Mountain Luxe
A Ceremony in the Rain + Luxe Tent Reception
Jen & Josh | September 1oth | Vail, Colorado
From the bride…What I remember most was how special it felt to have all of our loved ones gathered together in Vail, which has a special place in my heart. The day started with my bridesmaids and I getting ready in my family’s mountain home, followed by pictures at the top of the gondola. Going up the gondola with our wedding party for photos was such a fun and special way to kick off the festivities.
THE CEREMONY
In typical Colorado fashion, it was a perfect, blue sky day right up until we arrived for the outdoor ceremony! Guests huddled under trees and umbrellas, and I couldn’t believe we couldn’t see the gorgeous Gore Range view we had been dreaming of. But in the end, the rain added laughter and levity to the ceremony and the pictures with the umbrellas are fantastic!
Walking down the aisle with my Dad is something I’ll never forget.
THE OFFICIANT
We asked our friend Matt to officiate the wedding. Matt has known us as long as we’ve known each other and has seen our relationship evolve over several years from friendship to life partners.
SPECIAL TOUCH
We did a soil ceremony, where we had each of our mothers bring soil from our childhood homes so that we could plant a new tree, bringing our families together and creating our new roots.
After the ceremony, we moved to our reception site on the lawn of Lion Square Lodge for cocktails, dinner, and dancing.
Guests were greeted with shawls and slippers as they descended the stairs.
THE SEATING ARRANGEMENTS
At the entrance to the tent, a large escort wall with leather tags led guests to their individual seats.
THE TENT
The Tent at the base of Vail Mountain was the largest one ever done on Lion Square Lodge. A custom build that took three days to install and included incredible floral chandeliers, a large lounge, a custom donut wall, and matching monogrammed dance floor- not light gobo- but monogrammed.
The tent was even more magical than I had imagined it would be during all of the months of putting together this “room” from scratch. The hanging floral displays were especially breathtaking and exactly in line with my vision.
THE PLACE SETTINGS
The menus were printed on bread bags. The leather place cards had gold calligraphy monogrammed script.
THE SPEECHES
The toasts by my Dad, my MOH, and Josh’s Best Men were all hilarious and so touching they brought me to tears.
THE RECEPTION
The reception flew by in such a blur that I can’t even tell you many more details, but I do know that we all had an unbelievable night with our friends and family.
THE MUSIC
The band was the highlight, with people still talking about them over a year later. The dance floor of the tent was quite literally bumping (it felt like a trampoline out there!).
ADVICE
Don’t trust your memory for anything on the day of! If there is something you’d like to make sure happens (even if it seems obvious and you think you’ll remember), don’t leave it to chance. Ask your planner, family member, or best friend to be on point to ensure any special moments you have in your head actually happen.
Be yourselves! Following trends that don’t feel completely authentic to you as a couple won’t stand the test of time. Go with your gut and your own style over any Instagram trends.
THE WEDDING TEAM
Photographer: IN Photography | Event Planner: Gemini Event Planners | Event Design: Design Works | Invitations: Four13 Designs | Catering: Red Maple Catering | Cake: Mountain Flour | Band: Northstar
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A Black-Tie Rocky Mountain Destination Wedding
Lindsay & Steve | Beaver Creek, Colorado
From the Photographer, Rebecca Yale: Lindsay and Steve were married over the July 4th weekend in a 5-day celebration in the mountains. The bride’s parents have had a vacation home in Bachelor Gulch for years and knew instantly that the wedding would take place in their “happy place” with other events including a welcome dinner, bridesmaids hike and July 4th BBQ all taking place in the Beaver Creek area. Each guest was welcomed to the Ritz with a personalized hiking backpack with the wedding’s hashtag “Red White and Berg” printed on it and full of local goodies from the area including the bride and groom’s favorite candy, red and blue sunglasses, trail maps and a program of the wedding weekend details. The weekend’s events ranged from casual to cocktail, but the wedding itself, set on the skier bridge and in the Ritz’s ballroom was black tie.
The Flowers
The couple wanted to bring in an unexpected floral combination using more formal orchids with mass amounts of loose greenery to bring the outdoors in and create a romantic woodsy aesthetic.
The Invitations
They kept their wedding invitation simple in tones of white and silver with a simple line drawing of the mountains and the bride’s mother found vintage map of the area to use as the backdrop for the schedule of events which was all bound together with a piece of leather.
The Bouquet
The bride’s bouquet was wrapped with a piece of lace from her mother’s dress.
The Dress
The bride wore a classic Monique Lhuillier ballgown, which she loved for the drama with the background of the mountains and paired it with delicate lace louboutin shoes and a sapphire and diamond bracelet leant to her by her uncle.
The Ceremony
The ceremony took place under a lush floral chuppah on the skier bridge next to the resort, overlooking the mountains. The bride and groom broke with tradition and elected to have a male and female usher to honor two of their dearest friends. The forecast was clear for the day, but minutes before the bride was to walk down the aisle the skies opened up and poured rain for about 2 minutes sending all the guests running back inside, but luckily it was just a quick rainstorm and everyone was able to return back outside for the ceremony.
