Photography by Callie Riesling Photography

From the photographer, Wendy Dixon of Innovative Memories Photography:
Picture the wedding day of your dreams…you’re nestled in the rolling hills with the Appalachian mountain range in view…it’s autumn, the sun is out, but there’s a chill in the air. PERFECT!! Mark and Kristy couldn’t have planned it any better! Every detail carefully planned and considered. So many thoughtful gestures to their guest expressing their appreciation of their presence on their day! Meaningful details applied, like her mother’s sleeve from her wedding dress used to wrap around her bouquet. Then there were the windows from her grandparents house framing the country blue door that served as a backdrop. I can still hear the laughter, smell the food and feel the emotion of the day.

Kristy’s dress was GORGEOUS and her colors tied in perfectly with the autumn palate that landscaped the venue. 

Simple bouquets of crespedias flowers, wrapped with burlap, popped with autumn yellows! The bridesmaids chose their styles in matching gray and wore yellow sweaters and shoes. From the bride, Kristy:
Our day was all about the comfort feel of Home where love and welcome-ness overflow into fun! Our friends and family were a part of every detail. We wanted everyone who came to know that they were appreciated. I will never forget the time I spend with Mark before the wedding. Away from everyone, we were able to soak up some moments together before the rush of the event, just talking and realizing that our day was a here.

The ceremony was outdoors on a beautiful fall afternoon. The back drop was built by my father from with windows from my great-grandparents house.
We wanted to start our marriage off by serving one another through the act of washing each others feet. I was so ‘in the moment’ that I forgot to repeat my vows, which started a chain reaction of laughter!

The reception was low key and full of fun. 

Kristy’s advice:  RELAX. The day comes and goes so fast. Although the details are fun, they are not what you remember. Make decisions that you like and want and entrust your vision to someone who knows you well, and let the rest go. Enjoy your day with YOUR LOVE. Soak up the engagement time, t is a sweet blink of the eye!

Kristy’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Photographer:  Innovative Memories Photography  //  Venue: The Densmore Farm

From the bride, Catalina:
Sustainability of our surroundings is very important to us and became a deciding factor when we chose the destination for our wedding.  We wanted our guests to experience the Colorado mountains and enjoy the incredible scenery.  We decided on an intimate wedding at Devil’s Thumb Ranch with the presence of just our family and closest friends.  Our wedding day was truly unforgettable!

The moment we can’t stop thinking about is when we first saw each other. We decided to wait and see each other until the ceremony. As soon as our eyes met, we were overwhelmed with love and happiness. We had herbs of rosemary, thyme, sage, basil and lavender, flowers and ferns as table decorations. We wanted to be able to reuse the decorations so we gave many plants to friends and family and also planted some in our herb garden. By the end of the evening it was snowing and we were so happy. The snow made the night feel still and romantic. We couldn’t have asked for a better day. It was magical.

Catalina’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS
All of the vendors we chose were absolutely wonderful. We wanted to support local businesses and had this in mind when we made our choices.

Venue: DEVIL’S THUMB RANCH {More info  | Website}.  We chose Devil’s Thumb Ranch because of its unique and beautiful setting in the Colorado mountains.
Photographer:  David Lynn Photography.  Captured our wedding day exactly how we remember it.
Floral Designer: Plum Sage Flowers.  Amazing job with the herbs, flowers, plants and candles.
Cake: Teacup.  Unbelievably delicious.
Invitations, seating chart, table numbers:  Tasha Rae Designs
Hair Stylist: Weemala

From the bride, Emily:
We wanted to get married somewhere beautiful. A place where we could be married outside, hold the wedding and reception at the same place, and somewhere that could lodge our out of town guests. Moose Creek Ranch was the perfect place.

After the ceremony our guests were able to enjoy light refreshments and drinks while milling around the grounds at Moose Creek Ranch. We had cornhole (a bean bag game) set up as well as plenty of outdoor sitting.

Jarrod and I had a surprise choreographed dance which was followed by a full fledged dance party had by all.

A mountain destination wedding is perfect for those who love to be outside. Getting married is the most special day a couple can have and it should be in the most beautiful place possible. I loved the whole feel of Moose Creek Ranch, especially the barn with its twinkle lights. 

My advice: Try not to stress, and start planning early. It’s your wedding only do what you want. Also, I really didn’t want to organize a seating chart so instead I put up a sign outside the lodge that read, “Come as you are, stay as long as you can, we’re all family, no seating plan.” Best decision ever.

