Katie & John  |  July 7th  |  Crested Butte, Colorado

From the bride: Katie:
Crested Butte provided the perfect getaway for our guests that were coming in from all over the country.  Coupled with the Fourth of July, it makes for the perfect vacation.  We really wanted our guests to have an experience of their own and it’s impossible to not make your own memories on a Colorado getaway.

We really wanted the natural beauty of Crested Butte to set the scene so we kept it simple, but incorporated some “rustic elegance” to reflect the eclectic nature of Crested and its old west charm. I also wanted to pay respect to John’s Midwestern roots.

I wore my aunt’s pearls which were given to me by her daughter after she passed along with a pearl ring my mother received from her grandfather when she was a little girl.  My bouquet had 5 large white garden roses in memory of my maternal and paternal grandparents as well as my aunt. 

Our “first-born”, Teddy the Bulldog was also a big part of our day, as an honorary ring bearer (he never made it down the aisle) and master of ceremonies for the parade.

  The groomsmen wore either Elephant or Donkey cufflinks to reflect their political leaning.

John’s mother is a breast cancer survivor and we lost my beloved aunt to the disease in 2001 so it was really important to us to celebrate their lives.  In lieu of gifts for our guests, we decided to make a donation to the University of Colorado Breast Cancer Research Foundation. We ordered pint-sized glass bottles of fresh pink lemonade from a local Kansas City dairy and tied a handmade note to each in remembrance and celebration of their lives and asked guests to fill out the reserve side with a special note to honor a loved one that may have also been affected.  It was extremely touching to read the notes after the wedding.  It really put things in perspective.

The ceremony took place at The Woods Walk, a beautiful mountain meadow that looks out to Mt. Crested Butte and is situated just above the Town of Crested Butte.

Colorado suffered a severe drought this summer – with the exception of the week of our wedding. It rained every afternoon, but the stars aligned and the clouds parted 3 minutes before our ceremony was scheduled to start.  It made for a somewhat soggy setting, but an absolutely beautiful skyline as we read our own vows to each other as the mayor of Kansas City officiated.  

We sprinkled roses throughout the ceremony and reception as a tribute to our engagement in the White House Rose Garden.

Following our “I Dos”, our wedding party, guests, and our beloved English Bulldog, Teddy, lead by a Scottish bagpiper, joined us for an exuberant and picturesque 1 mile “parade” back to town and our reception site.  It was perfect.  Since it was the weekend of the Fourth of July, the streets were crowded with jubilant onlookers and well-wishers.

Our reception took place at Maxwell’s Steakhouse.  Like my husband, owners Molly and Peter Maxwell are Kansas City natives so it was the perfect setting for our theme – Mountain West meets Midwest.

Guests were greeted with Jack & Cokes (admittedly, I’m a Coca-Cola collector) as well as our signature drinks from a local speakeasy in Kansas City.  John’s drink, the “Jackson County Democrat” paid homage to his hometown and political leanings and passions while mine, the “Beautiful Red Bell” was a nod to my own (we have a divided house – in the best possible way!).  Our beer selections were all local Colorado brews or from Boulevard Brewery, a Kansas City staple.

We placed a VERY strong emphasis on the menu, which reflected our travels and Irish heritage.  We had corned beef & cabbage egg rolls (Ireland), beer & cheese soup shooters (Wisconsin – John’s a UW grad), and southwestern elk pinwheels (Colorado).  Dinner consisted of varying small plates: Baby Spinach Salad with Crispy Goat Cheese (Wisconsin), Buffalo Mini Burgers (Colorado), Macaroni & Cheese with KC smoked pulled pork (Missouri), and deconstructed lamb stew (Ireland). 

The interior of Maxwell’s feels a lot like a mountain lodge with a lot of log accents.

My advice: Enjoy the ride.  It’s easy to get worked-up and stressed-out but at the end of the day it’s about your love for each other and what makes YOU happy.  I was a few months into planning and ready to pull my hair out when I finally took a step back and realized I was trying to appease too many people.  We shifted the focus back to us.  At the end of the day, no one will remember the color of your napkins or the flowers at the altar so don’t sweat the small stuff.  Make the day about the EXPERIENCE.

MY RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Photographer:  Alison White Photography.  Second to none.  Alison’s photos tell the story of the day.
Ceremony Site: The Woods Walks, Crested Butte Land Trust. The perfect setting.
Reception Site: Maxwell’s.  The perfect hosts and absolutely impeccable food and service.
Event Planner:  Rachael Gardner, Crested Butte Events. Rachael and her team were incredible.
DJ: High Mountain DJs. Made the night come alive.
Musicians: Sam Swancutt, Bagpiper. Talented bagpiper.
Invitations/Programs:  Two Tone Press.  AMAZING letterpress shop based in Kansas City.  Our invitation suite was completely customized.  We sat down with the two owners, gave them a vision for our wedding and they came up with a design beyond our wildest imagination.