Winter weddings
A New Year’s Eve Wedding in the Green Mountains of Vermont
Elyse & Brian | December 31st
From the bride… When we got engaged, I knew that I wanted a winter wedding. I had dreamed about being surrounded by snow-covered mountains while wearing a simple dress with vintage touches and a fur stole. I knew what I wanted, but Brian took some convincing- he couldn’t picture getting married in the winter because he thought it would be too cold and people wouldn’t come. In the end, he realized that if I was happy, he would be happy.
THE DATE
Originally, we hadn’t thought about having a New Year’s Eve Wedding. We quickly learned that New Year’s Eve was one of the last dates the Mountain Top Inn had available for 2018. It felt like it was meant to be, so we canceled our second day of venue tours and booked our date 12.31.2018! Once we had the date and the venue finalized everything else sort of fell into place. Being that it was New Year’s Eve, I knew that I wanted everything to be very simple and elegant with just a hint of glitz and glam.
FINDING MY DRESS
My first (and last) dress appointment was on a Saturday morning in May. All of the important women in my life joined me to help me find my dress- there was 9 of us pulling dresses to try. I had thought I wanted a long sleeve dress, but once I tried starting things on, I realized very quickly that I did not like the dresses that had sleeves and went back to a strapless with a sweetheart neckline. I had thought I may have found my dress it was very, very, simple/ plain when my consultant said to me “Wait here one minute before you decide- I just thought of something!” She came back with ‘Katalina’ dress from Spring 2018 collection from ‘Blue by Enzoani.’ The minute that I stepped into the dress, I fell in love with the simplicity of it. My favorite part of my dress was the tulle at the bottom with the wide crinoline ribbon around the hem. I felt as though I needed to add a few details to the dress, so I had my seamstress sew a string of crepe buttons down the back along the zipper. She also sewed on an art deco inspired belt at the waist to add a little bit of glitz for the event. I also wore a vintage silver fox fur while we were outside for photos. My wedding look felt very classic and elegant.
THE BOUQUET
My elegant bouquet incorporated anemone flowers for a pop of darkness which really made it stand out from the rest of the white flowers. I loved the contrast.
THE BRIDESMAIDS
The silver sequin dresses perfectly blended with the snow, and they all looked like they had dresses made out of snowflakes. I gave all her bridesmaids necklaces with the geographical coordinates of the Mountain Top Inn and matching earrings.
THE CEREMONY DÉCOR
Brian and I wanted our ceremony site to feel warm and romantic, so we decided to use a lot of flowers and candles in our decor. The arbor had a beautiful flower piece on the top left corner with a smaller piece on the right side and my mom, Patty, had bought a very soft romantic feeling fabric that draped around the birch to soften it up a bit. On either side of the arbor as well as down the aisle we had white rose petals with several candles lit in clusters at varying heights- it was gorgeous!
THE CEREMONY
My Aunt Trixie was our officiant, and she knows me better than most people. She knew exactly what to do to personalize our ceremony so that it would be meaningful for us. Brian’s cousin Pete did a reading. My sister Sarah and Brian’s brother Scott assisted in a traditional “hand-fasting” ceremony (knot tying/blessing of the hands) honoring our Irish heritage. Most importantly, our parents were invited up to read us our vows to each other. Brian and I had not heard any of the speeches ahead of time and had no idea what my Aunt had planned. It was amazing experiencing it all for the first time at the ceremony at the same time that our guests heard it. The love we felt from everyone surrounding us at our ceremony was overwhelming- we could not have been happier in that moment!
THE MEN’S ATTIRE
Keeping with the elegant New Year’s Eve vibe, we decided to have Brian, and his groomsmen wear black tuxedo’s with black bow ties.
THE RECEPTION DECOR
We knew that we wanted it to feel elegant and decided to keep it simple mostly white with hints of silver and grey throughout. To add some warmth to the reception barn, we decided to use drapes around a lot of the wood posts- we didn’t have a huge wedding, so it not only helped to separate the space but also added a softness to an area that had a lot of wood details.
