Aspen
A Fun Aspen Wedding at T Lazy 7 Ranch
Erica & Barry | Aspen, Colorado
From the bride: We have lived in Aspen for 15 years. The T Lazy 7 Ranch was a dream location to embrace the beauty of this town and share with our family and friends our main motivation for living and working here. We live a life inspired by being in nature and beautiful places, we wanted to wed in and share a place with our family and friends that requires no words to express our connection.
Having our ceremony at the The T Lazy 7 Ranch meadow just didn’t require much décor as it is located in one of the most majestic places in the Rocky Mountains!
To their surprise, I had my bridesmaids picked up by the Aspen police and driven to the ceremony site with the lights and sirens on. As my sister is an Aspen police officer I have had great pleasure in getting to know the force and they were excited to be involved. My friends and family know I like to have fun and were not surprised by the shenanigans.
I dreamt of a fun and memorable arrival so I arrived in the rumble seat of a 1929 Ford roadster. We surprised the guests with the sound of the “A-HOOGA” horn as pulled into the ceremony site. I was feeling like Miss America for a moment, waving and sitting on the rumble seat as if in a parade in the model A roadster.
Barry and I have always had a love of John Denver’s Music, in particular “Rocky Mountain High”. I walked down the aisle to this song, performed by the Natalie Spears Cello and Banjo Duo. I couldn’t think of anyone better than Annie Denver herself to offer the sentimental side of the ceremony. Annie read love poems that Barry and I had prepared for one another.
The closer we got to our day, the importance of the words and act of this sacred ceremony became more focused. This may sound odd, but you can get sidetracked by hiring vendors and coordinating the event when the ceremony and the words spoken are the true purpose of the gathering. We wrote all of the ceremony content and there were a lot of joyful tears shed while writing and contemplating. I truly loved this process of putting so much care into each moment of our day. I wanted to create both a fun and sentimental wedding foregoing many traditions and truly making it our own.
When I was thinking about the “union ceremony”, I thought it would be fun to involve the Aspen police again and to be handcuffed as a symbol of our union. Ryan, our officiant, announced during the ring ceremony, “I think those rings were reported stolen in the Aspen Times…” He asked the police officer up to the alter. The officer confirmed jokingly that they were the stolen rings, he then handcuffed us and read a modified version of the Miranda rights that we had written. “You have the right to remain silent, when the other is speaking. Anything you say to one another can be used to create a stronger bond, You have the right to be happy forever, You have the right to inspire others from your infectious love.” Etc…. We heard from our guests how inventive, creative, fun and so loving our ceremony was. We had everyone laughing and crying all set in an amazing backdrop at T Lazy 7.
The reception was all about dancing, we forgoed a lot of traditions, hired an internationally renowned DJ and danced the night away.
My dance with Barry was very special, we hired a dance instructor to create a dance for us. we woke every day at 5:00am for 3 months before our wedding to practice our dance. It was the only time we could get our schedules together. I will always remember the sound of our laughs tripping over each other as we practiced in our PJs and dancing shoes so early in the morning. I had been told so many times that your day will go by so fast and because of this I was determined to enjoy all the moments that created and led up to our day.
I was told so many times that something would go wrong, I was prepared to go with the flow and I trusted everything would be perfect and my only goal was to embrace every moment of the day and not let it slip by without being deeply present. Nothing went wrong, it was the best day of my life.
ADVICE
Give yourself time to plan your wedding, it should be about the journey and not just the day. (We actually postponed ours after sending the save the dates to a year later because the stress was too great and it was feeling like an event I was putting on for others, I didn’t want to be a stressed-out bridezilla- that was one of my biggest goals).
THE WEDDING TEAM
Venue: T Lazy 7 Ranch went above and beyond to make our day exactly as we had envisioned. The lodge has so much character and it was way more fun for us to spend our money on our extended honeymoon.
Photographer: Kathryn Kim | Bouquet: Harrington Smith | HAMU: Makeup Artist Heather | Ceremony Musicians: Natalie Spears Duo | Rentals: Bethel Party Rentals | Caterer: Slow Groovin BBQ | DJ: DJ Naka G | Videographer: Elizabeth Workman
A Garden Wedding at Flying Dog Ranch
From the bride, Laura: It was a beautiful September day in the Roaring Fork Valley without a cloud in the sky and a comfortable 70 degrees. The garden at Flying Dog Ranch was perfectly manicured with an array of natural colors and flowers. Guests enjoyed cocktails and a breathtaking view of Mt. Sopris and the valley while they waited for the ceremony to begin.
The wedding party walked into “Good Day Sunshine” by the Beatles and I walked in with “Her Comes the Sun” by the Beatles (pretty appropriate for the day). The ceremony was held around the pond and was only about 8 minutes long.
We loved the views he view of the roaring fork valley!
