Utah is home to some of the most talented event entertainers around. More specifically, band agency Utah Live Bands represents more than 50 high-level bands and entertainment groups who add a touch of luxury and musical energy to any wedding, rehearsal dinner or shower.
“We are very well connected,” says owner Michael Tobian. “We are an organization run by musicians, so we know how music and crowds work. We know the theory and can speak intelligently on it. We put bands together that will make you forever celebrities in the memories of your wedding guests.”
Whether your event calls for an elegant ceremony quartet, a crooning cocktail combo or the ever-popular reception party band, Utah Live Bands represents the highest level of talent in Utah and beyond, and they have the know-how to get your guests in that celebratory mood. Tobian’s advice for a successful party? Trust your entertainers.
“The more flexibility you can give the band, the better,” he says. “Of course we want to know your preferences and favorite songs, but I highly recommend clients give the band the wiggle room to read the crowd, create medleys and mashups and let the music flow.”
Making your event as seamless as possible is also high on the priority list. Planners love a simple timeline, and a company like Utah Live Bands is a top choice simply because alongside providing top-notch entertainment, they also have the capabilities to set up stages, audiovisual and lighting for the perfect performance.
The Grand America Hotel, Salt Lake City September 2 Planning & Design by Hoopes Events Photographs by Nicole Aston
THE COUPLE
Cima and Paymon met by chance when they both picked up pharmacy shifts at their local hospital, where they each caught the other’s eye but at the time weren’t more than acquaintances. Later, the pair reconnected after discovering that their brothers were good friends. Acting as the perfect wingmen, those brothers brought the two lovebirds together, and the rest was history. After a couple years of dating, Paymon invited Cima to a “work dinner” at Red Butte Garden. Spoiler alert: His invitation was really a ruse for a beautiful garden proposal. Surprised but elated, Cima said “yes.”
THE WEDDING
Fixed on an elegant and princess-worthy event, Cima selected the stunning grounds and ballrooms of The Grand America Hotel as the setting for her early September wedding. The festivities began outdoors in the Grand’s gardens for a traditional Persian wedding ceremony. Dressed in a shining, form-fitted gown with draping off-shoulder sleeves, Cima joined her groom-to-be (clad in a black tuxedo and white-accented bow tie) at their wedding table, known as a sofreh aghd, piled high with symbolic items of their life together. Framed by a bursting arch of white and blush blooms, mothers and other family members sprinkled sugar over the couple to welcome a life of sweetness.
The party moved indoors to the resplendent ballrooms of the classic hotel, where a tried-and-true palette of white, gold and rosy pink welcomed guests to the reception. The wedding party dined on steak, salmon, red velvet cake and a pastry bar, all catered by The Grand, before hitting the dance floor.
Led by Persian-American DeeJay Al, guests danced long into the night to a playlist of perfectly mixed dance hits and Persian classics. From David Guetta and “Can’t Help Falling in Love,” to “Faghat Ba To Eshgham” by Shadmehr, every musical moment had the party stomping to the beat. To wrap up the celebrations, Cima and Paymon entertained with a traditional knife dance before their cake cutting and the crowd favorite gol bereez, or flower toss.
After their royalty-ready wedding, the newlyweds embarked on an equally luxurious Italian honeymoon.
Imagine you’ve booked a beautiful wedding scheduled to be outside: bright sunlight, beautiful flora, fresh air. But, the day of the event comes, and you see clouds rolling in from the distance. Worry floods your brain. Will it rain? If you’ve been to any outdoor event in Utah, you may have experienced this weather-induced anxiety over a possible cancellation or relocation of an event. But at The Fifth Floor wedding venue in Ogden, you won’t have to worry about weather, and you’ll still get your natural sunlight as if your event were outside! Ariel Pettigrew, owner of The Fifth Floor venue, has designed her space to avoid unpredictable weather and bring the outside inside. Ariel’s vision for this shoot was to “capture the charm and ambiance of the outdoors.”
If you’ve watched the popular Netflix show Bridgerton, you’ll swoon at the design of this styled shoot. Aiming to reflect the romance and elegance of the Regency era, this team put together a scene with vibrant bouquets of flowers and classy gowns and jewelry. “To enhance the magic,” says Ariel, “we incorporated flowing drapery, lush greenery, and hanging floral arrangements, transforming the space into a whimsical garden.” You might imagine yourself as a guest on the set of a real Bridgerton wedding.
