A Walk Down the Aisle

With their spectacular natural vistas and photogenic backdrops, Fountain Valley School’s main and mountain campuses are popular venues to exchange vows. Over the years, dozens of alumni, faculty and staff brides and grooms have said “I do” on the Prairie or the peaks. Here’s a glimpse into some of their wedding albums.

PJ loved his time at FVS, and had introduced me to campus at several alumni events over the years. Fountain Valley offered a beautifully curated space that felt homey and welcoming. We are not particularly religious, so the chapel was just formal enough for the ceremony, which we had officiated by a friend. PJ and I were busy staring at each other, but we were told that the horses galloped across the prairie while we took our vows and really wowed the audience. We had planned a beautiful courtyard reception, but on the day of the wedding there was a torrential downpour that lasted for hours. I refused to commit to the last-minute tent we had put up, and ended up having most of our guests carry the tables over the short wall and around the Hacienda to move under cover. I tell myself that rain is good luck, and the manual labor was a great icebreaker for our friends and family. Several of PJ’s friends from Fountain Valley attended, including his best man, Ryan Stevens ’96. Now we have two small kiddos (Clemmy, 9, and Peia, 6) and we continue to return to campus for alumni weekend and horseback riding camp. I love that we all now have a connection to campus. — Karen Walldorf

We loved having our wedding at FVS because we were reminded what an incredible place this is with each friend and family member who said “wow” when they set foot on campus for the first time. Many of our guests stayed in the dorms, and it felt like we all got to experience FVS as students might. The Hacienda courtyard was a magical setting for our ceremony and for dancing afterward. The Penrose Placita also served as the perfect beer garden to welcome our friends and family the night before the big event. We also really appreciated how much the FVS community helped us in setting up for the events and accommodating all of our guests. — Nathan Eberhart FVS languages department chair