 Emily’s Recommended Vendors

Venue: Moose Creek Ranch { More info | Website }.  This place is beautiful, quiet, and has awesome ‘glamping’ tents.

Photographer: Jamye Chrisman Photography { More info | Website }.  Jamye was everywhere and nowhere all at once. She captured all the required shots, was very unassuming, all with a very reasonable price.

From the bride, Alison:
We love the mountains, skiing, and the beauty of Lake Tahoe and just wanted to share that with our family and friends. It’s a magical place. Our guests loved being in Tahoe and it was really important to us that our guests, most of whom traveled quite far to be with us, were happy and comfortable and having a good time.

 It was a beautiful ceremony with the sun pouring in through the huge windows behind the altar, magical!

After the ceremony we walked out of the church and Brian has a horse drawn sleigh waiting. I was completely surprised and it was so fun.

Our first dance song ended up being longer than we remembered, it was nice to have time together just laughing and dancing.

There was a lot of amazing dance moves being thrown around. Including a dance off to some Michael Jackson tunes, little cousins and older couples all doing the gangnam style, everyone was up out of the chairs and that is exactly what I wanted. I was on the dance team in college so having everyone on the dance floor made me really happy.

My advice: Don’t take wedding planning too seriously, everything will be perfect and the stuff that doesn’t get done probably wasn’t that important.

 The day after our wedding instead of doing a brunch we decided to do an Après Ski at High Camp. We had snacks (soft pretzels, popcorn, cookies, etc) and an open bar with spiked hot cocoas. For the non-skiers we provided tram tickets so they could get up to high camp and a good number of people skied over. It was just perfect and relaxing. Some people brought their bathing suits and enjoyed the hot tubs as well. We really wanted all of our guests to experience the breath-taking views that High Camp offered so this was the perfect way to it.

Alison’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Ceremony Site: Queen of the Snows Catholic Church

Photographers: Annie X Photographie and Court Leve Photography.  Annie and Court were amazing to work with! They did such a great job and they are just so fun. Most of the time you have no idea they are even there, but they still manage to capture all the wonderful moments. They are just awesome. I cant say enough about them. We were so happy to have them at our wedding.

Reception Site, Caterer, Lodging: Olympic Village Lodge at Squaw Valley. We loved the large windows and fireplace and the huge dance floor. The food was incredible, rave reviews from some very picky eaters.  Jessie, the wedding coordinator was extremely helpful throughout the entire process.

Musicians: Brian Hess and Co  //  Rentals: Crux Events  //   Florist: Tahoe Flower Power //  Photobooth & Video: Russell Brothers Productions  // Hair: Danielle at Salon Bella Vita  //  Makeup: Jen at Kiss and Makeup  //  Invitations & Programs: Lauren M Design  //  Wedding Gown:  Haley Paige, JLM Couture  //  Bridesmaid Dresses: JLM Couture  //  Men’s Wear: Indochino

Honeymoon Location: Harbour Island, Out Islands, Bahamas.  Harbour Island is one of our most favorite places on earth.

From the bride, Sarah:
We were married in Aspen because we met in Denver 2.5 years earlier and while we dated we spent many weekends in the Aspen Valley. We wanted our friends and family to experience the village and be able to run into each other around town while enjoying the beautiful fall colors.

We wanted our wedding to be comfortable, fun and classic.  We wanted our laid back personalities to come through during the day and tried to concentrate on the little things that we really cared about.
Because September 22nd was the peak of the Aspen leaves turning colors we didn’t want to distract or compete with nature so we went all Black and White.  The flowers were all white with slight sage green accents, the  flower girls wore silver dresses with black sashes.

During the ceremony a bird flew off of a nearby tree and circled over our heads while the Pastor remembered our Grandparents who are no longer with us. 

My advice: Don’t forget to look at your husband-to-be while you are walking down the aisle.  It is tempting to look at all the guests, but don’t, because looking at your man will calm your nerves and you’ll want to remember the look on his face. 

We live in the East Bay of San Francisco and spend lots of time in Napa learning about wine.  We collected wine corks from the day we got engaged and then used them as table numbers for our guests. 

We chose every song the band played (all fun and they even learned Georgia on My Mind and Chicken Fried for us). 

