Category Archives: Beautiful Celebrations

Unique Rose Table Linens Display Style and Elegance at this Salt Lake City Wedding Reception

September 19, 2012 Wendy Pettit 1 Comment

Hanna created one of the most beautiful and simple cake displays I’ve seen at Ivy House Weddings, one of Western Garden’s wedding reception centers in Salt Lake City. She chose a simple bold two tiered square cake. The top tier included a touch of popular frosting beads and crowned with pink spring flowers. This tier rested upon the bottom layer encompassed with ruffles of frosting, all resting upon a simple white pedestal resting upon a table linen of white 3-dimensional roses with votive candles spotted about. The scene created the illusion of the cake floating on a pond of roses. A very elegant scene!

The style of this bride also included her own unique table centerpieces. Her florist Svetlana created beautiful floral pieces placed in a unique tall stand that also included hanging glass vases containing votive candles. Very striking with an elegant touch to accent the Ivy House black iron chairs and chandeliers. Each table because a masterpiece.

Refreshments were simple and again, beautifully displayed. A neighbor friend has her own catering business and catered the event. Delicious crepes filled with Bavarian cream or strawberries were core, but also chocolate covered strawberries, cream puffs, and fresh citrus ice water dotted the menu at this Salt Lake City wedding.

Hanna and Josh were the honored guests at their celebration of over 500 guests; however, all guests found plenty of room for joyful reunions, good food, and happy memories for the newlyweds.

Enjoy several photos I took during my visit to this wonderful Salt Lake wedding venue.

Credits:

Caterer – Darla Evanson

Florist – Posh Possey

Cake – Granite Bakery

Photographer – Jacki Stoddard Photography

Beautiful Celebrations

Reception Centers in Utah Host Charming Decorating Ideas

September 5, 2012 Wendy Pettit Leave a comment

A most beautiful and elaborately decorated wedding celebration is featured today. Reception Centers in Utah don’t all need this incredible detailed decorating, but this bride’s mother-in-law orchestrated a beautiful celebration with the backdrop of a simple elegant Utah wedding venue. Any future bride can glean all kinds of creative wedding ideas to set their wedding reception apart from others.

A delicate feminine theme was woven throughout the hall. With pastel pinks and whites and a hint of gold, green, and deeper pink, Ivy House Weddings at Western Gardens Downtown became a magical wonderland for over 300 guests to enjoy. For easier reading, I’ll make a list of the creative ideas from which to glean for your own party at almost any of the Utah wedding reception centers. I will begin at the first entrance to the venue and proceed throughout!

1. Window Decals on Entrance Main doors – Ivy House granted permission to place personalized window decals representing the new couple’s initials. With ribbons hanging from the outdoor majestic lamps, this was a nice preview as to what the guests were about to enter.

2. Wedding Garland – very clever and delicate touch to the entrance inside the main doors. Created by stringing together paper & foil cupcake holders and pink and cream lace doilies. All guests walked under the garland upon entering the main reception hall.

3. Floral Arrangements – Both windows inside the main room were adorned with floral arrangements. A large floral arrangement in one, and delicate individual flowers in another. A very nice touch! Other displays of floral, photo, and trinket designs dotted the hall on various hutches and dressers.

4. Votive Candles – On the spiral staircase leading to a romantic Romeo and Juliet balcony, the family had placed double votive candles on every step. Romance was definitely in the air! Candles were extinguished when the couple ascended to toss the bouquet and garter!

5. Wedding Cake – Next was the cake alcove. Wow! This mother must have been an interior designer. Between the lace woven through the arbor and so many little trinkets dangling, as a whole, the 3-tiered cake became the center of an art masterpiece.

6. Mr. & Mrs. Mantel – The couple chose to have a formal line in front of the decorated mantel. A Mr. and Mrs. swag of pink pennants accented the majestic fireplace.

7. Lattice Photo Display – After congratulating the newlyweds, guests walked past a display of photos hanging from rick-rack on a lattice divider. Very clever and very functional as well.

8. Simple delicious refreshments – Then to the refreshment favorite of the newlyweds – taquitos created by a family friend. Salsa and rice complimented the treat. Sweet treats were also offered. Fruits, tarts, and cupcakes topped off the menu.

