Gatherist’s Emmily Jones and photographer Erin Kate offer five tips for creating uncomplicated-yet-dynamic design. 

After six years of hopping cities—from Stanford University in Palo Alto where they met, to Chicago and Pittsburgh where they separated for medical school, then living apart again while she spent time in Nigeria—Liese and Jordan finally couple-matched for residency at the University of Utah. After a complex courtship, the duo opted for an uncomplicated wedding at Sundance Resort. How’d they do it? Here’s the intel.

1. Complement Mother Nature

“Once we decided we wanted to get married in Utah, we knew we wanted to do it in the mountains. We wanted an outdoor ceremony, but also wanted a venue that had beautiful rustic indoor spaces so that the reception would be beautiful as well,” Liese says. “We visited several venues near Salt Lake, and as soon as we saw Sundance, we knew this was the right place for us. It was also a fitting choice because, at the end of our first date, we watched ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.’”

2. Get Personal

“I lead a very thorough initial consultation with my wedding clients that not only dives into details about their wedding, but also their personal lives. For example, I want to know how they describe each other’s personalities, how they give gifts to each other and what are their family quirks,” Gatherist’s Emmily Jones says. “Not only is this a foundation for the overall event, it gives me the ability to create a meaningful connection with my clients which I believe lends to a more personalized and well-designed wedding (and a blossoming friendship after the big day).

3. Consider Scale

Avoid the “simple” trap. “It’s a big mistake when couples go too simple and the table and setting look empty,” says photographer Erin Kate. “I absolutely love minimal, but the scale and layering with height offer so much to the decor. Emmily and Amber (Amber Reverie) placed stones under the vases and candles to create height on the reception tables. Another great example of using height is the place card table where cards were placed on different levels using lucite boxes.,” Kate explains. 

4. Go Organic

“I had always wanted a small backyard wedding, and we wanted to create a classic, intimate and rustic mood that went with the beautiful setting of Sundance and that echoed that small-wedding feel,” Liese says. “Jordan loves candles, and I wanted to include lots of natural textures like farm-wood tables and informal flower arrangements, which came together to form a classy but relaxed feel.  “Our floral designer, Amber Reverie, suggested the tree branches suspended above the tables, which we adored and brought the mountains inside to the reception. The custom driftwood coasters we had made as favors were also a great extension of this theme, and our guests keep telling us they love using them even a year later.”

5. Practicality is Key

It’s worth the wait. “We picked the date because it was one of first weekends available that all the parts of the venue we wanted to use would be available,” Liese says. “This meant waiting almost two years from the time we got engaged, but it also meant we could have the wedding exactly where and how we wanted. Having extra time to plan was also a bonus with two residents’ crazy clinical schedules.”

6. Practice Restraint

“One of my biggest design rules is restraint,” Jones says. “It’s a constant battle with myself. When styling or curating a concept, I like to put all the ideas on the table, literally and figuratively, and scale things back from there. A Dieter Rams’ quote I reference during the design process with my clients and in my personal work is ‘Good design is as little design as possible.'”

Vendors

Venue and catering: Sundance Resort, Sundance

Wedding Planner: The Gatherist, San Francisco, Calif.

Wedding Gown: Morilee by Madeline Gardner, available locally at The Brides’ Shop, SLC

Groom’s Attire: Tailor Cooperative, SLC

Bridesmaids: Azazie, azazie.com 

Groomsmen: The Black Tux, theblacktux.com

Hair and makeup: Lesley Lind, Pleasant Grove

Florist: Amber Reverie, American Fork

Cake: Flour & Flourish, Orem 

Favors: Studio Robazzo, robazzo.com

Invitations: Minted, minted.com 

Videography: Ryan Hinman Films, Draper 

DJ: Life of the Party, SLC 

Photographs by:Erin Kate

Couple Bio

Liese Pruitt & Jordan Knox

Liese’s hometown: Wayland, Massachusetts 

Jordan’s hometown: San Francisco, California

Currently reside: Salt Lake City, Utah

Wedding date: August 26

Photography by: Erin Kate

What do you do?

I am a general surgery resident at the University of Utah and am planning to become a pediatric surgeon. Jordan just finished family medicine residency at the University of Utah and is now a sports medicine fellow there. 

How did you two meet?

We met as freshman at Stanford in a jazz dance class, but Jordan was too busy flirting with another girl to notice. We gradually became friends over the years, but we really hit it off senior year in anatomy class over dissecting a cadaver. We started dating six weeks before graduation from Stanford University. 

How did he propose?

As part of our first vacation after moving to Utah, we took a camping trip to Arches National Park. It rained the first night and morning ruining Jordan’s plans to propose at Delicate Arch at sunrise. Luckily by afternoon, the skies cleared and Jordan proposed at the Arch at sunset.

Linnea Gies & Chas Goodman

Red Pine Lodge, Canyons Park City

September 9

Photographs by Grey Giraffe

This Park City wedding doesn’t look like the others.  The couple -with help from Hoopes Event- used rugs, florals and risotto to bring in all of the vibrant, late-summer colors they loved. 

THE COUPLE

“We met tandem skydiving. No, just kidding,” jokes bride Linnea, who actually met her hubby Chas at Lincoln Tavern in South Boston. “I was doing a goofy dance at the bar with some friends. Chas walked over and said ‘Hi,’ mostly making fun of me. We talked for a few minutes, mostly about food, which I love.” Three years later, Chas proposed to Linnea at her family’s lake house in Wilson, New York on Memorial Day weekend surrounded by 20 family members. Linnea’s father, whom Chas asked to help with the proposal, secretly prepped the Champagne while Linnea’s mother, also in-the-know, gathered everyone on the beach for a group photo. Or tried. “I initially declined the picture invitation. After some coaxing and nearly giving Chas a heart attack, I agreed to the picture. As he revealed the ring, my response was ‘what are you doing?’ He popped the question, tears of joy followed and to this day, it’s still unclear if I actually ever said yes.”

