Fall Weddings
An Intimate September Wedding at Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch with Stunning Views and Cozy Chic Vibes
Caren & Chris | September 21st
From the bride: We met on a beautiful sunny day in April after a day of spring skiing. After that, we quickly became friends, skiing together, hiking on the full moon, and going on early-season rock climbing adventures. Before long, our friendship turned into more, and our day trips turned into weekends hiking in the mountains, exploring new towns, and climbing as much as possible.
THE PROPOSAL
Chris proposed in the Jackson, WY Town Square under the elk antler arches. We were on a weekend trip and had just finished a great ski day at Jackson Hole. In the same exact moment that he got down on one knee, the lights around the elk antlers coincidentally came on.
THE VENUE
Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch. I had been to the ranch about 10 years ago with my family and at the time thought it would be an amazing place to get married. It’s a stunning location, and I loved that most of the guests could stay on site. Chris knew it was a place I loved and reached out to Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch. one month before he proposed to see about possible wedding dates! What a guy! They were all booked at the time, but about a week after we got engaged, the last weekend of the season opened up, and it was ours. It was meant to be. The rest of the planning really fell into place after that.
THE VISION
We really wanted an intimate feel. We wanted a small wedding with those we love the most in the world. We did a lot of things DIY to add personal touches. This is who Chris and I are. We like to do things ourselves. We like small, intimate gatherings, and we like things to be soft and cozy. We love making fires in chilly weather, and we love being in the mountains.
THE STYLE
We already loved everything about the ranch, and the setting is so beautiful as it is, so we wanted the ranch to just do what they do best, and we did our best to enhance it with added elegance and warmth.
THE SEASON
Since it was late September, the weather could be very unpredictable, so we started planning for colder weather, just in case, so the overall décor was cozy chic.
THE COLOR PALETTE
In terms of colors, I wanted everything to be bright and vibrant. These days wedding colors are often so muted, and I wanted to do the complete opposite.
THE DRESS
I ended up with was the first dress I put on in the store, and the first thing I said after putting it on was, “Now that’s a wedding dress!” I tried on a bunch more dresses at that store and one other store that day but ended up going back to that first dress from Modern Trousseau.
THE SHOES
My shoes were the same ones I wore to my sister’s wedding 5 years prior. I bought and returned about 10 pairs of shoes only to realize that I had the perfect shoes already sitting in my closet.
THE DAY OF
Everyone was spirited, glowing, and relaxed from a day of yoga, hiking, and soaking in the hot springs.
THE CEREMONY DECOR
We added fur to the ceremony benches and offered our guests soft plaid blankets during the ceremony for them to keep.
THE CEREMONY
My dad and mom both walked me down the aisle. My mom told me years ago, long before I ever met Chris, that that was how it was going to be. I didn’t question it.
The ceremony was incredibly cozy and personal. The sun was out, but there was a slight chill in the air, so all of the cozy touches were fully appreciated.
The ceremony was everything I’d ever dreamed of and more. All of the details came together beautifully, and I felt fully present and connected to Chris.
THE SEATING CHART
Our favorite detail was our “Peaks from the Porch” string art escort board. Chris and I wanted to do something creative for our table seating escort board. After visiting the ranch in June, we realized that the “peaks from the porch” (Sawtooth mountain peaks visible from the Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch) were a real highlight of the venue, which gave us the idea for the wood string artboard of the Sawtooth peaks that I created.
LOOKING BACK
Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch is easily the most beautiful place to get married anywhere, and Chris and I were so grateful to say our vows and make it official there in the mountains. We had the most wonderful friends and family supporting us. That combination was pure magic. People are still raving about the ceremony blankets, Chef Victor’s food (especially the gnocchi), and the dancing!
ADVICE
Keep it personal and when the wedding week/weekend arrives, forget about the details and focus on: 1) your future spouse and 2) all of your family and friends that are there to celebrate you, in that order.
THE WEDDING TEAM
Venue: Idaho Rocky Mountain Ranch Photographer: Craig Wolfrom Photography // Floral Designer: Tara Bella Flowers // Event Planner: Blue Bottle Events // Rentals: That’s Entertainment // Cocktails: Roadbars // Hair Stylist: Bonnie Snell from The Feathered Flip
A Rainy Fall Honeymoon Adventure
Bethann & Jensen | Telluride, Colorado
From the photographer, Rachel Beckwith:
Having your love documented on your honeymoon should most definitely be a thing. You’ve just had an amazing wedding day, all the nerves, stress, and built up anticipation are gone, and you are just able to enjoy your time with your new spouse with the freedom to be completely relaxed. It’s the perfect opportunity to get some meaningful memories captured that will forever remind you of your first trip together as a married couple.