Credit is in order for the florist Skyline Floral, Kathy Ford the caterer, Ivy House preferred cake baker Cindy Crump of Heritage Cakes, and the incredible photographer Amanda from Campbell Photography.

The mother-in-law wrote the following review of their experience at Ivy House…. “Loved having our reception @ Ivy House. Everything was perfect! Jenny was great to work with. The facility is beautiful, clean, with so many extras – beautiful centerpieces, linens, DVD & sound system. LOVED that there were no “surprise” charges for such things! Employees of Western Garden were so nice to pitch in & help carry in things for us. All in all – a wonderful experience! Bride’s room was so beautiful & so nice to have a place to put personal items & change clothes. Only suggestion: I know it’s the Western Gardens restrooms; they are clean and nice but if it could be a bit prettier in there with a fun plant decor!”

This beautiful couple was surrounded by beautiful decor and beautiful people. What an enjoyable and pleasant celebration of true love at Ivy House Weddings. Wedding reception centers in Utah would love to have hosted this bride and groom’s gathering.

Beautiful Celebrations

One of the Wedding Venues Salt Lake City Shares Some Great Reception Ideas for Any Bride to Consider

August 20, 2012 Wendy Pettit 3 Comments

A unique and beautiful celebration of love took place at Ivy House Weddings, one of the newest wedding venues Salt Lake City has to offer. This couple and their families and guests enjoyed their Salt Lake City wedding celebration with beautiful flowers from Costco, delicious bundt cakes from an Aunt, and catered delicacies by another Aunt. This is one of the perks of booking with this Salt Lake City wedding reception venue called Ivy House Weddings. The bride and her pocketbook can decide where she wants to spend her budget.

There are three highlights I’d like to share that were particularly worth noting.

1. The party enjoyed a lot of dancing and this bride chose to hire an incredible DJ who really knew his music and knew how to get a crowd dancing. Craig Chambers Disc-Connection got the place rockin’ and everyone had fun either dancing or watching the dancers.

2. The second unique feature was the bride’s chosen refreshments for the evening. With a dear aunt and the help of several neighbor women, the guests were able to walk through a “pasta bar” that was so fresh and fun. The aunt in charge would place into the guest’s bowl items chosen from a number of choices, including different pastas, vegetables, chicken and even shrimp! Then the guest would continue to the cooking station of 5 fun loving women. Each had a small skillet and a burner in front of them. In addition, there were in front of them several pitchers containing two types of sauce – a creamy Alfredo (made from scratch) or a tomato based sauce (again, made from scratch). A cook would take the guest’s bowl and toss it in her pan and begin cooking it all. Taking only about 1 minute per guest, the delicious dish was then poured onto the guest’s plate. Then the happy customer could add salad, parmesan cheese, and breadsticks if they chose.

3. One other clever idea involved the photo book and guest signature book. Many times, guests simply get to glue their photos any which way in the couple’s book. This bride had thought ahead and had created placement strips for the photos. Guests didn’t have to decide where to place the photo and it gave the book more uniformity as the guests each had plenty of room to write their little best wishes to the newlyweds. This bride surely was thinking way ahead.

I will never forget the love in the eyes of the bride and groom as they danced their first dance. The bride obviously adores her husband and he likewise to her. Also, there were tender moments as the bride danced with her father. Many beautiful memories were caught on film by their photographer Kristen Mae.

Of all the wedding reception centers in Salt Lake City this couple could have chosen, Ivy House Weddings was the perfect wedding venue they could have picked. The mother of the bride wrote “We couldn’t of had a more perfect day! Everything was perfect. Thanks so much for the perfect wedding!”

Beautiful Celebrations

Witness Unique Elegant Style at Wedding Reception Centers in Utah Like Ivy House Weddings

August 14, 2012 Wendy Pettit Leave a comment

Ivy House is one of Western Garden’s chic reception centers in Utah and the wedding reception on May 9th of this year proved so. I attended to snap some photos of this couple’s happy celebration with two great families. The evening was so enjoyable that I stayed almost the entire evening taking photos of nearly every aspect of the party. This bride and mother created a beautiful touch to Ivy House that just lit up the wedding place, with lots of love, joy, and laughter.