In Jewish tradition the groom broke a glass at the end of the ceremony, but instead of smashing it, it rolled away twice, creating a great comedic moment, which the bride and groom embraced.
The bride and groom wanted to keep the mood of the ceremony light and playful like them and had their wedding party walk down the aisle to two of their favorite musicals- Hamilton and Phantom of the Opera.
The Reception Decor
Vail Vintage Magnolia transformed the ballroom with a mix of high and low centerpieces, a large chandelier installation over the head table and lush greenery hanging from the chandeliers. The couple wanted the ballroom to be unrecognizable, but also wanted guests to still be able to talk to each other over the tale so created installations at two levels to not block any conversation.
After they cut the cake the bride changed into a tasseled short party dress to dance the night away in.
The weekend came to a close with a fireworks celebration back on the bridge where the couple said their I Do’s.
The Wedding Team
Photographer: Rebecca Yale Photography | Planner: Gemini Event Planning | Floral Design: Vail Vintage Magnolia | Venue: Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch | Bride’s Dress: Monique Lhuillier | Invitations: Bella Figura | Calligrapher: The Blooming Quill | Band: Elan Artists | Lighting and Décor: Pink Monkey Solutions | Ring Box: The Mrs. Box
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A Mountain Glam Wedding in Vail
Courtney & Bobby | Vail, Colorado
From the bride: We met and fell in love in New York City (our residence of 10 years), but we couldn’t dream of a better escape to marry than the Rocky Mountains. Colorado is our favorite place in the world. The views are stunning and there is so much to do in a weekend whether it’s hiking, swimming, fishing, skiing, or just going to the spa.
THE STYLE
We both live in Soho in New York City and are always surrounded by major trends and this huge lifestyle with grandiose buildings and everyone fashion obsessed-so we really wanted our wedding to feel intimate, soft, and almost as if it was happening in a forest. We wanted the opposite of our regular day to day lives.
THE CEREMONY
The ceremony took place at the Vail Chapel. The space is intimate and looks like an old church, which my husband and I loved even though we are both Jewish.
RECEPTION DÉCOR
We had greenery hanging from the ceiling, lots of candles, a mix of tall and short vases, and big white bouquets softly displayed throughout the space.
THE GROOM’S CAKE
We had a “Yankees” ice-box cake—Bobby’s favorite team.
MOST MEMORABLE MOMENT
The band was absolutely incredible, after four hours of playing everyone kept chanting “ONE MORE SONG!”
THE DANCING
I love that we did the Hora and were lifted up in chairs.
ADVICE
Splurge on a wedding planner—I didn’t stress out at all during the planning process or the day of. They will really do make sure you enjoy your wedding. Also, make sure you have enough alcohol and a good band!
THE WEDDING TEAM
Photographer: Steve Stanton Photography | Event Planner: Table 6 Productions | Floral Designer: Vintage Magnolia | Ceremony Site: The Vail Interfaith Chapel | Reception Site: Four Seasons Vail | Band: Green Light Booking
An Elegant Wedding in Colorado Springs from Tina Joiner Photography
From the Magazine: Veronica & Eric
Tina Joiner Photography beautifully captured all the stylish details from this elegant wedding dripping with sparkle and florals in shades of ivory, champagne, pink, blush, and gold. Read the couple’s wedding day story below.
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THE WEDDING TEAM
Photographer: Tina Joiner Photography {portfolio}
Event Planner & Design: Sarah Viera Event Planning and Design
Event & Floral Design: Southern Charm Wedding and Events
Rentals: Event Rents
Invitations: Invitations by Dawn
Calligraphy: Taryn Eklund Ink
DJ: All Star DJs
Musicians: Spinphony
Venue: The Broadmoor
Videographer: Sun Prairie Films
Favors: Aileen’s Cake Décor
Bride’s Wedding Gown: Maggie Sottero, customized by Roxana Alterations
Bridesmaid Dresses: Christina Wu
Men’s Wear: Michael Kors
A Luxe Mountain Wedding in Park City
On a beautiful breezy day in the Rocky Mountains, Amna & Heiko recited their vows on the Flagstaff Deck of the Stein Eriksen Lodge. The bride paid homage to her Pakistani heritage with silk brocade fabrics, handmade jewelry, and a dramatic color palette of rich gold and burgundy red. The goal for the decor was opulence and grandeur, which Silver Summit Event Design clearly delivered. Logan Walker Photography perfectly captured all the luxe details from this stunning mountain destination wedding.
The bride wore an Ian Stuart gown with Sergio Rossi Mermaid Cage Boots.
THE VENDOR TEAM
Photographer: Logan Walker Photography // Event & Floral Design: Silver Summit Event Design // Venue, Lodging, Caterer & Cake: Stein Eriksen Lodge // Florals: Artisan Bloom // Invitations, Menus & Welcome Books: Paper Daisies Stationery
From the Magazine: Luxe in Beaver Creek
This glamorous mountain wedding is all about the details! Lots of bling in rich shades of pink, purple and red pop off this beautiful 5-page magazine feature photographed by Paige Eden Photography. A must read!
Order a copy of the Magazine HERE!