We had lawn games setup around the garden for everyone to enjoy including a game called “Kan Jam” which incorporated throwing a frisbee which is how we met, playing ultimate frisbee.
We did our own photo booth. I bought a polaroid camera, props, and let people go nuts in our DIY photo booth. Everyone loved it. The photos along with a mini tree photo holder were their party gifts.
Looking back, I wish I would have made sure to take a photo with every guest.
ADVICE: Don’t stress too much it will all work out in the end.
The Wedding Team
Venue: Flying Dog Ranch. Lydia was calm and very professional, and she kept things smooth throughout the whole planning process and wedding day!
Photographer: Cat Mayer Studio // Caterer: European Caterers // Floral Design: Diz’s Daisys
Garden Chic at Flying Dog Ranch
From the couple: We visited all the popular venues in the Aspen area, but started feeling a little discouraged because nothing really matched our vision until we visited Flying Dog Ranch. As soon as we walked onto the property, it was love at first site. Lydia gave us a tour and we kept looking at each other thinking, this is going to be way outside our budget. We were shocked to hear it was half the cost of the other venues we had seen, and we committed on the spot to having the wedding there!
Read the entire wedding day story HERE!
RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Venue: Flying Dog Ranch // Photographer: Jason + Gina Wedding Photographers // Caterer: Pan and Fork // Cake: d’Elissious Cake Studio // Flowers: Carolyn’s Flowers // Wedding Gown Designer: Pronovias
A Fall Mountain Wedding in Aspen, Colorado
From the bride, Amanda: The mountains are so beautiful and help set the mood for an extremely special and important day. I am quite traditional and wanted a lot of the traditional aspects of a wedding. Since we had it in the mountains, I wanted a bit of the rustic appeal, but nothing overboard. Because it was a fall wedding, we made sure to have the theme fit the season with a palette of fall colors.
We planned a day wedding with the ceremony and reception on top of the mountain. We followed this with an after party at the hotel. We wanted to make sure we got to spend the entire day with our friends and family as well as be able to cut a rug without any worries about obligations.
The ceremony was on the Aspen Wedding Deck on the top of Aspen Mountain. The views are gorgeous but you could not see them. We literally had rain, hail and a thunder and lightning bolt that hit 30 feet away.
We had to stop the ceremony half way through and run inside to avoid getting soaked any further.
After we ran inside to escape the storm, my husband & I spent 5 minutes collecting ourselves before we went back out to start the ceremony again. Yes, that’s hail in my veil. There may have been a shot of whiskey involved to warm us up, but this was my favorite memory of the ceremony.
We had a good friend be our officiant. He did an amazing job, twice, since we had to start over.
When the clouds finally parted, it was pretty magical. I loved everything except the weather. A few tears were shed, but looking back, it made for a very memorable experience.
THE WEDDING TEAM
Photographer: Virginia Stiles Photography // Venue, Caterer & Cake: The Little Nell
Honeymoon Location: The Viceroy, Riviera Maya
Love & Laughter at Flying Dog Ranch
From the bride, Kearstin: The vision for our wedding began with my shoes. That may be unusual for some, but being a fan of fabulous footwear, I knew I found our colors when I locked eyes on a pair of tangerine and fuchsia peep toe heels. Both colors are bright, bold, and scream “Happy!”
Like many, we viewed our wedding as a great cause for celebration. Fun, playful, welcoming, and full of details reflecting our personalities were the feelings we wanted to evoke in our guests. Speaking of guests, aside from our dear friend Anne, who served as our officiant, we consciously chose not to have a wedding party. We felt that all our guests (friends & family) were there to support us and filled that role.
My grandmother’s favorite brooch was placed at the base of my wedding bouquet. 
Having planned and designed many friends’ weddings, ranging from flowers, decorations, coordinating with vendors, and even baking a cake, it was exciting to now be able to create our wedding. I enjoy coming up with creative ways to use or re-purpose things. This began with our handmade invitations, which were playful in their wording and interactive.
Guests were greeted by our hand crafted lemonade stand, complete with a tasseled awning and a few engagement photos strung along brake cable from a bike.
Mason jars with hand etched stripes, ribbon, and a bike charm awaited guests to enjoy drinks pre and post ceremony; not to mention serving as a fun take home gift.
Bike cogs served as our napkin ring holders. They were the perfect size and spoke (pun intended) to our love of bikes. The cogs were a big hit; we were pleasantly surprised to find that most guests took them home.
Being lovers of food, especially dessert, we offered our guests a dessert buffet comprised of our favorite sweet treats: fruit pies from Wisconsin, smiley face cookies from my hometown bakery, a three tiered Rice Krispie treat cake, creamsicles, a variety of candies like orange sherbert Jelly Bellys, Twizzlers, cotton candy, M & M’s in an antique gumball machine in our wedding colors served in and on antique glassware. And last, were the chocolate salted caramel cupcakes served up on a three tier bicycle wheel cupcake stand.