A mix of many different colors in floral arrangements, rather than one prominent color, is a modern trend in wedding design. Blooms by Marley takes advantage of the vibrance of flowers of all colors to highlight the freshness and brightness of spring, again bringing the outdoors to the indoors.
The Venue
As the largest natural light venue in Utah, The Fifth Floor has tall windows that offer a look at majestic mountain scenery and elegant sunsets. The windows give the venue a wide, airy look, another design tactic to bring the outdoors to the indoors.
Ariel Pettigrew, owner of The Fifth Floor
An Industrial Accent
On one end of the venue is a looming steel wall—a stark contrast to the light, bright, airiness of the venue. It may seem out of place, but it brings a rustic moodiness into the venue that looks amazing in photos. Ariel said all the doors in the venue are made of steel, an industrial accent to keep things interesting in contrast to the white walls and pink furniture.
Ariel offers a day-of wedding coordinator, two to three staff members on hand to help with anything from serving food to clean up, a two night hotel stay in the bridal suite at the Hilton across the street, a confetti exit, and more. Her staff does everything they can to guarantee a smooth day for the bridal party. Learn more about The Fifth Floor on their site, linked below.
We always say with April showers come May flowers, but the spring flowers came early this year in this soft and bright spring wedding shoot at The Mathis in St. George, Utah.
“I was inspired to bring this styled shoot to life to showcase a garden feel within a historical venue space,” says Ariel, the shoot designer. She heavily incorporated pink and white flowers accented with bright greenery to give that fresh flower garden feel.
On the historical Tabernacle Street, The Mathis has been restored with a modern twist, still keeping the integrity of the historical building. They made sure to keep the “original reclaimed wood and stained glass in their statement sliding french doors.” What gives this venue, especially this shoot, its special glow is the original glass that was kept in the reclaimed door. The glass that “was once clear, has over decades of time and exposure to ultraviolet radiation from sunlight turned a soft purple color, and that’s how I knew the color palette was perfect for this shoot,” says Ariel.
The sweet purple glow from the door was softened with chiffon panels draping from the ceilings and framing the ceremony space. The space is additionally softened by some of the soft pinkish-purple tablecloths and the airy pink frosted flower on the cake. And the light purple paper goods for the invitations and place settings…purple really is the perfect color for this spring shoot.
Yellow and white details, from flowers to personal cocktails to fabrics, are used to add some pop. Ariel says that each variation of fabrics and textures “was selected with care to support a fresh, airy and garden feel.” You can see this not only in the tablecloths, but in the bride’s dress as well.
This is a bright, purpley-pink spring wedding shoot that surely highlights the historic beauty of the original venue. “I’m a huge fan of when tradition meets modern details,” Ariel says, “and I think all the vendors involved did a beautiful job with supporting this.”
A reception experience and a favor in one? Sign us up. Natalie Allsup-Edwards, founder of The Hand-Drawn Photo Booth, takes a moment of inspiration and turns it into a one-of-a-kind keepsake station for events of all kinds.
With Natalie’s vision, The Hand Drawn photo booth delivers both reception entertainment and party favors of the most personalized fashion. From the classic four-pose photo strip to a full-body ‘prom’ portrait, each sitting produces an image capturing memories and artistic flair that add to the day’s guest book as well as the guest’s scrapbook.
Photos by Claire Marika Photography
There is so much laughter and silliness in our ‘photo booth,’” Allsup-Edwards says. “There is an intimacy to it that you don’t get with traditional photo booths— it’s an interesting and unusual experience to share with your guests.”
A classically curated palette brings bonus color to the views at Sundance Resort.
When designing a wedding vignette, selecting enduringly beautiful details is a must for a wedding gallery that stands up to the test of time. With the help of seasoned pros, planner Braelynn Tuitupou of Belle Bodas Events crafts a wedding dinner design that checks the boxes of both trendy and timeless.
TABLE TRAIN
Serpentine tables at the wedding dinner are a trend we just can’t get enough of, delivering a sense of playful attention to detail not just in the florals and finishes, but also in the furnishings themselves. These interconnected rounds add movement and interest to this tablescape, while also creating a cozy and intimate atmosphere for guests. “Imagine sitting at a table where you can easily chat with those next to you, yet still feel immersed in a lively and beautiful setting,” says Tuitupou.
