Mystical Mountains
Cat & Tyler’s courtship was slow and steady, like the falling snow that dusted their wedding day. They connected through friends, then became close, then fell deeply, irrevocably in love. They share a passion for music, gaming, nature, and family. Honestly they’re the kind of couple I’d love to meet at a concert & spend all night with telling inappropriate jokes.
In designing their wedding day, this alternative couple wanted to embrace the dark & mystical. They wanted weirdly wonderful elements that you’d never see at another wedding. They wanted drama & romance & for their guests to be transported. I was honored & elated to be entrusted with this complex & challenging non-traditional wedding design.
We originally began planning & designing for Snowbird’s Summit at Hidden Peak, but some unfortunately timed tram maintenance had us pivoting to Snowbird’s Cliff Lodge. Like any wedding, there were other bumps along the way; a kerfuffle with a bridesmaid, chargers that didn’t ship in time, and a very late rental delivery that threatened to derail our detailed setup plan. I wish I could say the planning process for weddings always runs perfectly, but the truth is there are always snags & lumps. That’s what planners like me are here for, to hopefully see those complications ahead of time & if that’s not possible, to support you logistically & emotionally as we pivot to the next best plan or option.
But you already know I’ve got your back from day one on wedding planning so let’s get back to this juicy design!
If there’s one word to describe Cat & Tyler’s day it’s texture! Velvet layered with leather, moss & bone & leaf, dimpled & gilded glass. We knew Snowbird would handle the edible feast masterfully, but we also wanted to give their guests a feast for the eyes. Their pre-ceremony cocktail hour featured feasting tables encrusted with candles & delicious food. We created a sacred ceremony space with a volluminous partition, wandering aisle, candles, and unusual wedding arbor. Their reception had layers of light & sound & detail - rustic napkins atop glass chargers, crackling fires entwined with acoustic folk songs, candle light filtered through textured glass & twinkle lights glistening through suspended greenery. Everywhere you looked there were notes of who Cat & Tyler are as a couple - game dice & feathers in centerpieces, sly jokes in the stationery, generosity & thoughtfulness in the guest favors & place settings.
When we’re creating something so customized & new like a Viking inspired, magical mountain tavern where all the couple’s friends are at home, it can be tricky to find existing visual references or off-the-shelf decor solutions. This is where my design guide + sourcing process really shines. We collaborate on what the day will look like, how we’ll style each moment, & then put my network of artisans & small business owners to work creating your dreams. For Cat & Tyler we sourced Valhalla ladders from Nova Scotia, laser etched leather signs from Colorado, crystals & gems from Ireland, dried herbs from the Pacific Northwest and sumptuous velvet linens from the east coast. The result was a magnificent amalgam fit for any fantasy movie set.
But it wasn’t just in their design that Cat & Tyler choose to break the mold. Their wedding ceremony embraced ancient traditions like a Viking sword exchange & invented new ones like their offering table. At the end of the ceremony, guests were invited to visit the altar & select from 8 sacred herbs to offer their warm wishes to the newlyweds. Myrtle for eternal love, yarrow for courage, rosemary for protection, thyme for loyalty, chamomile for luck, lavender for peace, wheat for prosperity, and mead for joy.
The fragrant bouquet guests assembled was placed in the couple’s suite along with a heartfelt note from their wedding party & bottle of champagne.
If you’re considering altering the standard western wedding ceremony to incorporate your own ideas or traditions this is your cue to go for it! And if you’re not sure how to reinvent this classic, let’s chat because I know we can create something weirdly wonderful for you too!
No Viking inspired wedding would be complete without a performance from the couple’s friends & metal band RK. But it was the thoughtful touches masterminded by the mother of the groom that made for an exceptional guest experience. Slippers for tired dancing feet, ear plugs for the raucous performance, Lyft vouchers to get guests safely down the mountain, and the icing in the cake… an IV lounge where registered nurses administered B-vitamins & IV cocktails to soften the impact of a blow out wedding night!
Making magic like this for couples like Cat & Tyler is a Blondie Events tradition & doing it in an unexpected way that honors your unique love story is our pride & joy.
Special thanks to the incredible team that made this wedding day possible;
Wedding Planning & Wedding Design: Blondie Events
Floral Design: Little Lady Floral
Stationery Design: Hollyhock Press
Photography: David Crowther & Nicole Wimmer Photography
Videography: Cosmic Connection
Entertainment: Best DJ in Utah with DJ Scottish, Racist Kramer
Photo Booth: Modvi Photo Booths
Hair & Makeup: Empire Beauty Studios
Officiant: R2
Decorative Rentals: Alpine Event Co, Diamond Tent & Event
Lighting: Moonlight Utah