This is exactly what Bethann and Jensen did, and it was such an incredible experience. In the days after their wedding, they took a mini-honeymoon to Telluride, Colorado, right at the peak of the spectacular Fall foliage this region displays. We decided to do a sunrise adventure and started to drive out in complete darkness after downing some coffee of course. It was a rainy morning, so we didn’t get to see the sunrise, but it made for an even more memorable session. There’s just something so romantic about kissing in the rain especially when you have these breath-taking views all to yourself.
A Romantic Floral-Filled Ski Resort Wedding
Nikki & Pete | September 22nd
For a bride whose childhood memories are filled with days of playing in her family’s flower shop in New Canaan, Connecticut—BonFleur, a word play on Bongaerts’ Flowers—there was never any question that flowers would play an integral role in her wedding. Nikki’s parents are now the owners of a nationwide flower wholesale company – Florabundance. With ties so strong in the floral industry, flowers such as ranunculus, astilbe, tulips, blushing bride protea, garden roses, and hellebores were sourced from around the world. Floral designers Shawn Chamberlain of Flower Bar Co. and Alicia Schwede of Bella Fiori / Flirty Fleurs flew into Utah to bring the couple’s floral visions to fruition. Shawn worked closely with the couple to bring their bright and cheery color palette of green, pink and touches of white to life in the lodge. The flower team spent 5 days working inside the lodge to transform it into a romantic garden-inspired space.
From the Bride… Alta Ski Area in Alta, Utah, has been our special place since we started dating five years ago. As soon as I said “yes,” we asked each other to blurt out where we wanted to get married. We both shouted out, “Alta!” Pete began skiing at Alta as a young child, and I went for my first time while I was dating Pete but taking a gap year in Utah. With Pete’s insistence, I bought an Alta season pass. He came to visit me multiple times that winter and our favorite thing to do was always to ski Alta together. Alta is also the place where we would continue to come on annual ski trips together, and after a long day on the slopes, we would love nothing more than to hit up the Alta Peruvian Lodge’s bar, affectionately known to most as the “P Dog.” One day after our engagement, we called Todd at the Peruvian Lodge and booked our date- the last available for 2018, and the exact one we wanted: September 22.
THE DATE
Having moved out to Park City a few months post-engagement, the wedding planning really came to life since we were local to our venue. In our vision, we wanted the natural beauty of the mountains to set the stage. We picked September 22nd because it was the first day of fall, our favorite season. It was also the autumnal equinox, so our wedding weekend was a mix of summer and fall.
THE INSPIRATION
The flowers were perhaps one of the most important components of our day and our overall venue design. Growing up as the daughter of parents who ran a small, local flower shop, I constantly found myself playing in the flower coolers after school. I wanted some of the same of my favorite varieties and scents to bring me back to those days. We wanted to keep things natural to the landscape and incorporate a lot of greens, but also added in pinks, whites and light peaches to provide even more pops of color on top of the gorgeous yellow foliage our outdoor venue provided.
THE CEREMONY FLOWERS
Our amazing designers Shawn Chamberlain and Alicia Schwede worked with my parents to use a ton of garden roses, ranunculus, eucalyptus; you name it. The aisles were lined with flowers like I have never seen! We are still getting compliments from our guests about the stunning ceremony decor.
My favorite part of the day was the moment we said, “I do.”
THE RECEPTION
We kept to our rustic mountain theme while mixing in our pops of color and plenty of candles throughout the reception. Befitting the family business, every nook and cranny of the lodge was adorned with flowers.
THE TABLE FLORALS
The true masterpiece of the dining space was the 136 feet of continuous floral arrangements that ran down the center of the tables. The long king’s tables were lined with some of the widest floral runners I have ever seen–again, more gorgeous garden roses.
One of the best aspects of our amazing wedding was dancing the night away to our favorite Motown and Grateful Dead songs with our best friends and family members, everyone so happy to be celebrating with us.
Honestly, it was the most perfect day with our beloved friends and family and an incredibly talented list of vendors. The florals, photography, calligraphy, print work, the food, not to mention the amazing live band, were over the top. We could not have been happier.