I can’t help but smile when I reflect on our wedding day. It was amazing to see and feel so much love and laughter from those near and dear to our hearts.
My advice: Don’t sweat the small stuff and go with the flow; guests tend not to notice and are unaware of unfinished details. Unexpected events, like an umbrella catapulting into the pond at our ceremony site, only add to the conversation of the day; no one was hurt. At the end of the day it is about the union of two people who love each other, so have fun, and don’t forget to eat!
RECOMMENDED VENDORS
FLYING DOG RANCH . We wanted a venue that not only felt intimate but showcased the beautiful Roaring Fork valley. Flying Dog Ranch allowed us the perfect setting.
Photographer: David Gillette Photography // Catering: Pan and Fork Supper Club
A Colorful Wedding in Snowmass, Colorado
We are seriously crushing on this amazing wedding from Frances Photography at the beautiful Viceroy Snowmass. From the ceremony to the reception, LMD Productions weaved a rich color palette of tangerine, fuchsia, red, gold and purple into every decor element while The Perfect Petal added vibrant florals that tied the luxurious design together. The talented team at Table 6 Productions created a magical day for this lovely couple.
THE VENDOR TEAM
Venue: Viceroy Snowmass // Photographer: Frances Photography // Event Planner: Table 6 Productions // Event Designer: LMD Productions // Floral Designer: The Perfect Petal
A Simply Perfect Wedding on Snowmass Mountain, Colorado
From the bride, Danielle:
Our day could not have been more perfect. Crisp blue skies, the Colorado mountain air, and 165 of our closest friends and family. Being from Chicago, we were so touched to be able to share our love for the area with our guests. The fact that we were able to have our ceremony and reception on the mountain I had been skiing and hiking on since I was 3 years old, just made it even more special.
Since Pete and I are both from large close-knit families, it was very important for us to capture and honor the love and support that we would continue to build off of in our life together. From collecting nearly 200 plates of china from our moms, aunts and friends across the country, to serving our family’s infamous pies and cookies (that my mom and brother baked all week!), there was a lot of love in every detail.
We kept it simple—set up the reception chairs on the open lawn near the cabin overlooking the valley below. We had a unity ceremony where we combined sand from Chicago and Colorado, and then took a moment to stand there together overlooking the incredible view and to take in that we had just said our vows.
I gave my dad the job of making wooden signs to direct our guests, and he took it over with great enthusiasm- making us a ‘Just Married’ sign to hang on the chairlift, with cans and all.
One of my favorite moments of our wedding day was the time Pete and I were able to have together after the ceremony. I had at first resisted leaving the party, but followed the sound advice and am so glad that we did. We took a chairlift ride together to soak in our just-sealed marriage and it could not have been more perfect.
We painted our seating chart on window frames we found at resale shops.
Another memorable moment was walking into our reception tent. I had never before felt such love and support as in that moment. Both Pete and I teared up as we walked in and stood on the dance floor looking at everyone around us that we loved cheering us on.
I am a sucker for vintage jewelry and design, so mixing vintage details in with the beautiful rustic setting was a natural fit; for the reception we mixed hard wood tables, heirloom china and lace runners with antique floral vases and jars.
We named our tables after our favorite restaurants.
We danced under the stars until they had to close the tent down. 
My advice: The best advice I was given was to remember that the day is about the two of you! Enjoy it and make sure to spend as much of it together.
Danielle’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Venue: Lynn Britt Cabin, Snowmass Mountain. An incredible site for a wedding!
Photographer: Selah Photography. Jackie and Matt were incredible to work with, both for our special day and since in putting together our album. They are so talented—we could not believe the images they were able to capture!
Guest Lodging: Villas at the Snowmass Club. They were so accommodating for our very large group, with over 75% traveling from out of state, they were so helpful in coordinate transportation and taking the best of care of for them!
Videographer: KHODGE Films. Kyle worked with us to create a custom package for our budget, and then went above and beyond to put together an incredible film with custom animation and music.
Event Planner: Jane Floyd and Associates // Cake: D’Elissious Cake Studio // Florist and Decor: The Aspen Branch // Caterer: ASC Catering // Reception Band: The Fab 4 // Tent & Party Rentals: Bethel Party Rentals // Wedding Gown: Carolina Herrera from Ultimate Bride in Chicago // Bridesmaid Dresses: Amsale, LulaKate and Bella Bridesmaid // Hair & Makeup: Becky Hanrahan, Studio B Beaute // MOH Suit: J.Crew
Honeymoon Location: Barcelona, Spain
Magic on Aspen Mountain
Sarah & Shea | September 22nd | Aspen, Colorado
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