Jenna Redford and Ben McPhail were married in an afternoon ceremony Dec. 22, 2015 on the Kenai bluff overlooking Cook Inlet and Aleutian Mountain range.

The couple exchanged their Christ-centered vows before family and friends who braved the crisp temperatures at the outdoor wedding. Don McPhail served as officiant.

The bride is the daughter of Vince and Jan Redford of Soldotna. She attends St. Cloud State University, and will graduate with a BS in Community Psychology and a Liberal Arts degree. She skates on the women’s Division I hockey team there.

Jenna carried a bouquet of navy blue flowers with ivory Calla Lilies. Her Maid of Honor was Ivy Smith, with Amanda Monkman, Molly Copple, Brittany McPhail, and Tori Jackson serving as bridesmaids. All wore navy blue dresses complete with Sorel winter boots! Gracie Every and Daisy Medcoff were flower girls.

The groom is the son of Don and Ruth McPhail of Pine Island, Minnesota. He received a BS in Community Psychology from St. Cloud State University. He also wrestled on the men’s wrestling team there.

Ben wore a dark gray suit with navy shirt. His Best Man was Sam McPhail, with Garrett Redford, Weston Busch, Shamus O’Grady, and Tyler Mathison serving as groomsmen. All wore light gray suits with navy shirts, and gray ties.

A reception followed at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex. Photographer Mary Witthus, Twice Upon Images, did a phenomenal job capturing the special day.

Jamie Peterson married Matthew Zanazzo Dec. 14, 2015, in Gilbert, Arizona.

The wedding and reception were held at Villa Sienna, a beautiful setting reminiscent of a Tuscan Villa. Dinner and dancing followed the touching and personal ceremony. The evening ended with a sparkler send off as the couple entered the limousine.

Matthew Zanazzo is the son of Linda and Mike Zanazzo of North Pole. Jamie Peterson is the daughter of Donna and Rudy Peterson of Kenai. Both families enjoyed traveling from Alaska in December to enjoy the Arizona sunshine.

Matt and Jamie met in Prudhoe Bay, when Jamie was a summer intern for BP and Matt worked there. They reconnected after Jamie finished her biology degree at the University of Oregon, and their romance grew.

The bride wore a strapless, multi-textured lace gown in ivory with a dramatic train. Covered buttons rose up the back of the dress and underneath Jamie chose rose gold open-toed shoes. Her hair was worn in an up-do with a veil borrowed from her best friend.

The groom wore a gray suit with ivory shirt and tie. The flowers for the ceremony and reception were a mixture of white peonies and freesias with peach roses and eucalyptus along with Arizona succulents.

One hundred-twenty guests traveled to join Matthew and Jamie on their special day, coming from Alaska, Florida, California, Nevada, Colorado, Utah, Canada, and points in between. As guests arrived they were asked to sign the couple’s adventure book on the “Up” themed sign-in table and leave a photo and note. Alongside the welcome table was a picture of the couple holding balloons, which was finished with real balloons floating above the picture. A mailbox sat open to accept cards from guests.

At the reception, blue up-lighting set the tone, as did the couple’s name in lights on the wall. The delicious dinner was followed by an assortment of Sprinkles cupcakes for dessert. The couple toasted from engraved champagne glasses.

Currently, the couple makes their home in Gilbert with their two Australian shepherds. Matthew continues to commute two weeks a month to work for BP as a production control operator on the North Slope. Jamie works as an environmental compliance inspector for the Town of Gilbert.

A honeymoon is planned for August in Cancun.

Ben McPahil and Jenna Redford (Photo by Mary Witthus, Twice Upon Images)