Real Weddings

Elegant Argentine Ranch Affair: Devan Guilford & Rodrigo Vidal

By Tessa Woolf August 19, 2013 Published in the June 2013 issue of Park City Magazine

NAMES Devan Guilford and Rodrigo Vidal LIVE IN The Avenues OCCUPATIONS She works at Nordstrom; he’s an engineer for Job Industrial Services WHERE THEY MET In Argentina, where he’s from; she traveled to the country after college and taught English at his company HOW HE PROPOSED He surprised her with her favorite Argentine meal, milanesas, on their three-year anniversary NUMBER OF GUESTS 112 BUDGET $30,000 for the rehearsal dinner, ceremony, and reception WEDDING THEMES Nature, Romance, and Western-Vintage, inspired by the beautiful state of Utah DÉCOR DETAILS Aspen-branch ceremony arbor; buckets of hydrangea; handkerchief-wrapped bouquets; farmhouse tables with benches; wildflower arrangements; large moss-covered “D” and “R” initials WARDROBE DETAILS The bride wore a Rivini gown and a small gold-heart necklace with the initial “R.” Groomsmen wore custom suits made in Argentina CULTURAL ELEMENT They honored guests who traveled from South America with signs representing their countries and hung a large Argentine flag in the pavilion. At the reception, male guests tossed the groom into the air and female guests tossed the bride; this tradition is performed all night at Argentine weddings COCKTAIL HOUR Guests enjoyed bluegrass music and picadas, an assortment of artisanal meats and cheeses sourced locally RECEPTION MENU FAVORITE Grilled Utah trout DESSERT S’mores, buttercream white chocolate raspberry cake, and a coffee station FAVORITE RECEPTION MOMENT When the bride’s father toasted the couple with a bottle of Champagne he had bought in Mendoza three years before, after he was first introduced to the groom PERSONAL TOUCH The bride’s brother, a glassblower, made Champagne flutes for their father’s toast THE DAY IN THREE WORDS Blissful, love-filled, natural HONEYMOON Argentina for a second, Catholic wedding

Having a wedding outdoors, not in a church, was very foreign to me; I thought it was going to be weird for my family and friends, but it was the best wedding I’ve ever been to!
–Rodrigo