For most people, planning a wedding is a major, stress-filled endeavor. However, Janette Sonnenberg takes pulling together a wedding in stride.
That's because in only a year's time, four of Sonnenberg's daughters were married and she was involved in the planning for all four weddings.
"I had a good routine by the end," she said. "Now when I see a bride book I hyperventilate."
One year, four brides
Having all the girls get married so close to one another wasn't what Sonnenberg pictured, but that's how things worked out. Her oldest daughter, Renee, got married 11 years ago to Scott Haws, an anchor for KSL morning and noon news. Ironically enough, the first of her remaining four daughters to get married was Rebecca, 19, the youngest in the family.
In August 2005, Rebecca married her high school sweetheart, Danny DuPaix, 22. The pair's reception was held at Gardner Hall Ballroom on the University of Utah campus. The highlight of the wedding for Sonnenberg was watching the groom escort his bride down the long outdoor staircase of Gardner Hall in President's Circle with her wedding train flowing, and seeing the pair run under a sea of friends and family holding sparklers and bubbles to wish them well.
The next bride, in December 2005, was Jennille, 29, who married Erik Isakson, 30. The two lived and worked in Los Angeles and met in an LDS singles ward. Their reception was held in the downtown Salt Lake Marriott Ballroom. Sonnenberg's highlights of this wedding included Jennille kicking up her white furry boots from under her wedding dress in celebration and excitement, a big red sleigh in the ballroom that was filled with wedding gifts by the end of the evening and having family and friends gathered together to celebrate during the Christmas season.
The third wedding, of Nicole, 24, and Weston Maughan, 25, who met while attending BYU, took place in May 2006. Their reception was held at Memorial House in Memory Grove. The highlight of this wedding for Sonnenberg was watching Weston and Nicole ride out of Memory Grove in a horse-drawn carriage and Nicole, still in her wedding dress, standing up to wave goodbye.
The final wedding took place in August 2006. Marie Sonnenberg, 23, married Tyson Young, 23, who she also met at BYU. Their reception was held at the Salt Lake Country Club. The most memorable moment of Marie's wedding, Sonnenberg said, was watching as the bride and groom left to go to Hawaii on their honeymoon, and Tyson's friends drove them out of the Country Club in a golf cart wearing Hawaiian shirts and singing to a ukulele.
All four girls were married in the Salt Lake Temple by their grandfather, Elder John Sonnenberg.
How to deal
During the year, Sonnenberg said they were constantly planning two weddings at the same time. They would focus on the wedding at hand and when it was over and the next happy couple was engaged, planning commenced on that wedding.
"There's four things you get done and you can take a sigh of relief: reserve a place (for the reception); if you're getting married in the temple, get a temple time; find a caterer and get your photographer," Sonnenberg said.
The girls have always been close and looked out for each other. None of them wanted to infringe on their sisters' big days, so they would wait until the day after their sister got married to get engaged, and the cycle would start all over again. Sonnenberg said it was important for her to not get lost in the details of planning each wedding.
"I think that was the key — to enjoy it and treat each one differently, because they are different," she said.
One of the things that made everything easier to bear was having her youngest daughter be one of the first to wed, Sonnenberg said.
"I think if my baby was the last, it would have been really difficult," she said. "It's hard to let go of your youngest child."
Murphy's Law
Of course the weddings didn't come without incident. The surprises that cropped up were the hardest things to deal with, Sonnenberg said.
Sickness and injuries were major hang-ups for the four brides. Marie contracted a serious virus while touring with the BYU Folk Dancers six weeks before she got married. She was in bed for two weeks and could barely stand for her bridal pictures.
Nicole got tonsillitis and had surgery to remove her tonsils eight weeks before her marriage. She also started her job at the Salt Lake Convention and Visitors Bureau right after surgery. Rebecca was very sick with mononucleosis two months before her wedding.
Jennille and Erik's car broke down on their move to Utah from Los Angeles to start a new job the week of their wedding, and it had to be towed to Las Vegas. On the same trip, Jennille smashed her ring finger in the car door, lost her nail and couldn't even get the engagement ring on her swollen finger.
In the midst of all this, Brent Sonnenberg lost his office lease when the University of Utah bought his office building. So he was out of work and relocating offices.
Janette Sonnenberg was ski racing with her daughter, Renee, and they collided at the finish line going 50 mph. Both were badly bruised and Janette broke five teeth. It took six months to get them completely restored and out of pain. As the vice president for the Alliance of the American Dental Association, she had to travel every other weekend speaking at conventions for the Alliance.
Sonnenberg said divine assistance is what helped her make it through everything.
"There were so many blessings along the way," she said. "I don't think I could have done it without help from above."
Now that it's all over ...
Although many have joked with Sonnenberg that she could now be a professional wedding planner, she's not planning a career change any time soon.
"It's fun, a lot of work and I enjoyed doing it for my girls, but it's not my deal," she said. "I have lots of information, and I know what's out there. I'm happy to be a resource."
Sonnenberg said Renee was a lifesaver during the whole process, stepping in whenever she was unable to be there herself. Support from family and friends and not getting sick also helped.
The best advice she would give someone in a similar situation is to not worry.
"Don't worry about it. I wouldn't have had energy to worry or think about it," she said. "It seriously just takes time."
Now Sonnenberg's only hurdle left, as far as weddings are concerned, is her one and only son, Doug, the bachelor in the family. She says he's looking for someone with a little of all his sisters in her.
"Now that girl will be interesting, and I can't wait to meet her," she said.
E-mail: twalquist@desnews.com