After the wedding we took the Gondola down the mountain.  It was a detail that I hadn’t thought about before it happened.  It was just the two of us leaving the reception with our friends all cheering and then we got into the cab and it took off over the mountain.  We had 16 minutes all to ourselves.  As mentioned the weather was perfect and so the night sky was pitch black with a million stars and it was absolutely silent.  My new husband and I sat together awestruck from the day and soaking up the landscape. 

Sarah’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Photographer: Jamee Photography  // Ceremony Site: Aspen Mountain Wedding Deck  //  Reception Site & Caterer: Aspen Mountain Club  //  Event Planner: Jane Floyd & Associates  //  Band: Heartbeat by Starkey Productions //  Cake: D’Elissious  //   Florist: Harrington Smith  //  Guest Lodging: Aspen Square Hotel //  Wedding Gown: Modern Trousseau from Anna Be

From the photographer, Sarah Joelle:
Rachel and Nathan planned an intimate March wedding hoping for snow… and they got their wish! It snowed ALL day creating a winter wonderland for the backdrop! Their wedding took place at a private family residence surrounded by snow-capped evergreens. Gold and silver hues were consistent though out the decor and styling with sparkly details and shimmering metallics. In their relationship Rachel is the “song bird” and Nathan is an “owl” so there were bird details as well… including the birdcage and decorative twig balls symbolic of birds nests. The day was filled with joy and happy tears…it was clear that this couple was loved well by their friends and family! And as the sun was setting everyone sat down at a candle lit table with a beautiful spread of gourmet cheeses, olives, and Spanish wines with dinner to follow.

From the bride, Rachel:
Our winter wonderland of a wedding was an intimate affair. Every decision, from the food, to my hair clip, had meaning.

Before the ceremony started, I gave Nathan a journal of my  thoughts and prayers that I’ve been collecting since I was a child, praying for my future spouse. 

We loved playing outside in the snow snapping our pictures.  It was a blast! 

The reception was aglow with warmth from the candles and love that was felt by all. 

My advice: Don’t sweat the small stuff, and it’s mostly all small. 

Rachel’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Photographers: Sarah Joelle Photography with Laura Lee Anderson Photography.  Sarah captured exactly what we wanted!  She has a great, artistic eye, and is very creative.
Flowers:  Petal and Bean  //  Rentals: Colorado Tents and Events

From the photographer, Carmen Adams of FRESH:
Cristina and Court’s wedding of apple green, cantaloupe, and ivory included many personal details and nods to their cultural heritage. The mother-of-the-bride’s lace was lovingly sewn into the hem of Cristina’s gown.  She also paid homage to her mother’s Filippino heritage with the veil & cord ritual – symbolizing the joining of the couple – and the coin ritual (aka Arras) – symbolizing blessings on the marriage.  St. Anthony’s was the chosen ceremony location for the Catholic couple who appreciate its’ simple beauty. Their reception at The Colombo was chosen based on its historic significance in the Italian community and its personal history, being the site of the groom’s parents’ wedding decades prior. These are just the kind of people that Cristina and Court are. The kind that regard each other, their family and their in-laws with respect and honor. They are definitely a couple who prioritize marriage over wedding.

From the bride, Tracie:
I grew up in Colorado and wanted to get married in the mountains. We have friends and family from all over the country and having our wedding in Colorado provided our guests with a mini vacation.

I loved my dress it! I wish I could justify wearing it all the time!

My dad married us which was incredibly special for me. He did a great job of weaving our two cultures, Christian & Jewish, into the short but meaningful vows. I felt like we were in our own world yet with all our friends and family watching. It was very surreal for me, quiet, beautiful and magical.

Our centerpieces were a brilliant mix of colors that just reminds you of a spectacular summer garden.  Our reception had that feeling of a casual dinner in a backyard garden with good friends, good food and good wine.

Our first dance was really fun. We danced to Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” .  We whispered in each others ears and laughed together the entire song, it might have been my favorite part of the night.

Tracie’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Photographer:  Lindsay J. C. Lack   //   Venue:  The Lodge & Spa at Breckenridge  //  Caterer: Black Diamond Gourmet  //  Wedding Gown: Allure purchased from Encore Bridal  // Bridesmaid Dresses: White House Black Market  //  DJ: Top Hat Entertainment

 Black Mountain Bliss                       Rocky Mountain Chic                      Rustic in Jasper

Vintage Romance in NY                    Eclectic & Fun in Colorado             Country Elegance in Vail

Rustic Chic in Vermont                          Winter in Banff                            Simply Sweet at Snowbird