Unique touches that I will note here about this wedding reception Utah enjoyed are as follows and I hope they can inspire you as you create that wonderland that you’ve dreamt about.

This bride chose the delicate lacy feel. This matched her delicate frame compared to the tall stature of her new husband. Her theme of white lace was accented throughout Ivy House and the sophisticated black rod-iron fixtures and chairs of Ivy House wedding venue were complimented with this frilly touch.
She then touched the sophisticated and frilly look with sunflowers that obvious reflect her personality – bright, beautiful and happy flowers.
The bride’s tender last dance with her father really touched me. There was so much love and gratitude shared between them on the dance floor. I was blessed to catch a few of Dad’s whispers in her ear, a sweet tear in her eye, and that incredible look as Father passed his daughter on to her new husband. What a sweet moment I shall never forget.
Pulling off the garter was priceless. See the photo of the bride.
The decorated car was something I’ll never forget. Yes, it was a beautiful silver Toyota Cruiser that was absolutely plastered beyond recognition. The bride dropped her jaw in disbelief when she finally could see it after the sparklers. The good part was that the friends and family had first wrapped the car first in plastic, and then decorated with syrups, cream, cherries, strawberries. If the food was at the party, it was on the car. The couple simply had to cut the plastic off the car and it all fell to the ground and they drove away.
Family photos outside were prime. The beautiful Ivy that was accidentally stripped from Ivy House walls during construction, has now just about filled in and offered a beautiful backdrop for the bride’s maids in yellow. What smiles and beauty accented the Ivy House garden.

The cutting of the cake, the sparkler send off, the food, and all was beautiful and so much fun to witness. This couple was off to a beautiful start by having their celebration at Utah wedding reception centers like Ivy House Weddings at Western Gardens Center Downtown.

As for who-did-what at this affair, the wedding cake was brought in by Kneaders, the photographer was JacqueLynn Photography, and her beautiful sunflower arrangements were a creation of a friend that works at Flower Patch. The food was catered by our very popular preferred caterer Utah Celebrations. We are proud of the work they do and the value they offer at our Utah receptions to our beautiful brides.

At last night’s event, a friend of the bride in May also attended last night. She had referred Ivy House Weddings to another friend who had their celebration last night. The word is getting out what a wonderful Utah wedding venues are run by Western Gardens Center.

Happy mother at wedding places in Utah — Happy mother of the bride!

Beautiful Celebrations

No Weather Worries at Western Garden’s Reception Centers in Salt Lake City

July 19, 2012 Wendy Pettit Leave a comment

In early May, this bride and groom didn’t have to worry about Utah’s unpredictable rainy spring weather. They were the honored guests inside one of Western Garden’s wedding reception centers in Salt Lake City. Ivy House was the place for an evening full of beautiful memories, great happiness, fond reunions, rowdy dancing, and delicious cuisine.

The bride’s choice of Tiffany blue table linens and ribbons were very striking in Ivy House’s stylish ambiance. After a brief yet beautiful wedding ring ceremony, the weather cooperated allowing the couple and wedding party to take plenty of photos outside in the gardens. Adilfa from Don Polo photography was their professional. She has a lot of spunk and definitely knows what she’s doing. (The photos in this blog were taken by a non-professional Ivy House employee.)

About 350 guests savored delicious pastries, fresh fruits, salads, breads, and candies. Plenty of relaxing conversation was enjoyed by all. The wedding cake was created by Ivy House preferred baker Carrie’s Cakes. The stunning and elegant 5 tiers sat as a queen on her pedestal for guests to admire. This couple chose not to have a traditional wedding party line, but rather mingled throughout Ivy House hall to greet people and enjoy old and new acquaintances.

Another unique thing about this wedding party was the send off of the newlyweds. The family had made plans for several dozen beautiful lantern lights to send off into the sky. We all stepped into the movie Tangled as we watched the magical cylinders drift up into the heavens. The bride and groom sent off a large blue lantern while all the others were white. These coupled with Ivy House sparklers made for a beautiful finale to a beautiful celebration for a beautiful couple.

Beautiful Ivy House bride enjoying her celebration.

