Wedding Spotlight | Desert Inspired Reception

Truc and Emerson are both avid travelers and have explored all over the world – they wanted their wedding to be a destination itself. The menu was inspired by their favorite foods from around the globe, and the design to be inspired by the place they love most, the red rock deserts of Southern Utah.

This lovely couple hosted an intimate wedding ceremony in Moab, Utah surrounded by red rocks and desert flowers. For their wedding reception they decided to go bigger.  They came to LUX with the dream of bringing the feel of the Utah desert to downtown Salt Lake City. They wanted to have a reception closer to home so their loved ones could experience it and celebrate with them.

The driving force of their design was the color scheme of the red rock deserts; featuring red, amber, orange, yellow, copper, green, mixed woods, and thistle blues. With a blank canvas industrial venue at The Utah State Fairpark we were able to mimic the red rocks in Southern Utah. We washed the walls in the color of the desert by bringing in red, orange, and amber LED uplights. Along with the LED uplights, we draped Edison bulbs as a canopy inside and out to represent the desert stars.

The ambiance of the desert was communicated through an eclectic design. Handpicked vintage furniture was paired with bohemian pillows, rugs, and modern accessories. Using these items we created multiple lounge areas. Two of these areas we called “pillow lounges”. These lounges were created around tables roughly 12 inches off the ground and circled with pillows for guests to sit and enjoy. Two other lounge areas were created and lovingly referred to as “boho lounges”. These lounges were the focal point of the wedding both inside and outside. They were set under custom made 12′ x 10′ farm wood canopies. The structure was built of gorgeous farm wood and draped with ivory chiffon fabric. Below the canopies, we placed vintage couches atop mixed pattern rugs. We spent days hand selecting detailed pillows and textured blankets to create avant-garde seating.

Not far behind these stunning canopies, we displayed floating rope shelves, created by the groom. On these shelves were floral arrangements complimenting the rest of the room, and photos of the bride and groom, as well as a few other family trinkets. 

The color concept stayed intact down to the tableware. We used copper flatware, biodegradable tan leafware plates, and repurposed hand cut wine bottles for beverages. Guests we able to take home a piece of the wedding with them in the form of small succulents used as wedding favors.

Our florist utilized desert flowers and driftwood in his designs to mimic the rest of the design. The arrangements were created with an organic eye and placed on every table. Each food station was flanked with large copper containers filled with desert grasses. This desert touch continued with individual potted cacti atop each cabaret table that was draped with a geometric linen. Hanging above the front entrance was a custom monogram of our bride and grooms initials, created with dry desert moss. 

Our bride comes from a strong vietnamese heritage so she started the night off in a bright red traditional vietnamese gown. To match that we started the night off with hand passed vietnamese hors d’oeuvres that included glass dumplings, peach jalapeno chicken potstickers, and mini spring rolls. The bride and groom are self proclaimed foodies which inspired our menu. We created and filled the venue with custom interactive food stations inspired by their go to foodie favorites. 

Outside the venue we featured a flatbread station, complete with a wood fired pizza oven. Inside we featured three more food stations including a noodle station, a poutine station, and a caprese carving station. As the night went on our brides dress changed and so did the food. We switched from savory to sweet with fun dessert options including a macaron station, a cannoli station, and a zeppole station.

Along with the dessert stations we created a custom wedding cake for the couple. The wedding cake was the groom’s favorite flavor, birthday cake! It consisted of a rich vanilla batter with assorted sprinkles and swiss meringue buttercream filling. The outside of the cake was designed to the desert theme. It was decorated with a rough buttercream texture in an ombre of deep red, peach, and orange to mimic a desert sunset. Of course no cake can truly represent a desert without a cactus on it! 

We had one goal for this wedding; make this a through and through a reflection of everything Truc and Emerson love, and we achieved that! They love each other, their families, and their dogs. So we incorporated framed photos of them throughout the event, family heirlooms, as well as items the groom (a woodworker) made (the cake stand, buffet tables, and floating shelves). We even made sure to take care of their beloved corgi dogs with matching flower collars. Our couple loves food. With interactive stations we were able to offer an abundant selection, as well as tie it back to our bride and her family heritage with innovative vietnamese passed hors d’oeuvres. The food was locally sourced which was important to our environmentally conscience couple. They love Utah, and nothing says Utah like the red rock national parks, one of their most beloved locations. We brought the red rocks to their family through handpicked design and extensive planning. Every detail, large or small, was chosen with our bride and grooms love in mind. 

Photography: David Daniels + Haley Hoover

Floral: LUX Floral & Design

Rentals: Tavolo Rentals, Utah Vintage Rental, All Out Event Rental, Diamond Rental