Modern Wedding Style, Hot Tips for Cool Brides

Today on the blog, have I got an AMAZING wedding for you!  It is full of personal touches, gorgeous florals, and FABULOUS food (of course)!  We were honored to be a part of Beth and Jeff’s stunning, and totally unique, wedding day!  This post is a long one, but I promise, you won’t be disappointed!  Check it out!

From our very own Jocelyn Gillies: “The location of the wedding is what meant the very most for the couple. The private residence (where the dinner was held) is the home they were living in when they got engaged. They then began building their home together on the property next door which is where the wedding ceremony took place, in the framed structure of their new home.”  Isn’t that so beautiful?  I love that they incorporated so much of their story into their wedding!

This wedding’s palette was clean and crisp, and all shades of white.  The feel was a Bohemian respite nestled in the mountains – and boy did these florals and the design deliver!  So pretty!

If you are looking for another fun element to add to your cocktail hour, We smoked oranges as part of our cocktail hour offerings.You eat them rind and all.  So delicious and a total crowd-pleaser.

Talk about delicious!  The couple, who both work in the health food industry and also own a health food company, were very particular about the menu – as were many of their guests!  This just goes to show that healthy does not have to be boring.

Most of this deliciously health-conscious menu was paleo centered, including these bites.  House-Made Duck Ham in a Basil Boat, Roasted Bone Marrow with Baked Root Vegetables and Thinly Sliced Sourdough, and Roasted Jersey Pepper and Strawberry Shooters topped with a Sweet Pepper Sliver and Sous Vide Strawberries. This Jersey pepper was a nod to the Groom’s East Coast roots.

Culinary Crafts loves custom charcuterie and getting to feature our local artisan vendors!  We served assorted smoke, salt, and air cured Creminelli salumi and proscuitto, all hand carved at the station.

The most unique part of this event was the seating. Guests were seated at one long table. So this simple and impactful chart as guests entered helped everyone find their seats without hassle.

There was SOOOO much more food.  A couple of the butler-passed hors d’oeuvres to start the evening, Lamb Shoulder in a Belgian Enive Leaf with Mint Chiffonade, Smoked Rocky Mountain Trout on a Watermelon Radish with Salacia Micro Greens, and Salmon Sashimi with Fingerling Lime ‘Caviar’ on a Utah Sea Salted Kettle Chip.

This Bison Carpaccio with Citrus Glaze and Brined Caperberry was so pretty and unique  Also, inside scoop, it was pretty darn tasty.

The last of the amazing cocktail hour nuggets- Compressed Local Watermelon with Arugula and Balsamic and Crispy Pork Belly with Garlic Greens and Balsamic Sultanas on Crostini.  What a way to round out the start of this fantastic menu, wouldn’t you say?

We LOVED the textural diversity that the table length floral runner added to the design!  I know many people think that an all-white palette can get monotonous, but add texture and different floral variations and you got something engagingly enticing.  This is one of those trends that I think we will be seeing for a long time.

This day was HOT.  Really, really hot.  The way only a Utah day in July can be and so we were constantly spraying down the florals to keep them pretty AND offering all of the guests ice cold drink offerings to keep them cool.  One way Culinary Crafts loves to do this is by offering infused waters like Citrus Mint and Orange Strawberry – and for those guests who wanted something a little sassier than water, we offered His and Hers cocktails! His Rocky Mountain Manhattan and Her Hummingbird.

Another trend we loved from this tablescape, the mixed metals with the simple menus.  Rose gold flat ware, mercury glass votives, and the all white palette.   Heavenly.

To welcome the guests to dinner, our house made ciabatta loaves were was pre-set along the tables and were served along with Pink Himalayan Salt compound butters.

And, let me just go back to this table, because, man it is gorgeous!  Creating this stunning and intimate experience for the bride, groom, and their guests was definitely the highlight of the evening.

To kick off this incredible culinary journey, we served Snuck Farm Rainbow Chard, Whipped Ricotta, Barbequed Beets, Finely Chopped Granola, Toasted Quinoa, and Slide Ridge Honey Vinaigrette.  Not to be outdone, the second course was an equally amazing plate of Pan Seared and Butter Poached Sea Scallops with Micro Amaranth, Hand-Cut Zoodles with Cashew Avocado Cream, and Shaved Parmesan.  Mmmm…

Let’s take a minute and recognize the incredible Culinary Crafts staff who always keeps it classy, even in the most unique of serving situations and extreme temperatures. They are truly an amazing group. Since this event was in the middle of a field, our kitchen options were limited. So Culinary Crafts did what we do best. Created our own kitchen. The team brought in grills, ovens, burners, tables and more to create this lovely meal.

To round out the dinner we served Summer Vegetable Terrine and Lemon Caper Rubbed Red Bird Chicken and Snuck Farm Sorrel Picatta with waiter poured velouté.  Added a elegant ending to this family style meal.

It isn’t quite sunset yet, but you can see the light starting to fade and I have to say,​ the most dramatic note of the evening came by way of the candlelit dining table running through the open mountain escape.  Truly breathtaking in every way.

After dinner the guests were invited to enjoy coffee and a selection of scrumptious desserts.  Our ‘Coffee Nerd’ coffee bar is one of our favorite action stations – and the guests are always big fans!

On to the desserts (my favorite!) The Bride and Groom both hail from the east coast and when Jocelyn met them for the first time she let them know that our assistant pastry chef (who happens to be Sicilian) made the BEST cannolis Jocelyn had ever had! To say they were hesitant was an understatement, but once they had one for themselves, the totally agreed and added it to their menu!   Love all of the special details that made this a unique, tailored experience for the couple and their guests!

We didn’t stop there! Homemade Mountainland Apple Pie with Culinary Crafts’ house made Caramel Gelato topped with Warm Whiskey Raisin Caramel Sauce as well as Zabaglione Shooters topped with Fresh Berries, Micro Basil, and Candied Pistachio Biscotti.  I’ll take one of each, please!

Last, but certainly not least, we served Grilled Stone Fruit over Culinary Crafts’ Bourbon Madagascar Vanilla Gelato.  So simple and so delicious!

The couple planned for the party to go into the wee hours, and of course, they made sure that their guests were well fed the entire time!  They asked us to serve a selection of late-night noshes, including a Pho After Dark Bar!  We loved this idea!!! Truly catering for those who give a Pho.

Thank you to Beth and Jeff for letting Culinary Crafts be a part of your epic wedding day!  We absolutely loved every minute of this event and hope you did too!  Happy planning all!

Check out more Salt Lake City, Park City, and Utah County catering at www.culinarycrafts.com!

Photos by Angela Howard Photography