River Bottoms Ranch, Midway
Nov. 5
THE COUPLE
Nathan first saw his bride-to-be, Marla, boarding a flight to Hawaii for a mutual friend’s wedding. The only problem was that she was there with her boyfriend. Three years later, Nathan and Marla reconnected on a blind date. “It wasn’t long before we knew there was something new and real special happening between us,” Marla says.
Before their engagement, Marla and Nathan were together for an impressive 18 years, 14 of which were spent living an hour apart, separated by bumper-to-bumper California traffic. During that time, they suffered joy and pain together, including two breast cancer diagnoses for Marla. After the couple beat cancer, they finally moved in together and shared many more milestones, Nathan proposed at the summit of their favorite hike on Park City’s Iron Mountain—a moment marked by music, drinks, happy tears and a custom sapphire engagement ring.
THE WEDDING
“We always said if we were ever to get married, it would be in Park City in the fall.”
River Bottoms Ranch served as the perfect modern rustic setting for this artistic autumn celebration. “I am an artist, and I looked at the wedding as an art piece,” says Marla.
Marla and Nathan tied the knot during an intimate, rainy-day ceremony under the venue’s pavilion, while an acoustic guitar played softly and mountain views sprawled in every direction. “The weather brought this unexpected beauty to the property and made for really unique memories of our day,” says Marla.
Marla walked down the aisle in a beaded ivory Rosa Clara gown and a flowing veil with pearl detailing. Blue earrings and a glittering blue heirloom bracelet borrowed from a friend served as the bride’s somethings old, new, borrowed and blue. The groom wore a dark navy plaid suit by Peter Millar, while the groomsmen were dressed in gray Ted Baker suits accessorized with Tissot watches. The bridesmaids, Marla’s nieces, wore gowns in jade and black, accented with alpaca shawls and live floral hairpieces.
Artfully structured florals in rich burgundy, jade, blue and gold hues were key to the event design accompanied by cream-colored dried ferns. On the reception tables, Ikebana-style arrangements mixed luxe flowers, textured grasses and dried plants in a variety of complementary shapes, styles and palettes. Even each individual bridesmaid bouquet had its own unique color scheme and texture profile. “Each arrangement was a little piece of art,” says Marla. Peacock feathers appeared in the bridal bouquet, as well as on the family table in honor of Marla’s mother, who she lost to breast cancer. “We had peacocks growing up, and all of our friends and family have always linked my mother to anything peacock.”
Bare wood tables stood as warm foundations for delicate burgundy gauze runners and swaths of glittering glass accented by candlelight. High in the rafters, the venue’s iron chandelier hung clad in colorful fall foliage. The reception design featured a variety of spaces for guests to socialize, including a cozy lounge area by the fire, food stations and bar tables adorned in Marla’s floral art pieces.
THE PARTY
When guests arrived, they were greeted with hot cider and spiced chai. At cocktail hour, bacon wrapped dates with smoked goat cheese and honey, mushroom arancini with truffle aioli, and similarly decadent appetizers circulated the room. Dinner featured small plate stations, offering made-to-order salads, short rib, artisan grilled cheese sandwiches and salmon entrees. Evident to all, the couple and the catering pros Culinary Crafts put just as much emphasis on the art of food as the art of design.
Following the beautiful meal, DJ Rob Bennion pumped up the party with songs for all generations to dance to. The newlyweds performed their first dance to “Standing on the Moon,” sung live by Bruce Hornsby, and Marla and her father danced to “Your Song,” by Elton John, the mother-of-the-bride’s favorite tune.
Vendors
Wedding Planning and Design: Fuse Weddings and Events, fuseweddingsandevents.com
Photography: Breanna White Photography, breannawhite.com
Videography: Ryan Hinman Films, ryanhinmanfilms.com
Venue: River Bottoms Ranch, riverbottomsranch.com
Floral: The Potted Pansy, thepottedpansy.com
Catering: Culinary Crafts, culinarycrafts.com
Bar Service: Top Shelf, topshelfutah.com
Gown: Rosa Clara via H KLES Bridal Couture, San Diego, rosaclara.es/en
Groom’s Suit: Peter Millar, petermillar.com
Bridesmaid Gowns: Bill Levkoff, billlevkoff.com and Amsale, amsale.com
Groomsmen Suits: Ted Baker, tedbaker.com
Hair and Makeup: Leslie Lind, lesleylind.com
Stationery: Minted, minted.com
Ceremony Guitarist: Amanda Lynn Jones, amandalynnjonesmusic.com
DJ: DJ Rob Bennion, echotalent.com/robbennion
Transportation: The Driver Provider, driverprovider.com
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