BB gun. The sky was big and the steaks were bigger–how could we not fall in love? Just over a year later, we found ourselves atop the circular parapet of a 12th-century castle in Tuscany, overlooking an endless sunset, the forest below still heady with lowland fog. How could we not get engaged?
We look forward to bringing big skies and beautiful sunsets and adventure and romance and lots of food into the rest of our life together. We’re so excited to share a bit of that with you here, at our “spaghetti western” wedding. Thank you for coming to celebrate our love!
Travel & Lodging
Travel
The wedding and reception will take place at the Arata family cabin on Cheney Lane in Wilson Wyoming, near Jackson.
Jackson hole airport has connections from many major cities, but stopovers in Salt Lake City can often bring costs down. Salt Lake City is also about a 5 hour (very beautiful) drive away. There is also the Idaho falls airport, about two hours drive.
On the day of the ceremony/reception, we will have shuttles going from Jackson to the cabin for those staying in town–the drive time is about 15 mins.
Lodging
In Jackson, the Mountain Modern hotel is giving our guests a 20% discount by phone when mentioning the Arata/Gropp wedding. The discount can also be found by following this link.
There are four hotels in downtown Jackson operating under the umbrella of Town Square Inns. The code weddings23 will activate a discount–differing by specific hotel.
For condo/house rentals, make sure to book close to Wilson or Jackson. There are many options in the nearby “Aspens” or “Teton Village”. Rendezvous Mountain Rentals offers many vacation bookings near Wilson, some of which may not show up until late January. Mention the Arata/Gropp wedding for a 10% discount. Airbnb has many options but be sure to book close to Wilson or Jackson as its easy to accidentally land far away.
Program
Welcome BBQ
Friday, September 22nd
Jackson Hole Bar
We'll gather here for drinks the night before. This is informal and casual, regional attire welcome and encouraged.
Saturday, September 23rd
Brunch
We'll gather here for brunch in the morning. Pajamas required and strictly enforced
Ceremony
We'll gather here for brunch in the morning. Pajamas required and strictly enforced
After Party
We'll gather to dance
Friday, September 22nd
Jackson Hole Bar
We'll gather here for drinks the night before. This is informal and casual, regional attire welcome and encouraged.
Thursday 09/21/23, 4:30pm
Yee haw! Join us for a barbecue, hosted by the bride's family at the Arata-Caverly cabin. Enjoy drinks, dinner, and a country western playlist.
Address: You'll find the cabin's address on your invitation. If you've misplaced it, please reach out directly.
Dress code: Casual
Rehearsal dinner
Friday 09/22/23, 6:30pm
All are welcome! Dinner and drinks at Calico Restaurant and Bar, hosted by the groom's family. Grab a spicy margarita, make a new friend, and celebrate with us.
Address: 2650 Moose Wilson Road in Wilson
Dress code: Dressy casual
Wedding
Saturday 09/23/23, 4:00pm
The big day! Please arrive a few minutes early to find a seat. Reception to follow.
Address: You'll find the cabin's address on your invitation. If you've misplaced it, please reach out directly. We'll also have shuttles running between the venue and popular spots around town; be on the lookout for an email with details!
Attire: Festive! See our FAQ for more information :)
Transportation to & from the wedding
Parking is extremely limited, and we highly recommend utilizing our complimentary shuttle service. We will have two shuttles running from four locations to the wedding venue:
Jackson Shuttle
3:00PM - Home Ranch Lot - 250 N Cache Street, Jackson WY
3:10PM - Mountain Modern - 380 W Broadway Ave, Jackson WY
Wilson Shuttle
3:15PM - Teton Village (outside Hotel Terra) - 3335 W Village Drive Teton, Village WY
3:35PM - Aspens - 4015 W Lake Creek Drive, Wilson WY
There is limited parking at the venue, so we urge everyone to take advantage of our shuttles. If you have ANY questions about transportation or the wedding weekend please contact our wedding planner, Sarah Condon - 248.770.4226 or sarah@vibranteventsjh.com
Activities in
the area
Friday, September 22nd
Jackson Hole Bar
We'll gather here for drinks the night before. This is informal and casual, regional attire welcome and encouraged.
Saturday, September 23rd
Brunch
We'll gather here for brunch in the morning. Pajamas required and strictly enforced
Ceremony
We'll gather here for brunch in the morning. Pajamas required and strictly enforced
After Party
We'll gather to dance
Friday, September 22nd
Jackson Hole Bar
We'll gather here for drinks the night before. This is informal and casual, regional attire welcome and encouraged.
Hiking
so much hiking around…as strenuous or not as you want. You can pick up any number of hiking guides around or on line. Be mindful that the weather changes fast and remember to take bear spray.
Some favorites…
Walk along the snake river levees. Flat, easy walk or run. Go as far as you like. Park at Emily’s pond on the East side of the bridge on Hwy 22 or in Rendezvous Park just off Teton Village Rd (390) on the west side. (Leave your bear spray at home)
The Cache creek area in Jackson. Beautiful area, lots of trails.
Ski Lake (Teton pass). Moderate 5 mile total in and out. Local favorite. Dogs love it.
Old Pass Road and surrounding trails (Teton pass)
The Wildflower trail in Teton Village. Walk up to the top. Ride the tram down for free. Unrelenting up up up.for about 3.5 hours, but it’s beautiful at the top.
The Laurence Rockefeller Preserve. Miles of beautiful trails. Hike to Phelps Lake.