ONE HUE TO RULE THEM ALL
Even with a classic monochrome palette of ivory, green and black, this event’s florals are anything but traditional. Eruptions of soft greenery, verdant floral selections and surprising accents such as fruit and familiar plated greens visually connect all the tables.
Arranged with the whimsical floral vision of Harvest Floral Co., every position feels like its own experience. Striking black place settings anchor each seat at the edge of the table, and graceful black iron and wicker chairs bring the beauty and originality of the tables’ designs together in full force.
HARMONIOUS DETAIL
Every element of the wedding day should feel united: a true reflection of a couple’s personality. Here, the elements are carefully designed to flow with one another, right down to the seemingly simple wedding cake. Wrapped in delicate sheets of rippling white fondant, the cake’s finish mimics the elegant pleats of the wedding gown.
Even the mountain venue’s views are honored by the subtle color shifts within each floral arrangement, allowing this wedding to nestle perfectly into the natural backdrop around it. “One of my favorite moments was capturing the bride at the top of Sundance’s mountains,” says Tuitupou. “With the lush greenery behind her and the peaks framing the scene, each shot was absolutely breathtaking.
Lovers Brandt and Patrick tied the knot in a late December celebration in their home and at a favorite local restaurant’s lounge.
THE COUPLE
Brandt, a tech marketer, first met Canadian-born pilot Patrick at a cleverly orchestrated setup arranged by friends. “They organized a dinner where a bunch of single friends were unknowingly “competing” for my attention,” says Brandt. Patrick, who was the lucky guy sat next to Brandt, instantly hit it out of the park. The rest was history.
Both travel lovers, the partners kicked off a relationship full of adventure. One of their first trips together was in London, England, which became a key location for their love story. While on a return trip for work a few months later, Brandt went for a job through Regent’s Park, where the pair shared a romantic date on their trip together. While running, he stumbled upon a rose bush with a plaque reading “Lucky,” which is Patrick’s middle name. In that moment, Brandt knew: if he ever proposed, it had to be in that park, in front of those roses.
Fast forward a few years to a trip to Greece. Brandt had plans to propose sometime that year, but hadn’t yet figured out a way back to London. As luck would have it (pun fully intended), their return flight home took them through London. Even more perfectly, Brandt’s cousin happened to be there for work — so Brandt quickly enlisted her to pick up the ring and secretly deliver it to him.
The next morning, Brandt took Patrick on a walk through London’s charming streets, leading him back to the special park. As they approached the “Lucky” roses, Patrick started to catch on. Brandt got down on one knee and asked Patrick to make him the luckiest guy in the world — and of course, he said yes.
THE WEDDING
While they originally planned for a Mexico destination wedding, as they got closer to the day of Brandt and Patrick realized that what mattered most was celebrating with all their loved ones. So, they pivoted to a ceremony in the most meaningful place imaginable: their own living room.
Rows of chairs squeezed into the cozy living space for a late December union. Tinge Floral covered the wood mantel in stunning burgundy florals and greenery, and guest showed up dressed to match. Even the couple’s beloved dog, Freddie, made an appearance in a dapper mini tuxedo. Brandt’s close friend Will officiated the ceremony, making it all the more personal and meaningful.
Both grooms wore effortlessly cool, slightly oversized tuxedos from Todd Snyder, nailing their 90s New Year’s Eve inspiration. Brandt wore a black turtleneck sweater from Suit Supply, while Patrick opted for a white short-sleeve crew neck sweater from Zara. They finished their looks with matching Hermès pocket squares — Patrick in white, Brandt in black — perfectly complementing each other’s style.
THE PARTY
After cheering the grooms to “I Do,” the wedding party reconvened at a favorite local dining gem, Nona Bistro. The evening kicked off with drinks and a small charcuterie board in Nona’s cozy wine bar before guests moved into the back garage area for a buffet-style feast. The menu included a kale Caesar salad, green beans, roasted cabbage with harissa, smashed potatoes, chicken piccata, salmon, and ribeye with chimichurri — a true crowd-pleaser.
A specialty cocktail menu awaited the revelers: “Lucky Lawrence Last Word,” a nod to the grooms’ middle names; “Pilot Pat’s Plane,” an aviation cocktail named for Patrick’s career; and a “Freddie’s Fancy 75,” a classic French 75 named for the infamous pup.
Instead of a full-on dance floor, Brandt and Patrick kept things cozy with live acoustic guitar, performed by one of Brandt’s closest family friends, John Connors, during the reception at the wine bar.
