Real Weddings

Real Utah Wedding: Kate Johnson & Dan Urban

By Julie Reposa August 25, 2014 Published in the Summer/Fall 2014 issue of Park City Magazine

NAMES Kate Johnson and Dan Urban LIVE IN Palo Alto, California; the groom’s parents have a home in Park City OCCUPATIONS He is a Ph.D. candidate in environmental earth system science at Stanford University; she is an operations specialist at Coursera, a provider of free online university courses WHERE THEY MET A lunch meeting at Stanford WHERE HE PROPOSED On top of Windy Hill, a panoramic overlook of the entire Bay Area BACHELORETTE PARTY Dinner and a sleepover at the Lodges at Deer Valley; the bride’s best friend and maid of honor arranged a game of “Dan and Kate Jeopardy” BACHELOR PARTY Golfing at Tuhaye and a whiskey evening at High West Distillery NUMBER OF GUESTS 150 THEME The Great Outdoors, inspired by the couple’s love for adventure. She’s an avid cyclist and hiker; he’s a rock climber. GIFTS FOR GUESTS Custom water bottles filled with weekend survival gear: mini Clif bars, lip balm, sunscreen, and a welcome letter with an itinerary and local activity suggestions FAMILY TRADITION The bride carried a handkerchief that has been carried by all of the brides in the groom’s family since the 1950s GUEST BOOK ALTERNATIVE The bride’s mom made a quilt with blank squares for guests to sign RECEPTION MENU They splurged on passed hors d’oeuvres and gourmet food stations: a grilling station with beef tri-tip, grilled Rocky Mountain trout, and local Colosimo Linguica sausage boiled in Utah microbrew; a station with fruit and salads; and a station of sides including gnocchi with sweet Utah corn, brown butter, sage, and Chanterelle mushrooms (the couple’s favorite dish) DESSERT Carrot cake with cream cheese frosting topped with wire figurines of the couple rappelling down the sides and a “Sweet Tooth” station with peach pies in mason jars; spiked vanilla milkshakes; homemade bundt cakes; and vanilla, peach, and blackberry gelato FIRST DANCE SONG “Walk Through the World” by Marc Cohn THE DAY IN THREE WORDS Beautiful, joyful, delicious HONEYMOON Banff and Lake Louise