Imagine walking down that aisle in a halter neck gown, only to reveal a stunning strappy back once you’ve reached the altar. A loose updo is a must to showcase the gown’s wow-factor.
A boho dream. Easy-to-wear—and easy-to-hike-up-the-hillside—silk and tulle make the perfect pairing of comfort and elegance. Instead of ribbon, scissor-cut raw silk wraps a bouquet filled with air plants, thistle and lamb’s ear.
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written by: Andrea Peterson
I have been married to one of the most amazing men for just over 10 years. We got married young—not by Utah standards, but on the east coast (where we lived prior to moving to the Beehive State), we were young. We met in college and, bam, got married shortly after. We made it through grad schools in Boston, work in Miami, and now a new life in Utah.
Ten years later, we’re still having fun. We often get asked how we make a marriage work—especially after ten years. It’s hard to put into words what it means to be married to Travis Peterson or how we make marriage work. But here it is.
I can’t say this enough: Marriage is whatever you make it.
This has been and will always be our motto. Marriage is between two people and ONLY those two get to decide what that looks like—not society, not your family, not your friends, not your strangers. And so we did and have made our version of marriage.
Every day we try to learn something new about each other and do something new with each other so that it still feels like we are dating each other. But at the same time, we know each other on a raw and deep-rooted level that makes us feel like an old married couple. I thank Travis for letting me be crazy, free-spirited, creative, loving, passionate and wild. But I also thank him for letting me be angry, sad, frustrated, hurt and annoyed. I thank him for both, because that is all of me and he let’s me be me. I love what we are and I am excited to see what we will become.
Don’t take my word on it. We reached out to several Utah brides to find out what they have learned about marriage be it one year or thirty one.
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Charla Cochran and John Bocchicchio – Married 1 year
“I wish I had fully understood the fact that John is perpetually running a few minutes behind. We can’t ever get out door on time, but I adjust my expectations or I tell him everything is happening 10 minutes earlier. As long as we are laughing and communicating, life is grand.”
Jan and Dave Willams – 31 years
“Take it one day at a time. There will be ups and downs. Don’t do anything rash during the down times or the really up ones either. Save big decisions for the stable, level times. Take time each day to remember why you married your spouse. Be grateful.”
Maureen Conroy and Kit Webber – Married 8 years
“Designing your own wedding rings is completely impractical and unnecessary. And strapless gowns are BS.”
Stephanie Howell and Eric Peterson – Married 20 years
“That the things I fell in love with—the kind eyes, the unexpected laugh, the sharp intellect, the dry humor—are the things I would fall in love with again, 20 years later…in the faces of our kids.”
Anne Lee and Claude Halter – Married 4 years
“Every marriage is different. People may try to tell you how your marriage should be, but it’s whatever you build together with your partner and what makes the two of you happy.”
Jessica Ohlen and Stephen Bronson – Married 10 years
“Habits are really hard to break and you really need to accept your partners habits. Ten years in, I still can’t get Stephen to put down the toilet seat. I will forever have to check before I sit down in the middle of the night.”
Our beauty experts here at Utah Bride & Groom magazine, have teamed up with a local hair and make-up stylist to bring you the hottest hair and make-up trends for 2017.
Shar Mitchell, hair stylist, beauty educator and consultant, has worked in the hair and beauty industry for over 10 years. Mitchell has spent her time designing looks for a high end clientele including A-list celebrities who have visited Utah. She has spent many of her days, years – in fact, ‘behind the chair,’ in places like Deer Valley’s renowned Stein Eriksen Lodge spa & salon. Mitchell’s looks have also donned the runway at Utah Fashion Week, various photo shoots, television commercials and several weddings throughout the Wasatch Front.
“Loose, romantic, soft waves are requested [by brides] a lot,” says Mitchell.
Get the Look: Begin by applying a workable hairspray to freshly washed and dried hair. Next, add texturizing powder by sprinkling it on at the roots and work it in — this gives the hair a gritty hold while adding volume. For perfect Waves: Mitchell suggests a couple different techniques: 1. Curl hair with a low heat flatiron and brush through, OR 2. Wrap the hair around a wand or iron that’s designed specifically for beachy waves, polish the look with a shine spray and a strong hold hairspray.
