Montage Birthday Party | Park City Gala
This is Part Two of the most amazing birthday celebration we’ve ever photographed. Please find Part One (the Welcome Party) here.
Where to begin. The Montage in autumn is a stunning setting: the surrounding aspen are showcasing their full golden foliage, so the rolling mountains surrounding the luxury property are pretty much glowing at dusk. Guests entered to find Urban Electra, an all female electric string quartet flown in from Phoenix, rocking out. Chamber music… this is not. From Adele to Led Zepplin to Coldplay, these ladies offered strings with an electronica bend that had me & V tapping our toes.
Mouth-watering appetizers were passed around as guests mingled on the enormous 5,000sqft terrace that overlooks Deer Valley mountaintops. As it was the evening before, the best part of the night for us was seeing so many hugs & smiles and hearing so much laughter & enthusiasm all around. We don’t often get to photograph such a *lively* group, and all the energy makes it easy for us to relay a joyous atmosphere in the images.
After a several-course meal in one of the Montage Ballrooms, our host Francis was honored with toasts and speeches from his wife, children, brother, and nieces & nephew. There was heartfelt appreciation; there was singing; there was happiness. It.was.awesome. Just awesome. I’m not sure there was a dry eye in the house, including both me & V, as his brother described — his voice thick with emotion — the influence Frances has had on him throughout the past 30 years. The way these people spoke about him, and the way people in the audience cheered and cried and applauded… well, I think it’s the type of respect, admiration, and love all of us on this planet hope to inspire within others.
The night took a super fun turn when Beatlemajesty took the stage, starting with “Birthday” and rocking onward for hours (including several costume changes). The band features the same performers who starred on Broadway in the box office smash, and they traveled from Vegas for this event. People were jamming, and this bash was a complete blast.
