One year in the making, many years in the living

Intermountain Catholic

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Amy London and David Burchett are set to be married Aug. 4 in Salt Lake City. The couple has been dating for nearly five years. IC photo by Christopher Gray

SALT LAKE CITY — For a certain wedding set for Aug. 4 at a certain Salt Lake City Catholic church, everything is under control except for one last stray tuxedo and a dress. Beyond that, the wedding David Burchett and Amy London have been planning for a year is ready to welcome guests and come together for a new blessed union of holy matrimony.

Among the many aspects of their planning, they’ve decided the first dance will be Aerosmith’s "I don’t want to miss a thing." Also, according to Amy, the cake "is going to kill you."

David, a 2001 graduate of Judge Memorial Catholic High School nearing the completion of a degree in business, met Amy at the University of Utah.

"We knew we wanted to get married," David said in a June 23 interview accompanied by his fiancée at the offices of the Intermountain Catholic. "Since then, we’ve learned forgiveness – to a whole new level."

David, son of Diocesan Director of Family Life Veola Burchett, was no stranger to the process required by the Diocese of Salt Lake City for couples preparing for marriage. Even so, he said, the program, and especially the Engaged Encounter weekend, helped him and Amy refine the relationship the had already forged on forgiveness.

"Saying ‘I’m used to you,’ seems like the wrong thing to say, but it is true. This is love, and we know we want to be together for the rest of our lives."

The couple chose the Aug. 4 date as a matter of convenience for everyone involved. Last summer, they began making arrangements with a caterer and a DJ, the first in a litany of preparations.

"Do everything as early as possible is my recommendation," Amy said. "Taking a whole year to plan the wedding has been great for managing our stress.

"However, we’ll be very glad when it’s over. It has been exciting to plan and look forward to the moment, but every moment until then has been filled by wedding planning."

"We’ve taken breaks from the planning and spent time together, which is, obviously, important," David said. "Today, we spent the whole day together! We were very lucky," Amy interjected.

Amy admits that the wedding planning has become tedious at times, though there have been highlights among the tasks.

"We jointly decided on a cake, on food, on the wine," David said. "Deciding on the cake was my favorite part," Amy said. "We got to taste the different cake choices. They were all very good."

David and Amy, both fond of good food, look forward to being able to share the dinner they planned with the guests at their wedding reception.

"The food will be for many people the highlight of our wedding." Amy said. David added, "the food will itself be the centerpiece."

"It’s that after-the-wedding part when all the work is done, everything is accomplished, and we get to all relax, eat, and have our cake together," Amy said.

David recommends people planning their wedding make a decision on an amount of time to allow for responses while soliciting services to keep the planning moving forward at a comfortable pace. Also, he thinks "you should always ask for people’s input, as they will remind you of things in the process which may otherwise be forgotten."

"We are madly, passionately in love," Amy said. "It feels right. I like him, and that helps."