Heather, lilac, wisteria, orchid, thistle and bellflower. With their naturally alluring hues, it’s no wonder these flowers are names of shades of soft purple. “With the range of colors flying off the runways, I’m so happy to finally see color in weddings,” La Fete’s Allison Baddley says. The planner-slash-designer showcases a bouquet filled with tree peonies, frilly tulips, clematis, frittilaria, anemone, lilac, sweet peas, scabiosa, iris, French lavender, allium, thistle and columbine. “I prefer to focus on one element—such as a couple’s favorite color or a detail from a venue like wood or leather—and weave it throughout the wedding, much like an interior designer does to a home,” Baddley says. But what about those brides hung up on a multi-colored wedding? “Even when a bride says, my colors are navy, pink and white, I try to focus on one of these colors as a focal point.”
Georgia and Lino —who spent their nuptials in the Bahamas—have their Utah based athletic teams, friends, and a dare to thank for their worlds colliding.”We were both from out of state when we met. I’m from Massachusetts and Lino is from California. I was here going to school at the University of Utah and on the Red Rocks women’s gymnastics team. Lino was here and on the U.S. speed skating team,” Georgia says.
“We met downtown while we were both out with groups of friends and we ran into each other. My friends and I had actually dared one of our friends to go talk to his friend and then he and I just hit it off,” she says. “We took it slow for a few months, we didn’t know what our futures held at that point and we were both trying to figure out our lives. I was a senior in college and he was on the speed skating team.”
“And then we started getting a little more serious…and then it got very serious,” Georgia says.”I’m not extravagant or showy and I didn’t want a big thing where everyone is watching. So, we took our dogs out for a walk and he proposed to me while we were out with our little family, just the 4 of us. I didn’t know it was going to happen that day, because it was his birthday and we were celebrating him…”
“We had plans to go out to dinner. I knew he wanted to propose, because he’d asked my parents for permission, but I didn’t know for sure when it was going to be,” she says.”We were married July 1, 2017 in the Bahamas at a Resort—it was a lot of fun, we had a gorgeous stay. When we first got there it was raining for the first few days, but on the day of the wedding it was clear blue skies and beautiful outside.”
My wedding day was a blur I remember I wasn’t nervous until I started walking over to the venue with my bridesmaids.””When my dad started walking me down the isle, I saw Lino’s eyes start to water up,” Georgia says. “I try to put a defense up so that I don’t cry… I just started laughing while he was almost crying! But by the end of the ceremony I did tear up.”
“I think that it’s so important to just sit back and enjoy, just take it all in. Which is really difficult, because of all of the excitement and emotions. It’s good to soak in the moment and appreciate that everybody is there for you and your future spouse,” says Georgia. “My favorite part of my wedding day was switching off from my dad to him [Lino]. I just remember thinking, this is real now.”
Lino Innocenzie and Georgia (Dabritz) Innocenzie were married July 1, 2017 in the Bahamas.
Our first glimmer that we had passed through a secret door was a road sign on the two-lane blacktop that said “No fossils in this part of Monument.” How often do you encounter a sign telling what’s not to be found in a park or monument? A better sign, as we soon learned, would have been “Jaw-dropping vistas and solitude in this part of Monument.”
Call Dinosaur National Monument the Rodney Dangerfield of Utah’s national wonders—in a state with five iconic national parks, its heart-stopping magnificence gets no respect.
National monuments, a public-land concept that even Utah politicians can’t seem to grasp, have been at top of mind lately. Utahns are riveted over the controversy surrounding the rollback of the state’s newest monuments, Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante. Yet somehow, the wonders of 330-square-mile Dinosaur National Monument, located uncomfortably close to Utah’s northeast drilling fields, has flown under the radar for more than a century.
Like most things, it comes down to publicity. The Utah Tourism Office bombards tourists with clever marketing campaigns on the state’s “Mighty Five” national parks—Arches, Canyonlands, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef and Zion. Yes, the M5 are impressive, but Dinosaur, the unsung monument, spreads across 200,000 acres. That’s six times the size of Bryce Canyon, more than twice the size of Arches and fully equal in expanse to Capitol Reef.
Much of the attention deficit is because adventure seekers, even three hours away in Salt Lake City, think Dinosaur National Monument is just its “Wall of Bones,” a rock face with more than 1,500 partially exposed fossils from the Jurassic Period. The spectacular Quarry Exhibit is, of course, particularly fascinating for families wanting to plant the seeds of paleontology, geology and history in young minds. But Dinosaur National Monument is much more.