THE WEDDING

Hiking and golf outings in Park City kicked off the weekend, followed by a Friday-night rehearsal dinner on The Bridge Cafe & Grill’s outdoor patio. “We followed this by walking to our favorite Park City bar, The Cabin, to hang with our two favorite bartenders, Sasquatch and Yeti,” Linnea says. Throughout the weekend, guests enjoyed pool time, massages and downtime at The Grand Summit Hotel at Canyons Resort. “Chas and I, along with my mom, the second in-command, made sure our guests’ commute was easy, the food was good for everyone and the party would go as long as it could.”

THE MOOD

The Red Pine Gondola carried guests at high-speed up to Red Pine Lodge (elevation: 8,000 feet) from Park City’s Canyons Resort Village. For decor, the couple chose a vibrant, late summer palette, including gold, bronze and copper details. “There were certain things I knew I wanted: tons of colorful flowers and an aisle made up of vibrant rugs,” Linnea says.

“I wanted people to come to the wedding, and not only get the vibe and majesty of Park City in September, but also to feel like, ‘Damn, this is so Linnea and Chas!’ And people did.”

THE CUISINE

“Dinner was unique in that we did family style with a twist,” Linnea explains. “We wanted dinner to move quickly and still offer lots of options.” Chefs plated three entrees separately on large platters—for example, salmon, risotto, tomatoes together—for guests to enjoy a little from each entrée. “I love trying a little of everything, and I love eating. Chas’ family used to never order appetizers, but today they look at me every time we sit at a restaurant and say, ‘Okay, Linnea, order the apps.’ Chas and I loved everything we tried during our tasting and thought, why not do a little of everything?”

THE TUNES

Chas and Linnea couldn’t wait to get on the dance floor. “Dancing was the focal point of the night,” Linnea says. “Our band Changing Lanes crushed it.” The band kept guests on the outside dance floor below the September stars. “The cool air was refreshing as people danced the night away. And those who didn’t want to dance hung around the fire pits and made s’mores or smoked cigars.”

THE DETAILS

Planning, design, rentals: Hoopes Events, Murray

Photographer: Grey Giraffe, SLC

Venue and catering: Red Pine Lodge at Canyons Resort, Park City

Officiant: Reverend Anita Gordon, SLC

Entertainment: Changing Lanes, SLC

Videographer: Jones Lane Studios, Ogden

Florals: Fleur and Stems, Murray

Accommodations: Grand Summit Hotel, Park City

Rehearsal Dinner: The Bridge Cafe & Grill, Park City

After Party: Red Tail at Canyons Resort, Park City

Simple, classic and elegant – all perfectly describe this day of love and romance. With a fresh, modern take on a traditional style, this backyard bash combined outdoor florals with detailed French décor to create the perfect summer wedding.

THE COUPLE

Jared and Eden originally met in junior high. The two were friends throughout high school, but never dated until they reconnected a few years later through mutual friends. “We knew each other for almost 10 years but never dated,” Eden says. They were together for a year before Jared popped the question at the Grand America Hotel courtyard in Salt Lake City. “He had it completely covered in rose petals with candles lit. There he was in the middle of a rose circle waiting to propose. My friend had me tricked that we were going to a conference at the hotel so I was taken by surprise to see him there,” Eden recalls. The couple were engaged for four months before officially tying the knot.

THE WEDDING

When it came time to plan the reception, Jared and Eden knew they wanted an outdoor summer wedding. For their venue, they settled on a backyard in the hill of Bountiful. “We chose it because of the beautiful mountain views and large layout. It felt perfect for a summer wedding,” Eden explains. The decor highlights of the wedding were French floral accents with modern twists throughout, with the couple using French blue, white, tans and just a hint of gold in some of their décor. “We tried to incorporate as much of the blue florals into the layout as we could (linens, bridesmaids dresses, vases.) We loved the French toile print,” Eden says.

THE MENU

In terms of cuisine, the newlyweds decided on wood fire pizza as the main course along with soft serve ice cream for dessert. The pizza was catered by FIORE pizza and included three options — Pepperoni, Bianco, and a sweet corn and bacon pizza — along with individual Caesar salads prepared for the guests. To sweeten things up, the couple brought in soft serve ice cream machines equipped with chocolate, vanilla and twist flavors. The grand finale was a two-layer white cake with raspberry filling and white buttercream.

THE PARTY

It takes a great wedding party to put on a party worth remembering. For Eden and Jared, it was important to be surrounded by friends and family on their big day. “I had the world’s best bridesmaids. I could not have asked for a more helpful and loving group of girls that went completely above and beyond to make my day perfect,” Eden exclaims. One particular bridesmaid, Hailey Beesley, even went so far as to design a customized cake stand for the couple. “I loved the unique cake stand she designed for me. It was a crowd favorite,” Eden recalls.

THE DETAILS

VENDORS

Cake: Natalie Twogood | @twogoodcakes
Linens: RSVP Party Rentals | @rsvppartyrentals
Gown: Customized and created personally by Amber Pratt at ALP Bridal | @ALPbridalsalon
Photo: Jordynn Christensen | @jordybphoto
Video: Kassidee Geurts | @kassideemariefilms
Floral: Aleesha Emery | @alittleflowerfloraldesign
All other rentals (tables, chairs, equipment, dance floor, etc.): Diamond Party and Event Rental
Pizza: FIORE Wood Fired Pizza
Cake Stand: Customized by Hailey Beesley