Snow King is the ski/activity center in the town of Jackson. You can walk a fire road to the top…it takes about an hour, and there are many side trails in the area. There are also other activities at Snow King. Consult snowkingmountain.com
Biking
Teton County has 70 miles of paved bike paths and over 110 miles of mountain bike trails. You can rent bikes in Jackson, Wilson, Teton Village and at Dornan’s in Grand Teton Park. wheelwranglers.com will deliver a bike to you.
Sights
Ride the TRAM to the summit in Teton Village. If you don’t want to walk up and ride down for free (see hiking section) you can buy a ticket and ride up and down. (Do not walk down…that’s a bad choice). 360 degree view of the Tetons at the top. Buy tickets at jacksonhole.com That website will also tell you about all the activities at the main resort area.
National Wildlife Museum (just north of town of Jackson). Beautiful galleries, a lovely cafe and a great gift shop. All with an amazing view.
Grand Teton National Park. Jackson is the gateway to GTNP and YELLOWSTONE to the north of that. Even if you don’t hike, you should take a drive through The Park. It has several visitor centers. Consult nps.gov/grte. Teton Science School (tetonscience.org) offers amazing wildlife tours.
Teton Raptor Center
Astoria Hot Springs…about 20 minutes south of Jackson. Beautiful natural hot spring with multiple pools and an outstanding view. Advance reservations required.
Shopping
Take a walk around the town of Jackson. It’s a mix of kooky western themed souvenir shops, nice stores, vintage stores, bad and better art galleries. (Also, there’s a Target just south of town.)
Gifts and interesting items:
Made (Jackson, also “M” in Aspens/Westbank) Many local themed items and interesting gifts
Mountain Dandy (Jackson) Handmade and vintage items
Roam (Jackson)
Workshop (Jackson). Highlighting local craftspeople
Belle Cose Dry Goods (Jackson)
Teton Gravity Research (Jackson) For the Deadheads…clothing designed with the tribe in mind.
New West Knifeworks (Jackson). Beautiful knives.
Lees’Tees (Jackson) When you need a JH tee shirt
Outdoor goods and clothing
REI (Jackson)
JH Outfitters (Jackson)
Several stores in Teton Village
Stio (Jackson) Started local, now nationally known…high quality outdoor war
Books
Valley Bookstore (Jackson)
Wilson Book Gallery (Aspens/Westbank)
Women’s clothing and accessories
Altitude (Jackson)
Habits (Jackson and Aspens/Westbank) Pricey and nicely curated
Nest (Aspens/Westbank)
Rodeo (Teton Village) Even pricier…think of it as a museum
Thrift/Vintage
Browse n’Buy (Jackson) When you forgot to bring a sweatshirt
Country Woman (Jackson) second hand contemporary and vintage
Womenfolk (Jackson) The nicest vintage here
Eclectic Consignment (Jackson) Not just clothes…lots of interesting stuff
Restaurants
Persephone (Jackson and Westbank/Aspens) Perhaps the best food in town. Breakfast, lunch, coffee, baked goods, snacks. (And some nice merch.)
Snake River Grill (Jackson) Quintessential Jackson Hole. Pricey. A favorite here. Make reservation 2 months in advance, but you often can get something day of.
Coelette (Jackson) “Snowline” cuisine in a beautiful historic cabin. Pricey, very innovative menu.
The Juicery (Jackson) Fresh Juices, healthy bowls and wraps etc.
The Bunnery (Jackson) Giant breakfasts
Genevieve (Jackson) Breakfast
Bin 22 (Jackson) Lots of wine and small plates
Pearl Street Bagels (Jackson and Wilson)
Hatch (Jackson) Mexican food
Thai food…lots of it here, especially in Jackson. We like Teton Thai at Teton Village
Local (Jackson) Good cocktails and meaty things.
Orsetto (Jackson) Nice Italian
King Street Sushi (Jackson)
Calico (near Westbank/Aspens) Sit in the bar and order the bar menu.
Nora’s Fish Creek Inn (Wilson) Go for breakfast and feel like you are in Twin Peaks.
Everest Momo Shack (Jackson) Nepali and East Indian.
Bapp (Jackson) reasonably priced Korean food
Teton Tiger (Jackson) Good Indian food
The cafe at the National Wildlife Museum (north of Jackson) Nice lunch menu and killer view.
Stagecoach (Wilson) Very local bar scene with very reasonably priced “street food”. Great place to sit out at the picnic tables on a nice day.
Snake River Brewing Company (Jackson) OK food, good beer…and lots of variety
Dornan’s (In Grand Teton Park) Not great food but a good spot for a beer after hiking in the park. Stay for the Monday night hootnanny.
Moo’s gourmet ice cream (Jackson and Wilson)
World Famous Cowboy Bar Maybe you just need to go
Jackson Lake Lodge (North end of Grand Teton Park) Sit in the bar, eat, drink cocktails, and watch a grizzly chase wolves off a moose carcass. It’s happened.
Q&A
Suggested Attire
We expect it to be temperate during the day but chilly at night, and the tent will be heated.
We will be dressed festive formal-ish but please feel free to wear your cocktail dresses, dressy casual slacks, dramatic caftans, cowboy boots, bolo ties, or anything that makes you feel celebratory!
Please note, the venue has some uneven ground and gravel.
How do we contact you?
spaghettiwesternwedding@gmail.com
Are kids allowed?
Due to budget/space limitations, we are unable to extend the invitation to children. (Babies under 3 years are welcome.) Thank you for understanding.