THE WEDDING TEAM
Photographer: Claire Marika Photography // Second Shooter: Aerie Photography // Floral Designers: Bella Fiori & FLOWER BAR // Event Planner: Bluebird Event Destination Management // Paper Props: Mulberry And Elm Design // Invitation Designer: The Whitney Shop // Caterer: Savoury Kitchen, Park City // Band: The Fever Band // Video: Beau Brown Videographer // Wedding Gown: Lela Rose from The Plumed Serpent Bridal // Makeup Artist: Jessica Grambau // Venue: Alta Peruvian Lodge
THE FLOWERS POST-WEDDING
So what happens to all of these beautiful flowers after the wedding day concludes? That’s where Shawn Chamberlain switches hats from designer at Flower Bar Co. to director of The Full Bloom. Shawn is the brains and heart behind the non-profit organization, which collects flowers after the conclusion of events, redesigns them into bouquets, and distributes them to hospice patients nearing the end of life. The design team put out a call over social media asking for volunteers to meet at the lodge on a Sunday morning to redesign all the flowers into sweet little vase arrangements, and more than 30 people showed up. The wholesale company Syndicate Sales generously donated the vases to this project, and with their generous donation, more than 300 vase arrangements were created and delivered to hospice and assisted living facilities throughout the Salt Lake City area.
An Autumn Mountain Wedding in Telluride
Maggie & Brett | September 22nd
From the couple: We looked at a lot of places all over Colorado… but when we saw the Schmid Ranch, we immediately fell in love with it! The views at the upper ranch are breathtaking and on top of that, you can see the 14er in the distance where the proposal was! But not only was it great views, the ranch offered what really no other venues we visited could… a lot of time and flexibility with what we wanted to do! We really wanted to be able to camp with our friends and family and truly be able to celebrate without feeling rushed — the ranch allowed us to spend an entire weekend with our friends and family, not just a handful of hours like most places.
The flip side to having a wide-open ranch with endless possibilities is that there is a good amount of planning needed, so that was all us… who are we kidding, Maggie was the master planner! If it was cool and had a unique vibe, we wanted to make it happen.
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THE CEREMONY
We wrote our own vows and Maggie was thinking about saying them for months before and thought about them nearly all day before the ceremony. Brett also thought endlessly about the vows… all day before the ceremony too… the only difference is Maggie was the smart one who wrote them down!
THE RECEPTION
The main venue tent was clear so you could see the full moon and stars at night and the DJ lights rocked to the wee hours! We also set up an area were anyone who wanted to rough the elements and camp with us could, but we also had glamping tents and shower tents set up to keep a touch of those modern comforts. Our flowers were potted flowers friends and family grew for our wedding day.
ADVICE
First, get married in a place that you will look forward to going back to on your anniversary, it should be a special place you want to go back to. Second, have fun at your wedding… do a quick math exercise… the number of minutes you have at your venue… minus all the time you are just with your bridal party… and divide that by the number of guests you have… you only get a handful of minutes with everyone if you are lucky! Eat quick and say a quick hello and thank you, then go enjoy the day! And third, spend money for a good photographer! Weddings are expensive and there are a lot of ways to get creative with costs, but don’t do it here!
THE WEDDING TEAM
Photographer: Ben Eng Photography | Apparel: The Bespoke Edge | Tent: Colorado Party Rentals | Caterer: La Cocina de Luz | DJ: Colorado Wedding Productions | Venue: Schmid Family Ranch
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Fall Engagement Shoot with the Family Dog
On a crisp late autumn day, photographer Hayden Esau perfectly captured an array of gorgeous images from ChyAnna & Jordan engagement shoot in Deer Creek Canyon, Wyoming. We especially love the portrait images of the couple’s handsome dog because every family member needs a great profile pic!
THE PROPOSAL STORY
It was New Years Day. A tradition they had been sharing together for three years. The Wyoming couple headed to the top of the mountain at Winter Park in Colorado. Higher and higher the lift took them. The longer it took, the more nervous she became. “How am I going to make it down this thing?” she thought. Bundled in their snowboarding gear with a group of friends, they reached the top of the panoramic run. Couple by couple they all took turns taking pictures. Because why not? Jordan Insisted they go last. Facing the camera, Jordan suddenly turned. He reached into his pocket. He knelt down. ChyAnna gaped. He held it up to her. An engagement ring. A promise of his love. “YES!” Cheers and applause erupted from everyone at the top! And with that, a tradition that was already special became something so much more.
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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
An Autumn Mountain Wedding in Tennessee
Madelyn & Chad | November 4th | Knoxville, TN
From the bride: When we set out to plan our wedding, Chad and I wanted each decision to be intentional and honest about who we are. This day is so special and every aspect is a reflection of our lives and the people we love. My best friend and maid of honor designed our invitation suite and read a piece by my favorite poet during the ceremony. My dream dress was a custom collaboration with my dear friend, mentor, and talented designer Kate McDonald. Our photographs were taken by the couple who introduced us, who also hosted our wedding at their beautiful home. Our flowers and decor were curated by the kind and so creative Allie King, with Sassafras Flowers.