While there wasn’t dancing, there was a standout performance of a different kind: Brandt and Patrick rolled out a vintage Delta bar cart, and their friend Sloan — dressed in a retro Pan Am flight attendant dress — passed out snacks to guests, creating a cheeky and memorable moment that nodded to Patrick’s career as a pilot.
After drinks, an after party at officiant Will’s home allowed guests to mingle, laugh and toast the newly weds into the early morning hours.
THE HONEYMOON
Brandt and Patrick took an unforgettable honeymoon cruise to Antarctica — the ultimate adventure to cap off their epic celebration.
Emma & Jordan La Caille, Sandy May 20 Planning & Design by Irene + Co. Events Photographs by Photos by Gayle
THE COUPLE
Jordan was instantly enamored with Emma when they met in graduate school, but it would take a full six months before Emma would discover her mutual interest. The pair dated for five and a half years when Jordan began crafting the perfect proposal. Weeks of planning—including sneakily testing a 3D-printed mock-up of his custom-designed ring on a sleeping Emma—culminated in a romantic dinner at Log Haven, where Jordan serenaded Emma with “Wild Love” by James Bay. Emma could not have been more sure of her decision to say “yes!”
Emma and Jordan felt conflicted about whose last name they would take. “It didn’t feel right to either one of us to erase the other’s identity,” Emma shares. After much creative discussion, they landed on the name “June,” which tied into several facets of their story from the engagement ring designer, June Rings, to Juno being the Goddess of Marriage. “It felt perfectly meant to be,” Emma laughs. “Like the universe was winking at us for discovering the path that was ours all along.”
THE WEDDING
Emma and Jordan tied the knot at La Caille in Sandy. The venue’s fairytale vibe drew the couple in, but the resident peacocks sealed the deal. “They happen to be the symbol of Queen Juno,” says Emma. Leaning into La Caille’s nature-driven design, a sweet and colorful garden party took center stage. Mille Fleur Design dressed the outdoor ceremony space and atrium reception room with swaths of pastel-hued florals, and checkered linens adorned high tops for added flair. As guests entered the ceremony, they were asked to bring items with sentimental value to display—everything from cookbooks and photos to dolls and clothing.
Floating down the aisle in a stunning off-shoulder mermaid gown from The Bridal Studio, Emma met her betrothed. Known to pull off his own fashion statements, Jordan donned a custom metallic blue silk suit designed by Olga Assayah, inspired by an iconic Timothee Chalamet red carpet look.
THE PARTY
Inside La Caille’s grand atrium, tropical greenery and hanging lanterns created a vibrant backdrop. To kick off the celebrations, the couple distributed a custom newspaper dubbed The June Tribune, which gave guests an inside look at their new last name. As guests found their seats, they were also greeted with mini canvases and painting supplies. After enjoying speeches and feasting on dinner catered by Magleby’s, the wedding revelers danced the night away with DJ Russ Powell.
A tribute to classic beauty with a fresh perspective, the Roses collection reimagines beloved silhouettes from the Reem Acra archive for the modern bride. With a focus on enduring elegance, each gown feels both nostalgic and entirely new.
Dress #1: Ingrid
This ethereal gown blends old-world romance with graceful modernity. Sheer sleeves and detailed lace create depth in the design, while the layered skirt adds an element of grandeur.
Dress #2: Rock & Roll
Understated yet evocative, this two-piece gown features a sculpted bodice with slender straps and delicate bows. The fit-and-flare skirt balances out the design by adding softness to this otherwise edgy look.
Dress #3: J’adore
Timeless and elegant, this ivory fit-and-flare dress is completed with a lace jacket that lends an air of sophistication to the design, creating a look that is equal parts regal and romantic.
The Serene Echoes collection by Hera Couture invites brides into a world of tranquility and timeless beauty, where each gown feels like a quiet moment of harmony.
Dress #1: Oscar
Effortlessly elegant, this strapless gown balances modern simplicity with fairytale charm. Crafted with floral brocade, the fitted bodice melts into a full, gathered skirt, creating a dreamy final look.
Dress #2: Iona
This strapless gown delivers bold glamour through its intricate beading and sleek, elongated lines. The result is a look that feels both contemporary and timeless.
Dress #3: Hugo
Romantic and elegant, this off-the-shoulder gown features artfully draped satin that flares into a tulle skirt. Asymmetrical pleating adds movement and dimension, offering a unique twist on a classic silhouette.
