These Grooms Threw a Surprise Black-Tie Wedding at Stein Eriksen Lodge in Park City, Utah

"Unfortunately, Covid-19 had pushed our wedding date back and as more time went on, we decided to just pick a day and make it happen," recalls Jarl and Miguel of the road that led to their surprise black-tie wedding at Stein Eriksen Lodge in Park City, Utah. "The end of September is a beautiful time of year at Stein Eriksen Lodge in Deer Valley, Utah so we said September it is! The element of surprise for our guests was an important part of our wedding planning. We kept it small and intimate with only twelve guests. We wanted the element of a formal wedding with white flowers and candlelight that was timeless and elegant. Twenty minutes into our cocktail hour, we secretly slipped away from our guests to change into our Hugo Boss tuxedos and Giorgio Armani shoes. Our event planner asked guests to gather in front of the drapes and said before dinner, they were first invited to Miguel's and Jarl's surprise wedding! As the drapes parted, we stood in front of the fireplace soaking up everyone’s surprised faces.

As a cover story guests were told they were being invited to an engagement party for the couple. "Our twelve guests were hand-delivered save-the-date invitations along with a floral bouquet of white hydrangeas and roses in a silver vessel announcing an engagement dinner party," recalls Jarl. "One month before the engagement dinner another hand-delivered black box with an etched invitation on Lucite and designer masks with our initials J&M requesting everyone to wear black or white to our engagement event." 

Not only did Jarl and Miguel manage to plan their wedding in secret without anyone finding out, they also managed to pull together a truly exquisite event amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The duo's black-tie affair featured a black-and-white color palette and was filled to the brim with luxe phalaenopsis orchid, rose and hydrangea floral arrangements. The couple's wedding vendors "made our dream come true by creating an elegant, theatrical and an intimate wedding," shares Jarl. "The surprise ceremony took place in front of an exquisitely designed fireplace. As the drapes parted on the north side of the ballroom, guests were invited into a perfectly set 16' long table with black velvet linens and lush all-white floral designs of hydrangea, phalaenopsis orchids, and roses with dozens of black and gold candles."