Lauren and Brian had a beautiful intimate destination wedding among the vast rock formations of Utah in Arches National Park, where a select group of friends and family gathered to witness their nuptials before celebrating beneath the stars, and later, heading to Denver for a reception. The couple’s wedding planner, Meredith Commender of Significant Events of Texas, shared with us the story of this oh-so unique destination wedding.
Years ago when our bride Lauren finished veterinarian school, she headed West for some much needed decompression time and landed in Moab, UT. An outdoors adventurer by nature, Lauren fell in love with the beautiful rock formations in Arches National Park and decided that when it came time for her to get married, this would be the place. And indeed it was, as Brian and Lauren chose this very location for the site of their incredible destination wedding.
A small group of family and closest friends traveled to our ceremony location in Moab, UT for the multi-day celebration. They were welcomed at their hotel with a branded Welcome Box full of treats and outdoor adventure essentials.
On the day of the wedding, guests were picked up by bus and taken around Arches National Park on a guided tour of the lovely landscape before their final stop at Double Arch, the majestic site of Brian and Lauren’s unforgettable wedding ceremony.
Following the ceremony, the guests were transported to the Colorado River where they enjoyed a guided sunset boat cruise, complete with drinks and hors d’oeurves. The next stop was dinner atop a cliff with the best views in all of Moab. Guests sat at a long table with beautiful succulent centerpieces, copper chargers, and our custom designed menus.
After dinner, we took the guests to their hotel for the night: an incredible “glamping” experience under the Utah sky with luxury tent accommodations. But, before bed, it was time for our campfire which included S’mores, mini pies, and mini Pop Tarts which could all be roasted over the fire accompanied by cold and hot beverages. Guests had the best time celebrating the newlyweds in this truly once-in-a-lifetime fashion.
After giving guests a few days to explore the area, we held our reception for a larger group of family and friends at a beautiful downtown Denver hotel.
The ballroom reflected our Moab sunset design with mountain lighting designs on the wall, amber uplighting, Southwestern style furniture, and more of our mountain and desert inspired floral.
Our dinner stations each reflected a location where Brian and Lauren have lived – Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and Colorado – and featured food particular to each region. We even had a Utah dessert station as a nod to their recent nuptials.
Guests were treated to a slideshow of the stunning photos from their Moab ceremony. Their wedding cake was designed to reflect the outdoors setting we had created for the entire week as well. Guests enjoyed connecting with old friends, toasting the couple, and dancing before ending the night with Texas Pecans as their parting gift. It was truly a wedding we will never forget!
Congratulations to the newlyweds!
Destination Wedding Photographer: The Willinghams
Wedding Vendors: Ceremony Site: Arches National Park (Moab, UT), Post-Ceremony Dinner: Sunset Grill, Reception Site, Catering + Cake: The Four Seasons Hotel (Denver, CO), Wedding Planner + Designer: Significant Events of Texas | Meredith Commender, Hair + Makeup: Atomic Salon | Rebecca Wanless, Invitations: Significantly Said: Invitations by Significant Events, Transportation: Canyonlands by Night, Accommodations: Moab Under Canvas, Campfire Desserts: Pistachio Pastries, Floral: Plum Sage Flowers, Rentals: Butler Rents, DJ + Lighting: Skyline Productions, Lounge Furniture: Eclectic Hive, Favors: Alamo Pecans, Gown: Anna B, Suit: Q Clothier