The Earl of the Dinosaurs
Paleontologist Earl Douglass at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh was given a mission worthy of Indiana Jones: “Dig up dinosaur bones east of Vernal.”A few weeks later, Douglass was hiking the rocky ridges in northeast Uintah County on Aug. 17, 1909, when he saw a rock formation that had an uncanny resemblance to a sauropod dinosaur’s tail, sticking out of a rock ledge. It was, in fact, what it looked like, although the jury is still out on whether it should be called Apatosaurus or Brontosaurus (“Thunder Lizard”) as it had been when Douglass spotted it.
“It was a beautiful sight,” said Douglass, who would soon be joined at the excavation by his family and would not stop hunting the area’s 149-million-year-old fossils for the next 14 years. At this point in the story, grade-school-age dinosaur nerds usually black out in ecstasy.
Since Douglass’s sauropod, 800 sites have been excavated in the monument, turning up dinosaur fossils from the vicious 28-foot-long Allosaurus and Deinonychus of the “terrible claw” to Abydosaurus (another sauropod). To protect this paleontological treasure trove, President Woodrow Wilson designated 200,000 acres around it as a national monument in 1914. And other than President Barack Obama refurbishing the Quarry Exhibit Hall in 2009, nothing else has changed much in the last few million years.
Secret Dinosaur National
Dinosaur National Monument’s fossils make the three-hour drive from Salt Lake City worthwhile. But a more fundamental connection with the region’s geology awaits if you continue east, across the Colorado state line. There you’ll find the other Dinosaur National that straddles the Utah-Colorado line—where it’s cut into crazy layer cakes by rivers.
You’ll encounter vistas and hikes offering views matching any in southern Utah’s much-hyped and over-crowded red-rock country. The best part is that you’ll share your experience with few other visitors. You’ve entered the more than 90 percent of Dinosaur National that is wilderness. The quickest way to scout for hikes and camping is to drive the 31-mile Harpers Corner Road auto tour that begins just beyond the town of Dinosaur, Colorado. Stop at the Canyon Area Visitor Center just off U.S. Rt. 40 for a brief audio-visual program that will orient you to the lonesome side of the park. Pick up a tour guide and get any necessary backcountry permits at the bookstore. And check on talks, walks and stargazing programs. Along Harpers Corner Road, you can pull off at Plug Hat Nature Trailfor a short, quiet hike that will introduce you to the pinyon-and-juniper forest ecosystem.
At the end of the road, a short hike leads to the Harpers Corner overlook where the Green and Yampa rivers meet at Steamboat Rock. Those odd stone disks underfoot? They’re the petrified stumps of ancient trees. A turnoff on Echo Park Road, impassible when wet, will take you past overlooks on the Yampa River, including Wagon Wheel and Castle Park.
The most spectacular way to Dinosaur’s remote canyons is by whitewater rafting on the rivers carving its geology. The Green and Yampa Rivers surge down from the high Rockies, winding their way across plains cutting through the Uinta Mountains. The rivers hose through tight channels amid dizzying cliffs—the result is whitewater rapids with names like Hell’s Half Mile. Families, groups and singles can leave the planning and heavy lifting to professional guides approved by the monument. The trip can be a day float or a multi-day adventure.
Funky Fossiltown
Going into Dinoland or coming out, Vernal is a trip.
When you can’t look at another interpretive plaque about another fossil or hike to yet another fabulous panoramic overlook, head for Vernal. There you’ll find a tourist town trapped, as it were, in 1950s amber, complete with cute pastel dinosaurs of subspecies that not even Hanna-Barbera could dream up. If a pink Brontosaurus with tres-glamorous false eyelashes doesn’t banish your camp fever, a burger with a couple local craft brews will. We recommend Vernal Brewing’s Allosaurus Amber.
At The Utah Field House of Natural History State Park Museum, a fossil garden and kid-friendly hands-on approach educates visitors. The visitor center at the museum offers maps, recreational tips and a staff that knows the local attractions, lodging and restaurants.
Altogether Vernal makes an excellent base camp for Dinosaur National Monument day trips, but note— the town is mostly closed on Sundays.dinoland.com.