The list of wedding venues Salt Lake City offers to Utah brides is complete with Ivy House Weddings located at Western Gardens Center in Downtown Salt Lake City. It is a beautiful venue to create your own stylish wedding celebration and dodge the fickle Utah spring weather.

Beautiful Celebrations, Receptions

Reception Centers in Utah are Fortunate to Include Ivy House Weddings

June 29, 2012 Wendy Pettit Leave a comment

Surely you have been to many reception centers in Utah, and if you were at Ivy House on May 5th, you were one of about 350 guests that enjoyed a beautiful celebration honoring a beautiful couple. I loved taking photos at this festivity as I witnessed two wonderful families brought together for a joyous occasion. There was so much love and harmony at this event.

Many young children were planned for, all enjoyed eating dinner and watching cartoons in the groom/children’s room before the guests arrived. Even a few dad’s were entertained in there as well.

The bride chose to use our preferred caterer Utah Celebrations. They served refreshing sandwiches and an array of fruits. Also served, was a tossed green salad with candied walnuts. Individual salads were served in fun goblets.

Weeks before the wedding, the bride’s family worked tirelessly to make homemade dipped chocolates and butter-mints. These were placed in crystal bowls and plates for guests to enjoy. The father of the bride offered a sampling to me, and both delicacies melted in my mouth.

Decorations were simple and stunning. Blue ribbons adorned Ivy House tall silver candlesticks and yellow rose petals lay about with the chocolates and mints. Many photos of the bride and couple were spotted throughout Ivy House Weddings, one of a few stunning and economical wedding reception places in Utah.

The cake was an elegant 3 tiered square cake adorned with vibrant yellow lilies and blue ribbons. A friend of the bride created the masterpiece. Again, the theme of yellow rose petals lay at the base.

Another dear family friend was in charge of the floral pieces for the evening, composing of the bridal bouquet, corsages, boutonnieres, cake flowers, and, of course, the scattered yellow petals.

Not only did guests enjoy visual and tasty indulgences, but also live entertainment. The father of the bride is himself a musician in a local jazz band. One of his friends also has a band which came for all to enjoy. The Dave Murphy band included two singers and the repertoire included everything from old popular dance songs to current popular tunes. I was most impressed with the love the couple portrayed in their first dance. The groom had so many tender sweet kisses for his new bride that all who viewed had no doubt that he was truly in love with his Queen.

After the bride and groom’s first dance and the parent dance, everyone joined in for a delightful happy dance session. Everything from the tango to YMCA was enjoyed by all. Utah wedding reception centers are fortunate to have Ivy House Weddings as one of their nicest venues for the community. And I’m fortunate to be able to witness such beautiful happy affairs on a regular basis.

Beautiful Celebrations

Reception Centers in Utah Still Have a Good Secret

June 18, 2012 Wendy Pettit Leave a comment

There is still a great secret out there about wedding reception centers in Utah. People are still discovering the gem called Ivy House Weddings at Western Gardens Downtown. After one year of being in business, Ivy House Weddings is continuing to surprise celebration guests. So many people recognize the address as belonging to Western Gardens retail garden store, but they are pleasantly surprised that the wedding reception they are attending, is right there too! Ivy House is a part of Western Gardens but guests enjoy their own beautiful entrance and separate elegant space. The chandeliers and majestic fireplace create that touch of sophistication with a dose of elegance.

When choosing a wedding venue Utah offers, the first impressions are important for you and your guests. However, the second and third impressions are even more important for you and those who are making the plans for the special event. As you pursue getting to know this latest of gorgeous utah wedding reception centers, you will like more and more what you learn. Ivy House Wedding staff are very helpful and friendly and are not afraid to step in when unforeseen needs arise. Their event coordinator helps step you through all the preliminary preparations so that when your special day arrives, you’ll be able to have a smooth party and all will relax and enjoy. Utah wedding venues are lucky to have Ivy House Weddings as an option for many brides and their grooms and should be considered when seeking that perfect place.

