Park City
A Romantic Barn Wedding in Utah
From the bride, Kate: We love the mountains in Park City. Since a majority of our friends and family were going to have to travel to share the day with us, we thought it was a great opportunity to share Park City with everyone.
Our bouquets were autumn and mountain inspired with wheat and berries. They were just a little unkempt too, almost like the most beautiful bunch of wildflowers.
We had a 3-tiered vanilla cake with salted caramel dressing. It was decorated with some of our florals and we had a wood grain cake stand and twigs that had our initials connected with a heart for a cake topper.
I wanted the decor to reflect the beautiful venue at Red Cliff. I wanted it to be reverent of the picturesque surroundings and just add a touch of softness and beauty. We used a lot of burlap and natural colors with floral and lace to soften the look.
Guests left the ranch with little burlap bags with Utah honey and a caramel flavoured bee candy. Damon’s sister made little tags with a stamp with our names and wedding date and the line “meant to bee”. We also did welcome boxes for our guests that they received when they arrived in town. They had necessities for the weekend from energy bars to custom koozies.
My favorite moment was our sparkler exit and ride back to Park City in the classic car Damon picked. I was so excited to be married and so happy everyone had a wonderful time celebrating. As much fun as it was, I was happiest in that moment when I had a moment alone with my husband.
Looking back, I’m glad that we spent the week prior to the wedding in Utah and got to spend some time with friends and family, I’m glad we got to introduce our loved ones to our favorite mountain town, and I’m glad we were able to spend some time together and take a honeymoon after the wedding.
CREDITS: Photographer: Pepper Nix Photography // Flowers & Event Design: Scenemakers // Cake: Layers Cake Company // Caterer: Culinary Crafts // Ceremony Location: St. Mary of the Assumption // Reception Venue: Red Cliff Ranch // Transportation: Something Vintage Something Blue // Makeup Artist: Versa Artistry
An Autumn Wedding in Park City
From the bride, Jennifer: We got engaged in the mountains, and we couldn’t think of a more perfect place to exchange our vows than the beautiful backdrop of Utah’s scenery. It was just perfect for us. Serene, peaceful and majestic.
Purple is my favorite color, always has been, after all, it’s the color of royalty! I wanted something simple and chic, elegant but not overplayed. A little eccentric but sophisticated. For example, my dress had unfinished hemlines but the sparkle of the belt gave it the WOW factor. I wanted the whole wedding to be that way.
My mom sewed a handwritten note from my grandmother, who passed away in 2002, into the hem of my wedding dress. It was a card she wrote to me in 1988 that says’ “My sweet Jennifer, always remember how much I love you.”
Having my dad walk me down the aisle was something I had been looking forward to my whole life. My dad is a very special person to me. He has always been the most important man in my life and it was very sentimental to have him by my side on my big day.
The cake was white fondant with edible silver glitter. I love glitter to a fault.
Looking back, the day went by WAY too quickly. We had a packed itinerary and I wish that we would have had more time to spend with everyone! I also wished we would not have rushed off so quickly the next morning on our honeymoon. We would have preferred to stay a few days with the family at the resort and THEN leave for the honeymoon.
My advice
1. Have realistic expectations. A wedding is a celebration of love. It is all about marrying the man of your dreams; it is NOT about the show. At the end of the day if you are married to your Prince Charming, then the day was a success. THAT is what matters. Don’t get wrapped up in what other people want or what you see on pinterest. Talk to your fiancé, figure out what you want together and do that. You will be much happier in the end, I promise.
2. Invest in a good photographer and videographer. When all is said and done, it will be the most tangible way you’ll have to remember your day. Dinner will get eaten, flowers will die, the music will go quiet, memories will fade, but your photos and videos will last forever.
3. Take the time to soak it all in. Take moments, before you put on the dress to breathe. Put on the dress and give yourself a second to reflect. Close your eyes, say a prayer and reflect on why you are where you are. Hug your bridesmaids before you leave for the ceremony. Tell them how much they mean to you. Stop at the top of the aisle… take a deep breath, look around. The day will go by so quickly, taking the time to have quiet reflective moments is the best thing I did. Hold your husband’s hand. Don’t let the true meaning of the day get lost in the chaos. Take selfies, do the photo booth, put on your dancing shoes and have some fun, you’ve waited your whole life for this.
Jennifer’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Photographer: Logan Walker Photography // Event Planner: Soiree Productions Dress Designer: Modern Trousseau // Floral Designer: Orchid Dynasty // Cake: Carrie’s Cakes // Venue: Park City Mountain Resort
A Winter Wedding at Sundance Mountain Resort
From the bride, Kwany: We wanted a winter wedding in Utah because we love skiing in Utah.
