wedding, so that part was really easy,” Jamie says. “Our
colors were blush pink, cream and light brown. My accents were lace, twine, burlap and pearls. My flowers were
blush and cream peonies. Mason jars held all the flowers
and were the centerpieces at the dinner tables, decorated
with twine and pearls. Sandhills sand (in honor of Wade’s
upbringing) held the tea candles in the jars.”
The touching, detail-rich, small-town wedding was the
perfect celebration for Wade & Jamie’s romance. Jamie
was raised on a cattle ranch in Jay Em, 45 minutes north
of Torrington in Southeast Wyoming. Wade grew up on
a ranch north of Whitman, Nebraska, right in the middle
of the Sandhills. The two met while attending school at
Eastern Wyoming College, remaining friends for four
years until they started dating in 2012.
Wade’s proposal, on New Year’s Day 2013, fit in perfectly
with their upbringing. “Wade told me that he needed
help moving cows to another pasture on my grandmother
and uncle’s place (where he worked at the time),” Jamie
explains. “We rode around on our horses for some time
and I was pretty confused because I knew that all of their
cows were a few pastures back – there weren’t supposed to
be any in the pasture we were in. But, I had no inclination
that he was going to propose. I trusted that he was a good
cowboy, so I just kept following him.”
After some time, Wade announced that they needed to
take a break. The two dismounted, and Jamie tied up her
horse. “When I turned around, he was on one knee. The
rest is history!” Jamie laughs.
Wade knew the perfect, special spot for the proposal. “We
were in what we call the Haystack Hills, where my grandparents used to live. Our family has known about ‘the
canyon’ forever. It’s pretty rocky terrain, with mostly pines
and cedar trees. The canyon is pretty deep, with granite
on both sides, and a creek at the bottom that flows down
through the hills.” The family-rich location earned another
chapter in its legacy.
“We decided to have a full year engagement, which was
nice because for a couple months we just got to enjoy being engaged,” Jamie says. The planning process began in
earnest around Thanksgiving of 2013. “I definitely already
had ideas in mind about my colors and the style of my
40
Many special people came together and participated in
Wade & Jamie’s ceremony. “We wanted the ceremony to be
very traditional,” Jamie says. “The music was provided by
Rich Reyes (of Torrington), who put together a recording of
traditional music. My uncle performed an opening prayer,
my brother read a poem and Wade’s sister read the Apache
Prayer as a closing. The ceremony was officiated by Brad
Eakins (of Laramie), who performed a short and sweet ceremony with traditional vows.” Six bridesmaids and groomsmen (including Jamie’s brothers), two ring bearers (Jamie’s
cousins) and one flower girl (Wade’s niece) comprised the
wedding party. The ladies wore blush lace sun dresses with
their own style of cowgirl boots; the gentlemen wore light
mocha suits with cowboy hats and boots.
Following the wedding, Wade & Jamie traveled to Estes
Park, CO for their honeymoon, where they stayed at a
condo on the Stanley Hotel grounds. Today, they’re renovating and relocating to Wade’s family ranch in Whitman,
Nebraska, and are excited to begin their lives ranching
together, building on the rich family history that formed
the foundation of their love.