Beautiful Celebrations

Both Western Garden’s Reception Centers in Salt Lake City Hosted Two Celebrations for One Couple in One Day

June 8, 2012 Wendy Pettit Leave a comment

Having two separate celebrations lent itself to choosing two different wedding venues in Salt Lake. This bride had the best of two worlds. Ceremony in a large majestic elegant room and an indoor garden reception. She used Western Gardens two reception centers in Salt Lake City – Ivy House Weddings in Downtown and Atrium Weddings in Sandy.

On Friday evening, the couple and their close family and friends, who also were part of the wedding party, celebrated at Ivy House Weddings at Western Gardens Downtown. After running through a rehearsal of the next day’s ceremony, the group enjoyed a sit down dinner. Family and friends relished a delicious meal catered by GoodWood. Guests enjoyed several choices – salad, prime rib, pineapple chicken, shrimp, fluffy potatoes, and steamed asparagus and another medley of cooked vegetables.

Goodwood Caterers Shrimp and Salad

Saturday morning, the wedding party returned for the real thing at this wedding venue. The bride and her bridesmaid prepared in the spacious and elegant brides room. This bride was elegantly adorned with a cream colored wedding gown which fit beautifully with the decor of Ivy House. Everyone was stunned at her poise and radiance as her father escorted her down the isle. Purple sashes accented several of the chairs along the way. Her bridesmaid’s wore purple and black attired and all carrying bouquets with a touch of purple with yellow, white, and deep red.

By early afternoon, the couple was on their way to another celebration with a different flavor. The wedding party would soon enjoy another one of Western Gardens wedding reception centers in Salt Lake City, Atrium Weddings further south in Sandy. Being done by 2pm allowed Ivy House staff to prepare for a different event booked at Ivy House the same evening.

Simple love!

Enjoy many beautiful photos taken by James Erick Photography and by Ivy House Staff.

Beautiful Celebrations

A Wedding Reception Utah Celebrated with Love and Fun

May 23, 2012 Wendy Pettit Leave a comment

A beautiful wedding reception Utah will long remember took place at Ivy House Weddings at Western Gardens Downtown. This fun vivacious couple had lots of twinkles in their eyes as they celebrated their new union. To begin the evening, guests were greeted at Ivy House entrance by two sweet family members dressed in adorable white dresses and green satin sashes. Their big smiles welcomed all to the celebration.

The bride chose simple green and white as her celebration colors. Simple glass vases were adorned with satin green ribbons and filled with beautiful lacy white hydrangea blossoms. The cake also was simple yet elegant. White with white pearls were complimented with sweet bouquet of white roses and white hydrangea blooms on each of the three tiers. The bridal bouquet rested at the base until the traditional bouquet tossing occurred later in the evening.

The only blue item in the room was the groom’s cake; a massive flat cake of a New York Yankee stripped baseball uniform shirt topped with ball cap and ball, all made with fondant icing. It was spectacular and definitely displayed the obvious love the groom has for this baseball team. Everyone was excited to see not only the cutting of the traditional cake, but also of the groom’s baseball cake, especially the young children.

Guests enjoyed chocolate dipped strawberries, salad, and finger foods including cheese garnished tomatoes and a delicate white cookies topped with pastel green frosting. Refreshing lemon and strawberry water was enjoyed as well.

Tossing the bouquet was a lot of fun. The bride chose to toss from the balcony of this Utah wedding reception center’s inner room. The groom also flung the garter from above to those singles waiting below.

Wedding receptions in Utah are beautiful in Western Garden’s new Ivy House Wedding venue.

Beautiful Celebrations

Wedding Reception Centers in Utah Seen Through Highly Recommended Photographer

May 18, 2012 Wendy Pettit Leave a comment

Ivy House is one of a few new wedding reception centers in Utah. Hosting over 50 events in their first year (June 2011-June 2012) has given them a lot to be proud of. They have discovered some very valuable preferred partners who they feel very confident to recommend to those brides needing additional reference. They work with caterers, cake bakers, and a florist and now we feel confident to recommend a local photographer. One photographer that has shot several events at both Ivy House and Atrium Wedding reception venues is a local artist – RLT Photography. Ryan Thompson works via word of mouth and has been photographing weddings and all types of events for years and years. Ryan is pleasant to work with and has a nice touch of catching those special moments that often go unnoticed. Take a moment and see some of his beautiful work here at these two fine wedding venues in Utah.