Products we Love:
Get the Look: Loose twisty fishtail braids are in high demand this wedding season. ICYMI: How to fishtail – begin wit a ponytail, split hair into two sections – clutching both sections of hair in each hand, weave 1/4 inch sections from the outside of each strand into the opposite section and continue braiding. Tug some of the pieces from the braid to loosen and voila! To create the look from the image above, end the braid halfway down, secure and curl remaining hair. For a little glitz and glamour, try adding a rhinestone ribbon.
“To keep hair from fraying out, I use a workable paste or wax,” says Mitchell.
Products We Love:
2017 is the year of no rules, there are less requests for conventional, traditional hairstyles and more demand for edgier, less constructive looks.
“Everyone I work on is a little bit different, in what look they’re after,” Mitchell says.”Soft up-do using a lot of loose waves and natural body,” she says. ” Hair requests [from brides] are a lot less constructive than previous year’s wedding hair styles.”
“Any look that enhances the eye – winged eyes and false lashes…Eye brightening looks are popular, as well as matte nudes [eyeshadow and lipstick],” says Mitchell. “A lot of contouring and highlighting is really in right now. Brown and peach smokey eyes, more of a natural look is requested often,” she says.
“Various cultures have different standards of beauty and it’s always fun and interesting to create a look that is cohesive with the different types and styles of their culture’s beauty.”
Products we love:
When it comes to hiring the right HMUA for your wedding day, our advice is to try to sit down for a trial run of your look prior to your wedding. This will not only prevent any possible hair and make-up catastrophes that could happen on your wedding day, but also allows for your stylist to be prepared to make you look and feel your best.
Feature Image Credits: Mikki Platt| HMU: Enizio
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Written by: Ashley Baker
Christina Vaca & Ryan Pelo – 11.7.15
THE COUPLE
Salt Lake residents Christina and Ryan met in Chicago while attending Northwestern University for their doctorates in physical therapy. After five years of dating, Ryan proposed during a vacation with his family at Cannon Beach, Oregon.
THE WEDDING
Before moving to Utah, Christina and Ryan planned their wedding from Chicago. “I had always dreamed of a late-fall or early-winter wedding, but in Chicago, that meant it would be have to be indoors,” Christina says. “I had fallen in love with the mountains on our previous trips to Utah.” Two days before the wedding, they treated the bridal party to a tour of Olympic Park, where they met athletes from the World Cup Skeleton Team. The Riverhorse hosted a rehearsal dinner.
THE MOOD
“Stein Eriksen Lodge offered everything we could wish for, from the outstanding service, an outdoor ceremony with the mountains as our backdrop—as well as the ability to have all of our guests within a close proximity at the mid-mountain resort,” Christina explains. “The ballroom has a glass-paneled wall that opens up to a perfect view of the mountains. This was critical for the balance of elegance and rustic lodge flare.”
THE CUISINE
Passed hors d’oeuvres included smoked-salmon mousse, Creminelli salami, fried artichoke hearts, Maine crab cakes, Kobe-beef short ribs and pork belly. The dinner menu featured mushroom soup and heirloom tomato arugula salad with a choice of tenderloin and sea bass, rack of lamb and shrimp or wild mushroom vegetable risotto. A taco cart offered late-night party nosh.
THE TUNES
DJ Craig Chambers emceed the evening music list that included Kodaline’s “The One” for Christina and Ryan’s first dance.
MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT
“From inside, I watched our photographer position Ryan for our first look,” Christina recalls. “Instead of feeling nervous, I felt this overwhelming sense of calm knowing that the man that I love unconditionally and who had supported me over the past seven years was going to become my husband.”
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THE DETAILS
Photography: Sparkle Photography, Park City
Wedding planner: Soirée Productions, Park City
Catering and venue: Stein Eriksen Lodge, Park City
Flowers: Artisan Bloom, Draper
Hair and makeup: Paula Dahlberg, SLC
Rentals: Soirée Productions, Park City
Gown: Modern Trousseau, Bella Bridal Salon, Oakbrook, Illinois (available at Alta Moda Bridal, SLC)
Suits: Brooks Brothers (available at City Creek, SLC)
Bridesmaids’ dresses: Jenny Yoo (available at Gateway Bridal, SLC)
Entertainment: Craig Chambers, SLC
Videography: Nathan Pickett Films, Layton
As our annual White Party proves, the only reception rule is that there are no rules.
