Utah couple Jesse Zamora and Ivan Ward didn’t just go to great lengths to plan their wedding, but to great heights — into the Himalayas, to the base camp of Mount Everest.
The Millcreek men tied the knot Monday morning, in matching tuxedos, at Kala Patthar, 17,000 feet above sea level at Everest Base Camp. They immortalized the moment, and the journey through Nepal to get there, via photos on Instagram (at @HappilyEverestAfter) and posts on Twitter.
“We met the sunrise at #KalaPatthar [with] a ceremony inspired by Nepalese wedding traditions,” the couple tweeted. “Our friends, family & guides made our wedding perfect. The #MotherofMountains blessed our day w/good weather—Not a [cloud] or [storm] in sight. We are humbled by our good fortune.”
Their wedding party included Zamora’s brother Mark, Ward’s sister Regina, and friends Elliot Cutler and William Woodward (who served as their photographer).
According to the couple’s website, Zamora and Ward met at a Fourth of July party in 2010 in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and “fell in love almost instantly while watching the firework show.” They got engaged exactly seven years later, again with fireworks, atop the Seattle Great Wheel on the Seattle waterfront.
Ward, a Logan native, produces film and photography for Backcountry.com. Zamora works at a Salt Lake City advertising firm. They share their Millcreek house with their dog, Arlo, according to family friend Kelsey Richardson.
The couple are making a documentary about their Nepal journey. Instead of a traditional wedding registry, they are seeking donations to support the film.
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