Mar 29, 20234 min read

Kayti and Grant Zion Red Rock Villa Wedding

I can't blog this wedding without the praise of Kayti and Grand and their ability to accept and conquer anything and everything that comes their way. They are truly toopers in every sense of the word. Great planning is never a guarantee of everything going perfectly when mother nature is involved and on Kayti and Grant's wedding weekend, we faced the most unique and rare challenges for a Southern Utah Wedding. I blog this wedding from my perspective, uniquely different from your typically blogged wedding from me with nothing but all the pretty photos and of course I'll include those too, but really, what mother nature is capable of is nothing short of a catastrophic disaster if you don't have backup plans. Having clients who understand you can't control the weather is vital to them understanding you need backup plans that may not be ideal.

Our original design involved an incredible clear tent with draping, lights, gorgeous floral, and the most perfectly planned layout a bride can dream of. Tall, beautiful glass pillars adorned with babies breath clouds, tall pillar candles, floating candles for visual interest, and beautiful china to complete the look. Mother Nature had other plans for us and with high and dangerous winds, the tent company had to make the difficult call to cancel the tent as the heavy winds and record-breaking snow predictions rolled in. Zion was about to get covered in Snow and there was no way around it OR through it. We needed to pivot and create a whole new layout the night before the wedding utilizing the INSIDE space of their vacation rental.

With the new plan in place, we set out early the morning of the big day, driving carefully as the amount of snow on the roads was treacherous but so incredibly breathtaking. As I approached the long gravel road going into the couple's rental property, the conditions of the road were much more dangerous than anyone could have anticipated and not plowed or maintained which made it extra tricky to navigate. One rental company hired was jackknifed, blocking the road. Assessing the situation, they were doing all they could do to try and get the truck out of it's current condition. As the other rental company pulled in, they came to help. When I say this community is incredible, I mean it!

Immediately I got on my phone to all vendors alerting them to all bring AWD vehicles or they wouldn't make it to their vacation rental. Some had to find cars to borrow, some chose to carpool and help each other out to make it onsite. I called in my late shift staff early as the time we had the potential to lose was a growing concern.

Meanwhile, getting ready was full of memories, photos, and making memories

All vendors made it safely and the unloading and installation began. The client's family and friends staying at the vacation rental had already cleared out the entire family room space to make way for a complete changeover. We were well on our way. With rental companies moving in tables and chairs, my staff was following each table placement with tablescape installation as the florist followed us immediately with florals. We had a system and it was working- QUICKLY which is what we needed. I knew we had plenty of time to get everything installed, but the "what if" of another vendor getting stuck in the snow or needing help was in the forefront of my mind, and therefore we needed things done NOW with no time for error. This wasn't just snow we were dealing with- it was snow on top of a solid sheet of ice.

Rewind to getting ready because one change needed to happen: Take note- from THIS to THAT.

With cocktail hour originally planned in the space where dinner now made it's permanent place, we needed to move cocktail hour to the downstairs family room which also meant the grand piano being played for cocktail hour was now going to be our dinner music (kind of impossible to move a Baby Grand Piano). With the piano player, harp player, and DJ all moved around and relocated and times adjusted we acclimated to a new timeline, new layout, and still a happy couple. Considering it all, they really faced each pivot with confidence in myself and my team.

As I continued to assess the road conditions I knew one fateful change needed to come. The massive shuttle bus taking us to Zion would not be able to access the property. I knew it. The other vendors onsite knew it. The transportation company was to take us inside Zion National Park for the ceremony and this just wasn't going to happen today. We had a permit, we did rehearsal the day before as the snow was falling just hoping we wouldn't need to cancel the plans to be in this beautiful location. That decision was made by Mother Nature and again, we needed to pivot and implement our backup plan. I called the transportation company and broke the news about the roads and the owner confirmed he knew he couldn't make it to the property with the roads in the condition they were in.

What better spot for a ceremony than a blanket of fresh clean white snow that hasn't been touched?