Want to throw an extraordinary wedding party? Throw out the rule book. Design duo Mara Marian of Fuse Weddings & Events and Kellie Jackstien of Artisan Bloom prove soirées like our annual White Party can and should be extraordinary. Think of a reception as a lounge party with an entertainment surprise around every corner. Need ideas? Marian and Jackstien share a few of their faves.
Moving Menus
Don’t just eat the food. The key is to experience it. Waiter-passed hors d’oeuvres and a “Champagne Bride” score the ultimate cuisine win.
Enchanted Canopy
La Caille’s Grand Pavilion is spectacular on its own, but add a delphinium-covered canopy to make it even more magical. Treat guests to a dessert bar, photo booth or, in this case, a card reader and caricature station.
Opening Statements
Striking floral vignettes placed front and center foster a party’s vibe. Lush hydrangea and bold phalaenopsis orchids (from Esprit Raw Flowers) spill from stately urns.
Throwback Thrillers
Everything old is new again, right? Take the carnation. This bloom once adored by baby boomers makes its comeback in a modern, vibrant form.
Crowd Flow
No guest wants to be stuck in a receiving or buffet line. Scatter lounge areas, table rounds, high boys and buffets—like the team did inside La Caille’s Grand Pavilion—to keep your guests moving
freely throughout the venue.
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Venue/cuisine: La Caille, Sandy
Planning/design: FUSE Weddings & Events, slc
Paper goods: Ann Elizabeth Print Studio, slc
Flowers (to the trade): Esprit Wholesale Florist, SLC
Floral design: Artisan Bloom, Draper
Photography: Angela Howard Photography, SLC
Videography: Elements in Motion, Sandy
Sprits: Southern Wine & Spirits, Uinta Brewing Company
Rentals: Creative Coverings, creativecoverings.com; In The Event, SLC; Alpine Event Rentals, Provo
Entertainment: Gold Standard Music, Couth Booth Photo Booth Experiences, Voodoo Productions
Acrylic furnishings deliver chic see-through style to newlyweds’ nests.
1. Acrylic-lid boxes, $23 each, The Container Store, Murray
2. Kartell Louis Ghost Chair, $450, Dara Modern, SLC
3. Aubrey Round Chairside Table, $2,268, LMK Interior Design, SLC
4. Acrylic Driftwood wall décor, $598, Ward & Child—The Garden Store, SLC
5. Satin brass and lucite cocktail table, $2,585, Glass House, SLC
6. Lucy clear swivel chair, $2,540, Alice Lane Home Collection, SLC
7. Globo table lamp, $995, Jonathan Adler, jonathanadler.com
“Acrylic furnishings are high-style and never boring. They work in just about any setting or style of décor.” — Jessica Bennett, Alice Lane Home Collection
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Upcoming nuptials? Need wedding planning ideas? Check out our interactive online issue filled with our five favorite epic real weddings. http://digital.utahbrideandgroom.com/.
Take it from the Parisians: Don’t overdo it. “There’s an art to arranging,” says Shelly Huynh of Orchid Dynasty, who just returned from Paris, “but I’m not doing anything over-manipulative.” Huynh’s approach is simple, yet yields bouquet wow factor. She heads to her 9th & 9th neighborhood greenhouse to find the stars of her bouquet—lime green phalaenopsis orchids. “When going monochromatic, it’s good to have something darker for depth. A transition color like the green phalaenopisis with its white lip and yellow center jumps and blends the colors together.” Blue Star fern and hand fern partner with traditional European garden blooms, including peonies, daffodils, French tulips, ranunculi, hellabores, bearded iris, viburnum and garden spray roses.
Karen Willis Holmes Spandastic slip, $1,082, and Karen Willis Holmes Tillie overlay cropped top, $709, all Harlow Brides, SLC; Roberto Coin Princess Earrings with diamonds in yellow and white gold, $3,000, O.C. Tanner Jewelers, SLC and Park City
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— Hair and makeup: Janelle Ingram
written by Mary Brown Malouf
Salt Laker Sarah Lappe marries Tejas Sonavane in his hometown of Mumbai, India, then continues the party back home in Utah.
Words can’t describe it. In memory, it’s a colorful blur. You have to be there or see the pictures to understand the vivid colors, joyful crowds, glittering traditions and rambunctious music of an Indian wedding.