My bouquet was soft and slightly rustic. I had white/ivory roses and peonies with some dusty miller and mini pine cones, finished with a burlap wrap and twine overlay.
We played Chinese door games. This tradition originated from ancient times in Chinese culture – it implies that the bride’s family and friends do not want to marry the bride away. So as the groom sets out to the bride’s home, he will have to pass a series of tasks as a way to demonstrate that he really loves her. My girlfriends had the boys dress up in ridiculous outfits (tutus, butterfly wings), do yoga poses, push-ups, and eat the flavors of marriage (spicy, sweet, sour, bitter). It was definitely a good time for our friends and family to watch!
Even though it took a long time to write, I’m really glad that we wrote each guest a personalized note on their name cards. It was a nice way for us to show appreciation to our friends and family who came from all over the world to celebrate our happiness.
Looking back, I can’t imagine not having a day of wedding planner. On the day of our wedding, I was relatively stress free because I had her taking care of all the details!
My advice: Don’t drag out your wedding planning. We had a long engagement (1.5 years) which allowed for a lot of time to plan, look at Pinterest, wedding magazines, etc. And while it was initially a lot of fun, I was a little fatigued with the process and choices (there are always more options!). At some point, you just need to know where to cut yourself off. So, I would recommend doing wedding planning in sprints – do a lot of work and then set it aside from a while before you have to pick it up again. Otherwise, it will take over your life!
Kwany’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Venue, Caterer & Lodging: Sundance Resort. Sundance was just magical and we couldn’t imagine having our wedding anywhere else. Plus, I loved that everyone stayed in one place so that it was easier for our guests to hangout before/after the wedding.
Photographer: Pepper Nix Photography // Event Planner: Soiree Productions // Floral Designer: Blossom Sweet // Cake Designer: One Sweet Slice // Musicians: Echo Talent Management // Video: Lumineux Films
A Destination Wedding in Park City
From the bride, Amelia: For us, this was a destination wedding, but it was also a destination wedding for all of our guests, most of whom had never even visited Utah before. That being said, we wanted our wedding to feel like not only celebrating our love, but also be an experience for everyone. A chance to really get to fall in love with the mountains, much the same that we had. Having delicious food and drink offerings was also really important to us, and the Canyons truly practice the farm-to-table concept that we love.
We had a full Catholic mass for our ceremony at St. Mary’s Old Town Chapel.
Our guests took a private gondola from the base of the mountain, while sipping champagne, up to 8,000 feet. All while traveling through the peaks of the mountains to get to the reception.
We had our dinner under a tent and then had bistro lights hung in the middle of the grassy-space so that we could dance the night away under the stars in the mountains.
Looking back, not only was the setting a dream, but getting to have our family and the best of friends was one of the most powerful feelings I am sure we will ever experience.
Amelia’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Photographer: Logan Walker Photography , a Pepper Nix Photographer // Event Planner: Harvest Moon Events // Reception Venue & Caterer: Red Pines Lodge, The Canyons Resort // Floral Designer: Every Blooming Thing // Ceremony: St. Mary’s Old Town Chapel // Dress Designer: Badgley Mischka // Bridesmaid’s Dresses: J. Crew // Hair and Makeup: Lunatic Fringe
A Luxe Mountain Wedding in Park City
On a beautiful breezy day in the Rocky Mountains, Amna & Heiko recited their vows on the Flagstaff Deck of the Stein Eriksen Lodge. The bride paid homage to her Pakistani heritage with silk brocade fabrics, handmade jewelry, and a dramatic color palette of rich gold and burgundy red. The goal for the decor was opulence and grandeur, which Silver Summit Event Design clearly delivered. Logan Walker Photography perfectly captured all the luxe details from this stunning mountain destination wedding.
The bride wore an Ian Stuart gown with Sergio Rossi Mermaid Cage Boots.
THE VENDOR TEAM
Photographer: Logan Walker Photography // Event & Floral Design: Silver Summit Event Design // Venue, Lodging, Caterer & Cake: Stein Eriksen Lodge // Florals: Artisan Bloom // Invitations, Menus & Welcome Books: Paper Daisies Stationery
A Simple, Relaxed & Organic Wedding at Deer Valley Resort
From the bride, Ingrid: We always dreamed of a wedding in the outdoors in a majestic setting. We wanted the overall look to be simple, modern, organic, elegant and relaxed. We wanted our wedding colors to match the surroundings, the aspens leaves were the inspiration for the green, the mountain lodge for the brown and my dress for the ivory.
