Escalante, Utah – population 818. Well, make that 918 when this happy wedding brigade rolled into town. This shindig is proof that ballrooms and fancy bouquets do not a wedding make. Sometimes love and a fire-pit are all you really need to throw one super duper party. Of course, an awesome photographer like Chris Richards never hurts. And can we please talk about that ultra pretty wedding gown? The bride had her Grandmother’s graduation dress reworked by a designer in Portland. Oh how I LOVE that. This is just a snippet of Leah and Brian’s wonderful day but definitely check out the gallery for more rustic goodness.
{Click here to see the FULL wedding gallery}
Leah and Brian had a fun filled 4-day event that began with a hoedown and bonfire, bridal brunch and wedding & reception with over a 100 guests traveling to the very small and remote town of Escalante, UT.
The groom is from the East Coast and the bride’s family is originally from Oklahoma but moved to Escalante a few years ago to run the Escalante Outfitter. Brian & Leah had met and fell in love in Flagstaff, Arizona but were living in Portland, OR at the time. Their mutual love of the southwest and strong ties to family made the choice of their venue easy.
Leah knew she wanted to be married on her parent’s property with the Grand Staircase as their backdrop. The reception took place on their neighbors property in an old pole barn-rustic elegance was the theme! She had her grandmother’s graduation dress reworked to make her wedding dress – a photo of her grandmother (who could not attend) sat on the sign-in table which was an old roll top desk we pulled from the house. Wooden signs were hand painted on old barn wood giving directions to the event. We hung Chinese lanterns across the ceiling of the barn, panels of fabric lined the back of the tent walls we had to put on the back of the barn to cut down on the wind and rain. Old horse troughs housed kegs of beer, and soft drinks. The tables were family style and we used white linens with burlap as table runners, rocks and Utah sand were also incorporated in the décor. Bright orange proteas added a touch of elegance and color. A traditional wedding cake was served along with homemade cakes made by their families. We pulled rustic furniture around a newly constructed fire-pit, making small tables out of logs decorated with sunflowers in mason jars brought over from the ceremony. Pillows were made out of old American Clay bags (the traditional wall treatment in the area) to line the benches.
Port-a-Potties are always a challenge at remote venues. We constructed a frame to hang fabric from so that you could not see them from the barn. We draped fabric around the front and set up a cute table with old suitcases filled with mints, hand sanitizer and of course extra t.p.
Although the location was very remote and the weather challenging, the weekend was nothing less then magical!
Photographer: Chris Richards / Event Planner: Kim Duncan of KD Event Designs / Florals: Jodi Bloom of Mountain Floral {no website available}/ Venue: Escalante Outfitters / Caterer: Esca-Latte