Rehearsal dinners used to live in the shadows of the wedding reception. Now, they complement the big day. At Park City wedding venues, where destination couples host guests from all over the world for a weekend (not just the wedding day), rehearsal dinners launch the wedding and provide a festive welcome for guests visiting Utah, often for the first time.
Luckily for Park City couples, the mountain resort town boasts legendary restaurants available year-round. “These are the most-shot rehearsal dinner venues in Park City,” photographer Pepper Nix explains. “Not all couples hire a photographer for their rehearsal dinner, but they should. The night’s vibe is so different from that of the wedding day.”
High West Saloon is Park City’s rehearsal-dinner darling. Enlist the cowboy band “Hired Guns,” and instruct your guests to come in cowboy casual attire—boots and cowboy hat encouraged. On cool nights, gather ‘round the whiskey-barrel fire pits and sample the whiskey selection. The ski-in gastro-distillery is housed inside two preserved historical buildings.
350 Main is a strong, pre-wedding favorite. The boutique restaurant offers light fare and seafood in a historic building. It serves local and sustainable food, largely sourced in the Wasatch Mountains. To keep the party going (or to get the party started), head next door to 350 Main’s sister establishment The Spur Bar & Grill where guests can listen to live music and enjoy wings, burgers and brick-oven pizzas.
Despite being one of the oldest restaurants in Park City, the Riverhorse on Main features an industrial-contemporary interior and serves up “eclectic” American cuisines including local rainbow trout, macadamia nut-crusted halibut and filet mignon. The celebrated venue boasts an outdoor patio overlooking Park City’s historic Main Street.
Daly’s at Montage Deer Valley is a casual option offering brick-oven pizzas, darts and bowling. For larger rehearsal dinners, the grand Mountain Lawn glows with patio lights in the summertime. The Vista Lounge, a popular site for wedding receptions, is also an option.
Speaking of bowling, Jupiter Bowl at Kimball Junction offers private spaces for parties upto 400 guests. The alley offers bowling, billiards, an arcade, a sports bar, 32 screens of live sports, bar food and cocktails.
Stein Eriksen Lodge’s Flagstaff Deck boasts one of the best views of Deer Valley Resort’s Flagstaff Mountain—white in the winter, yellow in the fall and evergreen in the summer. Long, family-style dining tables, bistro lights and gourmet cuisine encourage guests to relax and linger.
