A Mountain-High ‘I Do’

By Wolfe Ashcraft

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With so many spring and summer 2020 wedding plans being canceled or postponed due to COVID-19, Tamarack Resort recently offered up a safe, affordable and memorable alternative for engaged couples to exchange vows in a breathtaking setting.
On Saturday, Sept. 12, 16 couples—along with up to 10 of their respective family members or friends—dressed in wedding attire took the scenic Tamarack Express chairlift to mid-mountain, where they tied the knot in a private ceremony overlooking Lake Cascade

 

a couple eloping at tamarack resort to get married in the idaho mountains near mccall idaho

A couple ties the knot in a wedding at tamarack resort in the summer near mccall idaho in donnelly idaho

The $200 elopement/vow-renewal package included:
  • Two chairlift tickets
  • A private, 30-minute ceremony with an officiant and a flower-adorned arbor (courtesy of McCall Weddings)
  • A DJ and a dance floor for couples to enjoy their first dance together
  • Cupcakes (courtesy of Stacy Cakes)
  • Champagne toast with commemorative glasses
Samantha Sais Photography was on-site to capture the couples’ treasured moments before they rode the chairlift down. The couples also received a 15% discount on a honeymoon weekend stay at The Lodge at Osprey Meadows, with the option of spa- and amenity-package upgrades.
Fifteen of the ceremony blocks were available on a first-come, first-served basis with the final package being awarded to a couple through an essay contest due July 1. Interested couples were asked to submit essays detailing their original wedding plans and how they had to change due to COVID-19.
A panel of judges from Tamarack Resort reviewed and voted on the entries, awarding Amanda Zoubi and Raymond Martinez with a free ceremony as well as a free, one-night stay at The Lodge at Osprey Meadows.

a couple who got married at tamarack resort in donnelly idaho near mccall idaho recount their perfect wedding at tamarack resort

Amanda & Raymond’s Winning Essay

Good Afternoon,

My name is Amanda Zoubi and my fiance’s name is Raymond Martinez. We live in Idaho and were scheduled to marry after 9 yrs of being together, in Vegas. I am 36 yrs old and he is 32 yrs old. We got engaged while vacationing in beautiful Girdwood, Alaska back in July of 2018 and had our wedding scheduled for 4/20/2020. We had a 9 bedroom, 8 bath Villa rented out for the wedding party to stay and to get married at. It was going to be amazing!! We were SO excited to experience such a thing with our closest friends and family.

Unfortunately we were forced to cancel 4 weeks before the wedding due to COVID-19 which completely devastated us after all the fun plans we had in place for Vegas. After the initial shut down in Vegas that happened in March the city was actually scheduled to reopen 4/17/20, which was the day we were to arrive in Vegas! Being the fact I spent over one year and 9 months planning this wedding I STILL wanted to try to have my wedding there by downsizing to a smaller AirBnB in Vegas to accommodate the down size of my wedding party. Then about 3 weeks before the wedding date, the Vegas shut down was extended to at least the end of April which then put me in a position where I had no choice but to cancel the wedding completely. I had bought a dress that I was so excited to wear (I hardly EVER wear dresses, but this day was definitely an exception) and spent a grand on it too! Lol! It is now sitting across the top of my closet which is kinda sad, but I just hope to be able to put it on somewhere as beautiful as the dress is and Tamarack, as we have been there before, is beautiful!! ❤

The date is TBD at this time as we are unsure as to when we would be allowed to our wedding again. Fingers crossed its sooner than later!! 🤞 We really hope to win this package so we can FINALLY be married in a place that would be more than memorable and perfect for us!! 👰

Amanda and Raymond’s story and the successful elopement event received local media attention in both the Idaho Press Tribune and KIVI Ch 6, warming the hearts of many—including all of us here at Tamarack, who are grateful to bring smiles and happiness to these deserving couples.

A couple waves to the camera as they take the chairlift, tamarack express, down the mountain after their wedding at tamarack resort at the summit of the mountain

Find more information about our memorable weddings at Tamarack here.