Every wedding vendor team is created a little differently. In this series we explore how and why each couple selected the right wedding vendor team for their wedding day.
In February of 2021, Francois worked with Chasity’s best friend to set up a fake birthday celebration for her. Chasity thought she and her friend were just going out to dinner and was surprised when she instead saw her boyfriend standing in front of a heart-shaped arch covered in white roses. After a quick trip the week after the proposal, the couple got to thinking about the perfect date for what they thought would be an elopement, with just their daughter present. But a few months into planning, the milestone occasion evolved into a much larger affair.
Wanting to celebrate with family and friends, they made the official pivot only two months before their intended elopement date of November 6, 2021. The planning continued with the addition of a few vendors, but thankfully the vendor team they’d already assembled worked well for the gathering of 50.
When the plan was to elope, Chasity and Francois hired elopement photographer Zoe of The Foxes Photography. When that plan shifted, the photography coverage expanded to encompass the wedding, and Zoe helped the bride and groom develop their wedding dream team, which ultimately included professionals from Utah, California, Florida, and Colorado.
Zoe spoke highly about Jay and Mack Films, and after the couple watched one of their videos they were hooked. They spent the rest of the day watching all of their videos on Instagram before reaching out to secure them for their big day.
Chasity had visited Moab, Utah, and knew immediately that she wanted to elope there. She and Francois considered Arches National Park as a possible setting for their elopement, thinking it would be them and about five guests, as that’s what the park allows. When the guest list expanded, they quickly shifted to a desert wedding venue that would accommodate ten times their initial tiny guest list.
In holding the destination celebration at The Red Earth Venue, they were able to give their guests an experience they’d never forget.
“When we thought about a venue for our wedding, we wanted to have something with scenic views but that also felt like you were in the middle of nowhere. After a ton of searches we finally found the perfect venue. One that allowed us to explore our wildest dreams.” —Chasity, bride
When things officially shifted from elopement planning to wedding planning, the bride and groom realized they needed help keeping track of things and pulling it all off. To coordinate the complexities of a remote desert wedding, they tapped April Arnold and her team at Kosi Events. This was the start of making moves to create a “glam bohemian” wedding with a ceremony that felt magical and a reception rich in guest experiences.
Hoodoo Moab was brought in to handle all things food and drink. The seated dinner began with a classic Caesar salad, continued with a sea bass paired with whipped garlic, mashed potatoes, and broccolini, and concluded with a slice of wedding cake.
Sustainability is important to the couple, and in hiring Farm Yard, they were able to achieve that in a major aspect of their wedding: their flowers. With all fresh flowers and foliage grown locally and responsibly sourced, minimal waste was created.
Chastity tapped her go-to makeup artist who she uses when attending big events. She knew she had to have Jo Michelle by her side on the wedding day to create a natural makeup look. A very close friend of the bride recommended Tymica Martin of Ty Hair, and in reviewing her work and connecting, she had her glam squad confirmed.
The meal ended on a sweet note thanks to Sweet Serendipity Moab, who created a three-tier chocolate and vanilla wedding cake with strawberry filling. Fresh flowers and wild grasses, as well as a topper sporting the couple’s shared last name, adorned the otherwise understated confection.
With a larger guest list, the couple wanted to really go big with their wedding and how it looked and felt. So two months out, they brought on Jaime Kostechko of Wild Heart Events to scale it from an intimate elopement to a luxury wedding that packed a punch. With the tight time frame but the blank canvas of the wedding venue, Jaime pitched creative ideas and the couple excitedly and swiftly made decisions. Equally important to everything coming together was teamwork. Moab isn’t an easy destination to work in, with the rugged landscape, variable weather, and limited local resources. So, having all hands on deck to make it happen was the only way to go.
“Chasity and Francois were so easy and trusting. They hired us as a destination design firm to bring in the look. They didn’t want to cut corners and wanted something fresh that they hadn’t seen before. The Red Earth Venue is such a blank canvas with sweeping views. The ceremony was a place they wanted to feel outside the box and incredible. We put a lot of effort into the ceremony design and making that a standout! And we didn’t want the dinner area to feel stagnant. The curved tables were intended to snack across the landscaping to create a more interesting visual! The couple really loved the idea of bringing in mirror aspects to reflect the amazing views so we created abstract shaped mirror menus. We combined gorgeous woven placemats with glass chargers to accomplish the elevated and chic, bohemian look.” —Jaime Kostechko, designer
Jaime assembled rental partners to really execute her vision, entrusting tried-and-true companies that she regularly works with when bringing designs across state lines.
Massive arches from Adore Folklore were secured and then covered in flowers for a dynamic ceremony look that was then repurposed for the reception space. Barker Decor Service Inc. brought in the silk flower-filled, dimensional ceremony aisle to highlight the red earth and define the space, and also a starlight dance floor on which the guests were moving and grooving all night long. And Elan Event Rentals’ silver pendants were hung at the ceremony space to make it just as visually interesting overhead as it was underfoot.
During cocktail hour, the newlyweds were off on a little adventure for some bold photography and videography, so the focus was on keeping guests comfy. Lounge areas were designed, as well as merch stations for loved ones to grab customized sweatshirts and blankets for maximum coziness.
To add some drama, serpentine tables with gorgeous tabletop pieces from Catalog Atelier were used for the reception, including woven placemats, clear plates, and modern gold flatware.
To ensure their guests could save the date as soon as it was decided to host their bigger desert wedding, the couple personally reached out to their guests to invite them. The bonus? It was another way they could be sustainable. A few day-of pieces were made by Velvet Fox Designs for high impact and low waste. One such element? The mirrored dinner menus that reflected the mountainscape surrounding the guests.
Saxophonist Troy Harris (also known as the Sax Therapyst) and vocalist Kenny Lattimore performed during the ceremony, which included the groom entering with the couple’s daughter on his arm and the bride walking down the aisle with her brother. Come reception time, the soundtrack progressed when DJ Jay-R played a mix of different genres of music from hip hop to country to reggae (and Kenny performing as the couple shared their first dance as husband and wife).
Lumina Entertainment was tapped to provide a fire dancer to heat things up, but that wasn’t the only thing that lit up the night sky. The final touch meant the wedding went off with a bang—fireworks courtesy of Lantis Fireworks.