I loved our centerpieces- we incorporated mirrors for dimension with floating candles and white flower arrangements with a hint of greenery.
MY ADVICE
Enjoy every second of it together, have fun, and try not to sweat the small things! Find a venue and vendors that will help to guide you through the process. Our planning was a breeze, and we owe most of it to our vendors for keeping in touch with us throughout the entire process and sending reminders when certain deadlines were approaching.
THE WEDDING TEAM
Photographer: Idena Beach Photography
Venue, Lodging, Caterer, Flowers: The Mountain Top Inn & Resort
DJ: Top Hat Entertainment
Skiing Down the Aisle to Love
Sydney & Garret | March 24th
From the bride: After meeting online, our first adventure together was a charity event for The Greenway Foundation. Hosted on a bridge over the Platte River in Denver, Colorado, this unique date served as the perfect backdrop for the start of our adventure together. In the months to follow, we discovered numerous shared passions which created an inseparable bond. We bonded through our mutual love of skiing, camping, golfing, and our mutual pursuit for unceasing laughter.
It quickly became obvious that nothing could separate our bond. After a year and a half of skiing through trees, countless weekend getaways, and roll on the floor laughter, Garret decided to pop the question. With a vision for a wildly romantic proposal on our trip to Hawaii, Garret had secretly tucked the ring away in a carry-on. When we got to the airport, our checked bag was far too heavy, and we had to open and reorganize all of our bags. While Garret frantically tried to hide the ring in the chaos, he made a split-second decision: he couldn’t wait until Hawaii. Garret got down on one knee, right in the middle of the Denver International Airport, and I said yes!
As we planned our wedding, one thing was clear: adventure has always been a constant in our relationship. Accordingly, for our wedding, we decided to hit our favorite slopes in Mount Crested Butte, Colorado and ski down the aisle, towards our next adventure as husband and wife.
THE WEDDING TEAM
Venue: Crested Butte Mountain Resort
Photographer: Third Eye Photography
Holiday Inspiration in the Mountains
Is there any place more magical than the mountains during the holidays? No way! Wintertime in the mountains is a season filled with breathtaking beauty and romance. We hope these pretty images from C. Baron Photography photographed at Snowbird inspire you to spend the holidays in the mountains!
CREDITS: Photographer: C. Baron Photography | Location: Snowbird
A Winter Elopement in Breckenridge
Snowball fights, ski lift rides, and a mountaintop elopement ceremony- does a wedding get more fun than that? We certainly don’t think so. Breeann and Andy celebrated their love with an intimate ceremony atop a snowy mountain at Sapphire Point Overlook in Breckenridge, Colorado. However, the mountaintop exchange wasn’t even the most magical part of the day. Filled with love, laughter, and pure happiness, Breeann and Andy’s big day is one that won’t soon be forgotten.
We love her weather appropriate boots!
Breeann radiated pure joy as she shared an intimate first look with her husband to be.
All smiles, the outdoorsy pair headed to Breckenridge for some whimsical shots on the ski lift and in the snow. Not even a little bit afraid of the cold, Breeann and her beau threw snowballs and collapsed in laughter in the snow. The soulful laughs these two share represent the kind of love that comes once in a lifetime, and we love the way that this fun-loving couple look at each other with nothing but adoration.
By the time they reached Sapphire Point, Breeann and Andy were more than ready to say “I Do” and they proudly displayed their “We Eloped” sign among the snow and trees.
Finally feeling a little bit of a chill, the newlyweds donned a flannel and beanie, respectively, for a few more shots before heading inside for some well-deserved champagne and celebration. It truly doesn’t get more beautiful than a mountaintop elopement!