Deer Valley means a lot to us since my husband worked there as a ski instructor and I learned how to ski on the slopes of Deer Valley. We chose the Silver Lake Lodge the first day we went looking for venues. We fell in love with the lodge and the surroundings!
We did photos before the ceremony and it was one of the best decisions we made since we didn’t miss a minute of the reception and we got one of my favorite pictures at the top of the mountain in the chairlift.
My favorite moment of the day was walking down the aisle after we got married, it was magical!
We danced a choreographed Tango as our first dance.
My advice: Invest in a good dance floor! Don’t buy expensive shoes, they ‘ll get ruined. Plan the photos you want to take before hand. Stick to the timelines and try to get a good rest the night before.
THE VENDOR TEAM
Luxe Mountain Venue, Catering, and Cake: Silver Lake Lodge at DEER VALLEY RESORT {more info} // Photographer: Pepper Nix Photography // Floral Designer: Roots // Linens and Coverings: Wildflower Linens
A Winter Destination Wedding in Park City, Utah
From the bride, Michelle: Matt and I have always enjoyed “mountain” activities: ski trips are our guaranteed yearly vacation and Matt even proposed on a hike in Banff National Park. Since most of our friends and family would have to travel for the wedding regardless of where we held it, we decided that we wanted to have it in a location that our guests would be able to help us celebrate our marriage as well as enjoy the beautiful location and recreational activities that it provides.
Instead of a traditional “Rehearsal Dinner” we had a “Welcome Dinner”, which was extremely important to us since we were doing a destination wedding. We really wanted to “set the tone” of a weekend filled with events for family and friends to get to congregate together as well as enjoy their own vacations.
Having our private reveal and mountain photo session was really special–between riding up and down on the ski lift (SO much cooler in a wedding dress vs skis) and getting extra (almost) alone time with your soon to be husband was amazing.
My family is Jewish and Matt’s family is Catholic. We had a relatively non-denominational ceremony with Jewish traditions added in (which was very important to me): a chuppah and breaking of the glass.
We had cake and ice cream sandwiches.
I loved all of the DANCING! Being lifted in the chairs for Hava Nagelah–it was the longest rendition of the song that I’ve ever heard and Matt kept looking back to the band making “cut it off” motions as he was sure his buddies were going to drop him. I could not stop laughing and smiling throughout the whole thing.
Looking back, the day went by so fast, it was truly the “best day ever” and I wanted it to keep going. I was specifically surprised about the sense of remorse after all of the planning when it is over.
My advice: Hire a wedding planner with a great reputation and ENJOY their experience and expertise.
Michelle’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Venue & Caterer: Deer Valley Resort // Photographer: Logan Walker Photography // Event Planner: MelissaFancy // Floral Designer: artisan bloom // Cake Designer: Snow Park Bakery // Band: Green Light Booking
An Intimate New Year’s Eve Wedding in Park City, Utah
From the bride, Lindsey: Both Aaron and I are medical students, and have very limited schedules. We only had a two week window to get married over the New Year, so we knew it had to be in Park City. We got to have an extra little ski vacation following the wedding, and all of our out of town guests loved that Utah snow.
We didn’t really have a theme to the wedding, but we knew we wanted it to feel like a New Years Eve party. We ended up settling on black white and gold and it was perfect.
We ended up using a couple hundred white candles along the aisles, on the tables and to create a backdrop for the ceremony. The candlelight was amazing and made the whole evening feel so intimate.
I think my favorite part about the whole wedding was having my little brother officiate. He has been able to watch us grow as a couple since we started dating and he really customized our ceremony to us. Every word he said had so much meaning to it, it was so captivating and spectacular.
We had the most beautiful, massive Christmas tree that we decided to leave up for the holiday. All the tree decor was in our wedding colors so it fit in beautifully.
We set up a clear tent on the back patio, which housed a fire pit, s’more station, and hot cocoa for guests to warm up. That was a real hit and one of my favorite parts of the reception.
My advice: Start early and hire a party planner. There’s no way I could have accomplished everything the planner did, and it made the whole thing so stress free.
Lindsey’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Photographer: Logan Walker Photography // Wedding Planner & Floral Design: Just So Event Floral // Wedding Dress: Enzoni // Bridesmaid’s Dresses: Jenny Yoo // Cake & Sugar Cookies: Baked Pretty // Rentals: Diamond Rental // Videographer: Wozy Films