Drives & Hikes
Tour of the Tilted Rocks is a 10-mile auto tour route along Cub Creek Road, starting at the Quarry Visitor Center. You’ll pass petroglyph and pictograph panels created by ancient North Americans, exposed geologic layers and Josie Bassett’s cabin, built in 1913. nps.gov/dino
Despite sounding like a Lord of the Rings landmark, the Gates of Lodore is where John Wesley Powell began his float through the canyon in 1869. A short hike from the campground offers expansive views nearly unchanged from when the one-armed Civil War veteran led his expedition down river. nps.gov/dino
Sheep Creek Geological Loop: A gravel road follows Sheep Creek mountains west of Flaming Gorge Reservoir. Interpretive signs along the drive describe geological features and wildlife in the area. It makes a great fall drive. utah.com/scenic-drive/sheep-creek
John Jarvie Historic Ranch: The ranch, along with a general store, a dugout, the stonehouse, the blacksmith shop and a cemetery, offers a window into 1800s pioneer life. utah.com/jarvie-property
McConkie Ranch Petroglyphs: The McConkie trail leads to crisp and larger-than-average petroglyphs. utah.com/hiking/vernal
Ouray National Wildlife Refuge: Just west of Vernal on U.S. 191, a Green River wetland provides an ecosystem for wildlife including Canada geese, grebes, owls, prairie dogs, cranes, muskrats, porcupines, red-tailed hawks and mule deer. fws.gov
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Megan and Jeffrey—who recently tied the knot at San Diego’s LDS Temple—have a church group to thank for their worlds colliding. “We met through the singles activities through our church. We kept running into each other at various events,” Megan says. “He was pretty shy, but his parents really liked me and urged him to date me. Which I think was a little intimidating for him.”
“We spoke every once and awhile and after a couple of months, he finally asked me out,” Megan recalls. “We were just instantly friends, I felt super safe and that’s what drew me to him, emotionally and physically. It was an immediate connection for both of us. Our first date, we went up Provo canyon to go stargazing and he brought a high powered telescope and we were looking at the stars.”
“Eventually, we went ring shopping and I found the ring I wanted from a local jeweler. Obviously, I knew he was going to propose, because we had talked about getting married before,” Megan says.
Jeff picked me up one day and with a worried look on his face he said, ‘They sold the ring.’ But I didn’t quite buy his story. It turns out he’d actually bought the ring, but he kept it a secret from me for two weeks.
He asked me if we could do Valentine’s day early, he wanted to take me up the canyon. But he kept asking me if I was going to get work off early, so I had a feeling that something was going on.”
“He picked me up and brought his spotting scope and he told me that we were going scouting for elk. As he was looking through the spotting scope, I could see something in the distance and thought it was a road sign of some sort on the side of the hill.”
“He told me to look through the spotting scope. When I did there was a sign that read, ‘Megan will you marry me’ and there was a bouquet of flowers sitting below it.”
“I was so excited, I didn’t know what to say. I just turned around and he was on his knee. I said yes.”
Megan and Jeffrey were married on June 17th in San Diego at the San Diego LDS Temple. They were joined by friends and family in a beautiful backyard reception.
Farm to tableisn’t new. For years, menus have boasted local food for good reasons: it is undeniably fresh, environmentally friendly (saves transportation costs) and supportive of locally-owned business.
What is new is entire wedding menus filled top-to-bottom with locally-grown gourmet offerings, not just a single dish. From appetizers and salads to entrees and desserts, Utah caterers prep their favorite farm-fresh dishes.
Maureen and Eileen Dunn of Done To Your Taste practice what they preach. “We grow Eileen’s Greens 20 feet from our kitchen door,” Maureen says of the duo’s garden that grows lettuce, arugula, spinach and corn. Their Heber location offers these chefs quick access to farms producing beef, eggs, potatoes, beets, carrots and more—most within a five minutes drive from their chopping boards.
Pictured:
Summit County beef tenderloin
Eileen’s Greens and herb chimichurri
Sweet potato straw
Heirloom purple corn nuts
Whipped Utah potatoes infused with
wild Uinta garden beets
Heirloom carrot soufflé
Ancient grains and sweet pea gremolata
Farm succotash of corn, tomatoes, squash
Utah peach tea
Prosecco added to Eileen’s Greens fresh herb shrub with High West vodka, Bear Lake berries, ice and cucumber slices
Southwest style never fades. In fact, like fine wine and aged leather, this iconic American statement is getting better with age. Today, rugged is more refined, barren blossoms into vibrant, and windblown fades to perfectly polished.
Southwestern design is synonymous with comfort. That’s why we’re swooning over this cozy-chic inspiration from Jessica White Photography. Just because you’re eloping doesn’t mean you should get shortchanged in the fairytale department. So, how about go at it in style? Take our advice and follow these tips for an elopement to remember.
Think outside the reception box.
This 100-year-old converted railway loft reflects a rustic, yet modern style. Exposed beam ceiling, custom barn doors and shiplap walls? Joanna Gaines would approve.
Make a fashion statement.
Just because you’re eloping, doesn’t mean you can’t don a killer outfit. Sure, we’re thinking Southwest, but a custom suit—blue trousers and a plaid jacket—keeps the scene cool and contemporary.
Layer on the organic details.
Wool rugs, leather ottomans and sheepskin throws pack a luxurious punch to the scene. Add a lush garland filled with florals, succulents and greens for extra romance.
Go for earthy tones.
