A Destination Mountain Wedding at River Bottoms Ranch in Lavender Hues

[section title=”The Planning”]
[field title=”Wedding Colors”]

Purple was the color of the day. I wanted all of the colors and design to draw inspiration from the stunning natural landscape and my dress. The goal was to use tones that complemented and enhanced while providing a really elegant and unique look, so we leaned into a range of purples (plum, violet, lavender), forest green, and ivory.

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[field title=”Design / Vibe / Vision”]

We wanted every element of the event to enhance the experience of the guests and to showcase a location (the town of Midway & the mountains in general) that is special to us. Gordon & I have lived all over the country, and I’ve had to field a lot of questions about why I moved to (& am building a life in) Utah; I wanted this event to resolve any of those questions.

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[field title=”Proposal Story”]

My only request was to be surprised, since I rarely enjoy surprises, and Gordon completely delivered. My family was in town for my brother’s college graduation, and I found my dress right before my mom and sister came up with a convoluted story of why we needed to stop by the Grand America (a 5-star hotel in downtown SLC). Gordon was waiting on a balcony overlooking the city & mountains. The best part came after the proposal when we went to the garden, and my pug was waiting for us.

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[board_carousel title=”Getting Ready”]

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[board_carousel title=”Bridal Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Flat Lays”]

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[section title=”The Fashion”]
[field title=”Wedding Gown”]

House of Savin designed the dress and very graciously adapted the design to my style. I felt butterflies (also featured on the dress) when I first put the dress on, but was worried that with the color and shimmer, it would be “too much”. I came out and my mom, sisters, and a dear friend unanimously agreed that it was perfectly me. The dress was the first piece of the wedding to come together, and the timing was perfect because the dress was truly the bedrock for the design of the entire event.

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[field title=”Bridesmaid Dresses”]

Gordon and I have six sisters combined, so we decided to separate their look from the bridesmaids. The sisters wore dusty lavender dresses from JJ’s House in various designs. Since I wasn’t wearing plain white, I wanted my friends, my chosen family, to stun in ivory dresses of their selection so that they could showcase their style.

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[field title=”Groomsman Attire”]

Groomsmen kept it simple with classic black tuxedos designed by Vera Wang. The key feature was a delicate pocket square floral arrangement instead of a traditional boutonniere (genius design by Marianne with Mille Fleur).

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[board_carousel title=”Wedding Party”]

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[board_carousel title=”Ceremony”]

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[section title=”The Details”]
[field title=”Food & Drink”]

Culinary Crafts exceeded expectations. The food was critically important to us – we love food, and we really wanted the guests to enjoy themselves at every part of the evening. We used this as an opportunity to showcase Utah with local flavors – stone fruit, berries, and Rocky Mountain trout. We also wanted to have a little fun with flavors that are unique to Gordon and me. When we tasted the bratwurst bar, we knew it was a must. Gordon was born in Germany and his family and my dad have lived there at various points in their lives. I have a small obsession with mocktails, so we knew we’d need to have custom drinks – a pineapple mojito and blackberry Moscow mule. Finally, we ended the night with a Utah summer classic – s’mores. It was really important to me that the event had something for everyone, so for those who would rather enjoy the crisp mountain air outside instead of hitting the dance floor, s’mores with homemade marshmallows were available at the fire pit.

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[field title=”Florals & Decor”]

Florals – Marianne Hunt with Mille Fleur perfectly captured my vision for an elevated mountain aesthetic with a highly curated garden feel. My mom and I interviewed several floral designers, and Marianne was the only one who seemed to hear and understand my vision. We were careful not to detract from the beauty of the natural scenery (i.e., I did not want an arch that would block the view of the mountains), and, again, my dress was the core inspiration. Marianne pulled out unique details and created the threads that pulled the entire look and feel of the event together. Decor – I am beyond fortunate that designer Maddie Peterson of La Madeleine Studio is my sister in law. She designed our invitation suite (with a custom pocket in the shape of a mountain) and signage for our wedding. She drew custom signs at the entry for guests to have a peek into Gordon & my love story. The seating chart was inspired by Gordon & my shared love of Formula 1 racing. While we were dating, Gordon went through treatment for cancer. At one of the most difficult points in his treatment, we decided he needed something to look forward to and, somewhat spontaneously, bought tickets to the United States Grand Prix in Austin. It is a core memory that I will cherish forever. Maddie designed all of the table numbers to represent Formula 1 tracks from around the world (the head table was, of course, Circuit of the Americas). Nearly every track had a personal connection to the people who sat at the table. (The next morning, my favorite F1 driver won at his home race; the universe could not have been more aligned!)

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[field title=”Wedding Cake”]Lustr (Jessica Olsen) designed the cake with a delicate and unique look by painting rather than sculpting. The cake shimmered in the evening sunset and featured some favorite flavors – lemon raspberry (raspberries are a key feature of a small Utah lake town that Gordon & I frequent in the summer) and chocolate hazelnut (another nod to Germany).
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[field title=”Readings, Ceremony Music, Reception Songs”]

Ceremony: We had a small mixup during the ceremony, and my parents walked down the aisle without me. My brother looked over & immediately stepped up, which created an even more special moment. My cousin, Lindsey Leavitt Brown, officiated our ceremony. She is an author and bookstore owner (Folklore) in the community where we had our reception. As is true for every couple, Gordon and I have had our struggles, especially with Gordon’s cancer and the losses of several family members over the past few years. Lindsey spoke about how neither of us is still on whatever Plan A we imagined for ourselves; just as plans change, so will Gordon and I change, shift, grow, and bloom.

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[field title=”Special Detail #1″]

My aunt made my dream come true by organizing everything for my pug to strut down the aisle. She surprised me by sewing a custom bow tie and corsage from extra material from my wedding dress. The details were everything! Gordon & I were civilly married in a small ceremony in November of 2023. Unknowingly, Gordon and I both referenced advice my father had given us at that time from the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche (my dad & I bonded over both majoring in philosophy at Columbia University). Nietzsche advises that the best partners will be those who are the best friends to each other and others. Since nearly none of the guests at the reception attended our November ceremony, it was a beautiful way to include them and share the importance of that moment with so many people we love. Music – The Beehive Quartet played our ceremony music. I walked down the aisle to The Swan by Camille Saint-Saens. I’ve played the cello since I was four (& have participated more recently in an orchestra for healthcare professionals), so it was particularly special to have that moment set to music that is a cello solo that I loved to play. The Salamanders were our band, and they delivered. Due to a last-minute mixup, they agreed to perform with little notice, and I am beyond grateful for them. The party was everything we could’ve dreamed – Gordon told me it was the best party he’d ever been to (of course, my mom & I planned it that way!). Our first dance was to Calling Your Name by Jon Batiste. There are a lot of parallels between Jon and his wife’s story and Gordon’s & mine (meeting then reconnecting years later, cancer, etc.). We also wanted to do something upbeat, short, and a little unexpected.

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[field title=”Special Detail #2″]

In further effort to create an event with something for everyone, we set up a variety of lawn games across the vast yard space. Of course, this included custom designed cornhole boards from La Madeleine Studio! Guests loved having activities during cocktail hour, and those who wanted to relax and enjoy the fresh mountain air had an alternative option to dancing.

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[field title=”Special Detail #3″][/field]
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[board_carousel title=”Couple Portraits”]

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[board_carousel title=”Reception”]

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