We drove to the wedding and just missed the great Rocky Mountain blizzard of 2006 that shut down much of the roads and airports in the western states. Our plan was to stay in Provo to save money on lodging, and then make the short drive up to Sundance the days it was necessary. The plan worked for the most part, but there were some highs and lows with the whole experience.

I have to say that Provo has changed quite a bit over the years. It has gotten busier and more congested with traffic. Strip Malls are everywhere, especially closer to the highway. Big-box stores are common as well. The town still remains very clean comparatively, and the mountain backdrop is spectacular.

Keep in mind that this is a very, very Mormon community. It just about did me in to try to find a good coffee shop each morning, and it seemed like we drove forever in search of a simple Starbucks or other coffee house. One morning we found and Einstein's Bagels just off of campus that was delightful. The service was great and the coffee and food were just the ticket. The town really does have a very conservative feel to it, so if you and your wedding party are staying there, and you want to go "out on the town" you might be disappointed.

We stayed in Provo at the Super 8 motel right on campus. We did save quite a bit of money staying there, but I have to say the property and the room were "tired." I am being nice really. The room smelled very musty, and had very cheap fixtures. The toilet barely worked. We were right by one of the main entrances, and that was where everyone seemed to go to smoke right outside our room. The workout room at the motel was pretty shoddy as well. They do have wireless internet, and the front desk staff were polite, but the motel was a bit on the scuzzy side.

The drive to Sundance is only about 15 minutes. It is really close to Provo, and it was amazing to me how quickly you get into the mountains from the big city. It is like night and day going from big city to a wilderness area. The snow was great this year, and it was truly a winter wonderland. I thought to myself that had I known about Sundance, this might have been my second choice for a place to get married.

The resort is fancy yet unpretentious. The staff are exceptionally polite and attentive. There is not a lot of parking at the resort, but the parking staff directed us to special spots reserved for wedding parties, so that was convenient. There is a movie theater in the little village there, and several shops, a deli, and a restaurant or two. You'll see condos going up the hill as far as you can see. The day before the wedding we were able to amble around Sundance to get our bearings. It wasn't crowded at all, and it was extremely quiet and peaceful. I was shocked, since it was a day or two before Christmas.

The day of the wedding we were directed to the "Wasatch Room" at the resort, which was where the ceremony and reception was to take place. This is a separate room up the walkway from the parking lot that is a rustic, cabin-type building that will hold maybe 50 people at most. It definitely caters to smaller weddings, but I am sure Sundance has facilities for larger capacity weddings. Make sure to dress for the weather, as there is some walking involved to get to this room. The wedding was beautiful, simple, rustic and went off without a hitch. My cousin's friend Dave got ordained as a minister just for the occasion, and he performed the ceremony. I guess pretty much anyone can become a legal officiant to marry people, and this can be done online (from what I can tell).

They had a great photographer who was fun but not intrusive, and a harp player was in the background. The reception afterwords was in the same room. We were concerned that it would be a lot of meat (my wife and I are vegetarians) but there was pasta, vegetables, salad, and a tomato bisque. We had plenty to eat, and the food was some of the best wedding food I have ever had. They had an open bar, and about 4 staff assigned to the event. They used 4 rounds of 8 for seating.

My parents who also came to the wedding actually stayed at a condo at the resort, right across from the Sundance Spa. The condo was everything you would expect from Sundance. Rustic, fancy, and comfortable. The only problem was that the walls were a bit thin, and we could hear their downstairs neighbor coughing and carrying on.

I would give Sundance very high marks for a place to hold a wedding of medium to small size. If you had a huge wedding, parking and other logistics may become an issue. I still recommend staying in Provo just down the road if you want to save some money, but I would say to steer clear of the Super 8.

We had a great time in Sundance, and we'll likely return.