Muddy chocolates, raw woods and turquoise jewels invoke all our favorite desert sunset tones.
Experiment. Why not?
Play with a different style bouquet or go wild and pick two. Next, choose a custom wedding cake for the two of you. Live happily ever after.
No explanation needed.
VENDORS:
Photography, creative direction and design: Jessica White
THE COUPLE
Laura and Iain met online when they were both living in San Francisco. Eighteen months later, Iain (a soon-to-be resident physician) proposed to Laura (a retail brand manager) in their new home of Utah. “Three weeks after finding out we were moving to Utah, we met in Salt Lake to explore our future hometown,” Laura says. “Iain led me on a hike to the Living Room on Bonneville Shore Trail and proposed as we overlooked the city where we would build a new life together.”
THE WEDDING
“We chose High Star Ranch because we loved the views of the valley in the casual and relaxed setting,” Laura says. “And we chose the date [Aug. 1] as it is Dia de Pachamama—Mother Earth Day in traditional Incan culture—and we felt it would be a great intention for our life together.”
THE MOOD
Grassy fields and soaring mountains provided the ceremony’s natural décor. Invitations suggested “prairie formal” attire. “We decided to have the ceremony on the hillside to create an intentional connection with nature,” Laura explains. “There was no seating, just all of our loved ones and extended family surrounding us in a half circle for the ceremony.”
THE CUISINE
“I am a fish-eating vegetarian and Iain is a meat eater,” Laura says. “We offered a robust buffet menu accommodating both.” Laura and Iain baked the double-dark-chocolate carrot cake that they cut into and served a vegan carrot cake from Whole Foods to guests.
THE TUNES
Laura and Iain invited their friends to provide the music for the ceremony. “Our good friends sang and played ‘This Train is Bound for Glory’ as we all walked down to the reception. For the party, Metro Music Club brought the house down. We knew our guests would dance up a storm in the barn,” Laura says of their “killer music.”
MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT
“Holding Iain’s hand,” Laura says. “And being surrounded by family and friends, overwhelmed with emotions, laughing, crying and my face being stuck in a constant ear-to-ear grin.”
“Every couple has something special about them, I always try and capture their feels.” – Tressa Photography
Photographers Tressa Roberts and bride Katherine Fraley produced on several fashion shoots together and they always dreamed of shooting at the Utah Sand Dunes. “We always thought it’d be the perfect place to show a love story with a bohemian twist.”
Most shoots take place early in the day to take advantage of the soft morning light or around sunset to capture the warm hues of the evening. Despite the difficult access—an hour and half drive to the Sand Dunes—the duo persisted in order to get a sunrise shot of couple Katherine and Aaron.
Sure,preparing for a shoot with poses and moments to capture are important, but Thomas recommends being open and ready to capture the raw moments that happen between a couple. “There’s something fun and silly that happens when two people love each other,” she says. “The way they look into each others eyes, or just their little quicks they have when they’re together.”
These sand dunes may be a perfect location for a bohemian-themed look, but with all that open pristine landscape comes a lot of 4-wheelers. “Because they’re dunes, you can’t see over them,” Thomas says. “We’d be shooting and hear loud engines revving in all directions. I kept having the thought that at any moment a 4-wheeler would come right over one of the dunes and run us over.”
Aaron and Kathrine Fraley met on their LDS mission to the French Caribbean. When they returned, they continued their friendship. “As we were texting one day he asked me if I wanted to go to the Lantern Festival, I said yes of course,”Kathrine says. “When our friends asked Aaron about this date, he looked at them confused, It’s not a date, we’re all going.’”
Finally, their mutual friends convince him to take her out on a date…alone. “We ended up going to the local county fair instead and had the best time of our lives. He was smitten,” Kathrine describes. That night, the couple enjoyed the evening together, laughing, and “spending way too much money on fair games.”Now married, the two of them still love laughing and looking back on those fun memories.
Have you ever thought Miley Cyrus’ “Can’t be Tamed” may actually be about your hair? If so, we are in the same boat.
With so many things to do before the wedding, getting your hair done may be low on the list. But these easy DIY hairstyles will help you take a load off and make you feel beautiful.
Start by adding some texturizing spray and curling your hair section by section away from your face
Section off the front of your hair on the smaller side of your part, ending at the back of your ear
French braid the section by putting the pieces under each other, braid until you have no more hair in the section to add and finish with a normal braid
Pull on the sides of the braid while holding it taut to create a lived in look
Tuck the braid behind your ear and and secure to piece of your hair near the bottom of your head with an elastic
The Earl of the Dinosaurs
Secret Dinosaur National
Funky 
Drives & Hikes
Live happily ever after.
THE WEDDING
THE MOOD
MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT
