Lizzy & Pat celebrated their nuptials with a destination wedding weekend in Park City, Utah, taking the opportunity to show off the stunning fall scenery (and wonderful food and wine!) to their 120 guests, who travelled from across the United States and Canada. The couple put their experience as producers to good use, bringing the community of friends and vendors together for an elegant, yet low-key celebration at Red Cliffe Ranch.

Are there any DIY details you'd like to tell us about? Absolutely! One of our best friends in Vancouver, Grace Partridge, is a wonderful graphic designer and helped create our stationery and bunting. The invitation itself is the shape of the state of Utah, filled with hand-drawn images inspired by the Utah landscape, and custom lettering by Grace. Inspired by stories of Utah, she created illustrations like a beehive, whiskey bottle and lucky horseshoe. Those were printed on paper bunting that we strung together and included in the invitation. So many of our guests sent us photos of where the bunting was hanging in their home!

The wedding was held at the beautiful Red Cliff Ranch, nestled in Utah's Heber Valley. Lizzie explains, "we wanted a space where we could say 'I do' outside, then eat, drink and dance in the open air all night long. The ranch has stunning facilities - barns, fields, paddock, houses - and the landscape to match. The owners and staff were friendly, accommodating, supportive and kind. We can't say enough about the Ranch, it is a magical place that we will never forget (and not just because we tied the knot there!). "

The Ceremony

The 'Let's Do This' garland that welcomed the couple's guests to their ceremony spot was one of many playful DIY details they worked on together, infusing their humor into the beautiful surrounds. Lizzie explains that the garland (and all the wedding crafts) were completed "with the help from Vancouver's best art store, Collage Collage. The owner, Erin Boniferro, was able to make our vision a reality, infusing small projects like this garland with humor and love. We covered hollow cardboard letters with layer of gold, glittery Martha Stewart paint, then hot glued them to thick, sturdy blue ribbon (long enough to hang in tall birch trees)."

What inspired you when you were planning your wedding? The image of a perfect summer afternoon in the American west, gathering friends and family in a playful, joyful celebration, under an open sky.

Your ceremony in three words. Playful, thoughtful, cinematic.

Who officiated your ceremony? We worked closely with our officiant (a colleague of my parents) to create a meaningful but short ceremony, with room for laughter and lots of joy.

What were you readings? A Blessing for Wedding by Jane Hirshfield

What were your vows like? We wrote our own vows.

Is there anything else that you'd like to share about your wedding ceremony? We took a few minutes to be alone after signing the paperwork - inspired by a Jewish tradition from my dad's family - to just let it all sink in as a newly married couple.

Says the bride, "Utah in late August is magical - bright, sunny skies and the leaves are just starting to show their fall colors." This was just one of the many reasons the couple were very to share with their guests why they love Utah: "from its beautiful landscape, local food scene and people - and most of all to see guests fall in love with it. We took the time to share our favorite places to hike, eat, drink and experience the places we love across the state with our guests."

What was the best advice you received as a bride? Take care of yourself first and enjoy every single second of the day.

The Reception

What was your wedding menu? We had the pleasure of working with Lori Tolbert Catering in Salt Lake City. Lori and her team totally understood our desire to feature the best local food, sharing it with many of our Canadian guests. The entire menu was 'Utah's own' and told the story of where we were - from the farmers' market vegetables, Utah trout, Utah beef to the homemade bread.

Did you include any other traditions in your wedding? As a nod to family members who couldn't be with us on the day, including some who had passed away just months before the wedding, we set up photos around the guest book. The flags helped tell the story of who was in the photo.

How would you describe your reception? The reception dinner was in a large barn. A long table ran down the middle, seating 80 people. Additional round tables were set up in the horse stables for other guests with beautiful, simple floral centerpieces. Four chandeliers were covered with hops and candles, and the long table was draped with a thick garland, long candles on brass candlesticks, wine glasses and custom hand drawn name tags by Allison Cornu.

What type of cake or dessert did you serve? We had a sweet and simple vanilla and berry cake from Le Loup cakery, made for cutting and eating late in the night. It was so delicious none of it was left to save! For dessert Lori Tolbert served a selection of our favorite summer treats - fruit pies and crumbles made with local peaches, berries and apples - they made many dancing people very happy!

What was your favorite moment or part of the reception? Pat is a comedian and producer. We asked Peter and Chris, his close friends and comedy partners to be our emcees. Even though we asked them to do it they totally surprised us with cowboy outfits, accents, jokes and an original song and performance. You can see the surprise in our faces in the photos!

For Pat & Lizzy, music would set the party vibe for the whole weekend. "We worked with a great DJ who let us make custom playlists for every part of the day including the ceremony, cocktail hour, dinner AND dancing. Playlists were a mix of Canadian artists, classics from the 60s and 70s, and other favorites." Such 60s classics included the Do You Wanna Dance cover by The Mammas and the Pappas, which they chose as the backdrop for their first spin on the dance floor as husband and wife.

What advice do you have for other couples in the midst of planning a wedding? Pat and I spent time working out together leading up to the big day - it was time for us to be totally alone. During the big nervous days leading up to the wedding we were able to run together and remember what it was all for.