Vibrant Fall Foliage Created a Picturesque Backdrop for This Wedding at Blue Sky in Wanship, Utah

Lane and John tied the knot at Blue Sky Ranch in Wanship, Utah, with just 30 loved ones (and their pup!) in attendance at the intimate fall wedding. Vibrant foliage blanketing the surrounding mountain peaks created an eye-catching backdrop to their outdoor celebration, which Lane and John filled with elevated rustic decor (like wrought-iron chandeliers and whiskey barrels) and planned in a mere eight weeks. 

The day began with Lane and John exchanging vows while guests watched from cowhide-covered hay bales. Then, following the ceremony, guests decamped to another part of the mountain clearing for dinner altogether at a long wood farm table under a canopy of chandeliers to light the night sky. "Since our wedding was 100% outside our florals largely played off of items that were foraged locally and fall colors," says Lane. "We loved the intimacy of the space and how expansive the land around it is, making you feel like you are in the middle of nowhere. I wanted to organically highlight the land by illuminating spaces and separating out areas naturally so it did not feel like everything was taking place at the same venue. To do this we used the most amazing chandeliers over a kings table, vignettes of furniture, cowhides on hay bails for ceremony seating, and a beautiful dance space on the deck of Blue Sky's 1800's Tavern."

In addition to highlighting the area's natural fall beauty, Lane and John prioritized personalization within their celebration. "We had a few select items at our wedding that were handmade and very special to me," recalls Lane. "My mom makes paper, and we have always talked about her making the wedding invitations for my wedding, one day. Well, when we decided to set a date only 8-weeks in advance that did not give her very much time to work on this project. Luckily we only needed about 18 invitations and she was able to create the most beautiful invites I have ever seen. They were further personalized by my aunt's calligraphy. She also created seating cards and tied them to dried flowers that we had been collecting in our house over the years. And a vow book that we put the whole ceremony into for the officiant, both moms, and us to read from throughout the ceremony. We also had two other unique handmade items at our wedding. John's best man has his own brewery and made us each a special beer to have on tap at the wedding. We had a 'Wedding Day IPA' and a 'Blueberry Sour Beer.' And our guest book was corn hole boards that were hand built by our friend who had them etched with our names and wedding date."

Lane has a background in the events industry and the knowledge she has from past events helped with decision making as she and John planned their Blue Sky wedding day. "Because I had worked numerous weddings previously there were a few small, but memorable things that I had noted and made sure happened at my wedding," explains Lane. Notably, she wanted to "prioritize a first look with my dad. I am an only child and have always been my daddy's girl and this was really important to me. However, John and I did not do a first look." Additionally, she and John "wrote letters to each other and set a time to read them while getting ready for the day. I read mine while getting my make-up done (a great time to get a few tears out of the way), and I think John read his while setting up the venue." Since Lane and John skipped having a first look, the first moment she saw John was during the processional. Lane looks back on that moment as her favorite one from the entire day. "I still get goosebumps thinking about walking down the aisle with my dad towards John (and our dog MayBelle). The walk from where my dad and I were hidden to the alter was 2-minutes, however, it flew by. "