THE ELOPEMENT TEAM
Photographer: From the Hip Photo | Ceremony Location: Sapphire Point | Reception Venue: Ember
Winter Wedding Bridal Style
Inspired by the Disney movie Frozen, this winter styled shoot in the Rocky Mountains of Utah showcases a gorgeous sparkling blue gown with a luxurious white cape. For the bride planning a winter wedding in the snow, this shoot will inspire you to consider a colorful dress paired with white accessories and a touch of sparkle.
From the photographer C. Baron Photography:
Has anyone told you to “Let It Go,” but you just can’t? Well, we just simply couldn’t let this one go! I mean, who could? We absolutely adored our very own “Frozen” inspired shoot. We ventured far and away and created a spectacular kind of magic – just as Queen Elsa did. We can’t believe how gorgeous the landscape was, but it pales in comparison to Elsa. Isn’t she stunning? She truly glowed in her icy element. It was simply unreal to watch “real life” Elsa stroll through the snow. As the sun went down, the temperatures did too, but the cold never bothered us anyway. Before we knew it, it was time to allow Elsa to return to Arendelle.
The gorgeous cupcakes were inspired by Elsa’s ice castle and the perfect pop of bubbly.
THE STYLE TEAM
Photographer: C. Baron Photography | Hair Stylist: JYN Beauty | Location: Snowbird | Paper Props: Invitation Solutions
A Colorado Elopement in the Snow
Laura & Adam | Breckenidge, Colorado
From the bride: We started planning a big wedding here in Houston but found it so stressful that we decided to elope. We already had a trip planned to Breckenridge, Colorado with friends so we said why not?!
We rented a 10-passenger van so all our friends could stay together throughout the day.
I decided to wear pink snow boots because traditional wedding shoes didn’t seem practical.
My favorite part of the day was everything our friends did to make it so special. They planned lots of little touches that I never would have thought of.
THE WEDDING TEAM
Photographer: We, The Light Photography | Hair & Make-up: First Impressions Salon & Spa | Flowers: Garden of Eden | Location: Sapphire Point
A Winter Wedding in Keystone
Nichele & Ben | Keystone, Colorado
From the bride: We fell in love snowboarding together a few years back. When Ben asked me to marry him, he mentioned having a destination wedding in Colorado, I thought he was crazy but I was on board in no time!
MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT
The first look! I wouldn’t have done it any other way. Seeing my husband see me for the first time was so very special!
THE CEREMONY
We had the perfect mountaintop ceremony. It was a fairytale dream come true.
THE WEDDING TEAM
Photographer: Sarah Roshan | Event Planner: Distinct Mountain Events | Floral Design: Lady Bird Poppy | Officiant: Phil Gallagher | Venue: Keystone Resort
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A Magical Wedding in Colorado
Jordan & Max | April 29th | Colorado
From the photographer, From the Hip Photo: Chandeliers, snow, and lots of love– does it get any better than that? Jordan and Max’s winter wedding could not have been more elegant, simple, or magical. The temperatures may have been below freezing, but that didn’t put a damper on this adventurous duo’s big day- quite the opposite!
Jordan and Max started their wedding day off in an (unsurprisingly) similar fashion. Champagne and Whiskey flowed as they each got ready with their group of closest friends. The girls giggled and primped while the men joked around and adjusted ties.
The ceremony itself was so simple and so joyful. The bridal party cried as the pair exchanged I-do’s, in fact, we don’t think there was a dry eye to be found. Large floor to ceiling windows allowed guests to watch the snowfall outside, but the brick interior kept the vibe cozy and warm.
All smiles and butterflies, the pair headed into the snow for some portraits that can only be described as stunning. Underneath glowing chandeliers, the couple kissed and embraced as snow swirled around them- to Jordan and Max it seemed as if they were the only two people on earth.
The Wedding Team
Photographer: From the Hip Photo | Floral Designer: The Painted Primrose | Caterer: Origin’s Catering | Venue: The Lionsgate Event Center | Cake Designer: Nancy Best Cake Design | DJ: DJ Maestro