When Sarah Lappe, outreach coordinator at the U’s Sustainability Research Center, and Tejas Sonavane, an engineer at VIA Motors in Orem, started planning their wedding, the first big question was, where? Sarah grew up in Salt Lake City; Tejas’ home town is Mumbai, India. Sarah is Jewish; Tejas is Hindu. It didn’t take long for the couple to pick a place.
“Mumbai!” says Sarah, who studied Hindu before going to India. “We had been to his brother’s wedding in India so I knew what it was like,” she explains. “We wanted to honor his family’s tradition.”
The decision meant turning over a lot of wedding and celebration decision-making to Tejas’ family in Mumbai. Sarah usually is more comfortable taking charge: She had scheduled her own proposal, suggesting Tejas propose during a visit from her brother. Tejas surprised her by going down on one knee in the snow a day earlier. But she was perfectly happy to let her new family plan the wedding week. “I had met his family and they’re amazing,” she says. Plus, with email, Instagram and Facebook, wedding options were easily shared. “Tejas’ mother visited venues, took pictures and sent videos to us for approval,” Sarah explains.
The first thing to determine was a date. “My family visited a Hindu astrologer to choose an auspicious date and time,” says Tejas. “Taking into account all our birth information, the astrologer offered us a choice of several.” Fortunately, one of the dates was in January, a beautiful time of year in the usually hot, muggy coastal city of Mumbai.
Another consideration was traffic. Mumbai is the largest city in India and the 9th largest urban area in the world. Streets and highways are clogged day and night with automobiles, motorcycles, bicycles and buses, not to mention auto-rickshaws and camel or horse-drawn carts on occasion. “We needed everything to be central for local people because traffic is so congested,” says Tejas. By everything, Tejas is talking about a half-dozen separate celebrations that go into the traditional multi-day Hindu wedding ceremony.
The guests, who arrived from all over the world, were housed in two hotels, the Hotel Kohinoor Continental, and the Taj Mahal Palace. And first on all the Americans’ agenda was buying traditional Indian clothes for the wedding ceremonies. Tejas and Sarah arranged one shopping day for the men to buy kurtas or more formal sherwani and the women to buy their saris in time to have them fitted, and another day for the women to purchase jewelry. An Indian wedding is a fashion show—all the “aunties,” revered matrons—and other relatives wear gorgeous new outfits. From the engagement party at the M.I.G. Cricket Club on the first night, through the end of her wedding day, Sarah wore five wedding outfits. “None of them,” she says, “were white.”
From Mumbai to the Mountains: The Salt Lake Wedding
For family and friends unable to make the long trip to Mumbai, Sarah and Tejas celebrated a second wedding at Gallivan Hall in Salt Lake City.
With the help of Salt Lake friend and food maven Lydia Martinez, the couple created a multicultural occasion that combined Jewish and Hindu traditions. Saffron Valley prepared a buffet of lamb biryani and tikka masala and the bar served beer, lassi and the classic Indian gin and tonic. Instead of a wedding cake, Cupcakes by Kasthuri made cupcakes with an Indian flavor, using spices like cardamom, saffron and mango.
“We wanted to be sure we were balancing both family traditions,” says Lydia. So family friend Lou Borgenicht wrote and performed the service that included signing a katuba and the groom’s traditional smashing of the glass. Tejas wore a Western suit, but Sarah wore her red wedding sari and “all my Indian wedding gold.” Many of the guests who had bought saris for the Indian wedding wore them to the Salt Lake affair.
Indians love dancing and the party danced all night, closing the dance floor and fortifying themselves with a late-night pizza delivery.
Two artists worked on Sarah, whose arms and feet were elaborately decorated with henna paste, which must be left on until it dries. The darker the henna, tradition says, the stronger the marriage.
Sarah and Tejas and many of the guests were rubbed with turmeric paste in a beautification ritual. (Everyone was advised to wear yellow clothes.)
Wedding guests thronged around the groom, cheering and dancing in the Mumbai street as passengers on grid-locked buses cheered from the windows.
Lit up like a Bollywood set, the rooftop of the Courtyard Mumbai hotel was carpeted in bright green grass with dinner tables in front of the mandap, a colorful canopy set on four pillars, representing the four parents of the couple.
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Photographs by Jed Pearson for Andrew Paul Photography
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