The day of our wedding was an absolute dream. It was a warm and sunny 60+ degrees with the most amazing orange and purple sunset. As we were saying our vows, the sun dipped over the mountains and the sky began turning the most gorgeous pastel colors. We are so thankful to our family, friends, and everyone who was a part of the best day of our lives. We are so grateful to be surrounded by so much love and support and will never forget this day.
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THE WEDDING TEAM
Photographer: JoPhoto // Venue: Gallaher Bend // Floral Designer: Sassafrass Flowers // Beauty: Whitney Evans Beauty // Caterer: Bradford Catered Events // Accommodations: Downtown 211 // Dress Designer: Kate McDonald Bridal
See more: Fall Weddings
A Snowy Fall Wedding in Crested Butte
Brea & Mac | Crested Butte Mountain Resort
From the bride: We both love the mountains and the outdoors so getting married outside was definitely a must for us. We had just gone to Crested Butte for the first time over Labor Day weekend the year before we got married and it was love at first sight! The town is adorable, the people are super friendly, and the whole vibe is super relaxed and unpretentious. And the stunning scenery is an added bonus!
THE WEATHER
Our ceremony was SUPPOSED to be outside, at the top of the Red Lady Lift but Mother Nature had other plans for us. We chose our wedding weekend for a very specific reason: historically in Colorado, the 3rd weekend in September is the peak Aspen-changing weekend. I had joked for months about it snowing on our wedding day. And then it actually did. Jokes on me! But one of my wedding day “musts” was to ride the lift up to the ceremony site, and by God, me and all the bridesmaids did just that. In a total white out! Definitely one of my favorite moments of the day, especially since I rode the lift up with my little friend Hugo (one of my bridesmaids) who HATES cold weather with all of her being. So I definitely know how much she loves me now!
THE CEREMONY
I loved how our ceremony felt so relaxed and comfortable. Everyone was crammed into the tent but in super good spirits (also, we opened up the bar before the ceremony started, so that might have helped!) There was so much laughing during the entire ceremony, I loved it.
Even though one might say that we got “unlucky” with our wedding-day weather (freezing rain at the base of the mountain/white out blizzard on top!), it made for the most beautiful pictures I have ever seen! The snow clouds lifted right after our ceremony (which had to be moved into the tent last minute due to the weather!), and we had the most incredible color palette for all of our pictures: green evergreens, bright gold aspens, white puffy clouds and snow-covered peaks!
SKI DETAILS
I personally loved how we incorporated our joint love of skiing into many of the details. All of the tables were named after either a run or lift at Crested Butte and the escort cards were Crested Butte lift tickets.
THE DECOR
Tons of tea light candles and lanterns. I LOVE candles. Bistro lights strung on the ceiling of the tent with big, white paper lanterns. Handmade wooden table signs with lots of natural greenery on each table. We used a combination of rectangular farm tables and round tables. I loved the mix and match look!
THE FAVORS
We made S’mores party favors in little boxed tied with twine! I thought they turned out soooo good, by far my best Pinterest craft to date!
LOOKING BACK
Honestly, I don’t think I would change anything about the actual wedding!! It would have been way too boring if the weather had been “perfect”!
I would, however, opt for an immediate honeymoon. Just due to our crazy schedules, we could not take any more time off after the wedding. Being back at work on Tuesday after riding on such an emotionally-charged high for the entire weekend was ROUGH and I totally get why couples want to immediately escape to a remote honeymoon destination right after the wedding!
ADVICE
ENJOY THE PROCESS AND ENJOY BEING ENGAGED!!! This is going to be the most cliché advice EVER because everyone told me this going into wedding weekend, but I’ll say it again and again: the day and weekend GO BY SO FREAKING FAST. I wish there was some way to be able to hit a pause button, breathe, look around, and take it all in!!!
THE WEDDING TEAM
Ceremony Site: At the top of the Red Lady Lift, Crested Butte Mountain Resort. I would definitely recommend but have a back-up plan.
Reception Site & Caterer: Uley’s Cabin, Crested Butte Mountain Resort. The food was fantastic!
Photographer: Third Eye Photography | Event Planner: Crested Butte Events | Floral Designer: Fin + Ally | Rentals: Crested Butte Rental Center | Makeup Artist: Natalie Vierling Makeup
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