Mountain Rustic
A Spring Wedding in Montana
From the photographer, Lauren Brown Photography:
Ask around about the secret to a long and happy marriage and you are sure to get a colorful variety of answers and advice. But there is one piece of solid marriage wisdom that in incredibly common, and that is, “be friends with your spouse.” Anna and Tom will have no problem with this. In fact, the story goes that they were friends first – they were introduced in college, at a time when Anna was determined to focus on her studies and not be distracted by dating. So the two remained “just friends,” establishing a solid base of companionship and compatibility long before things took a turn towards the romantic.The wedding of these two friends was beautiful. This year the spring in Montana was a wet one, with rain and grey skies for weeks on end. But the rain stopped and the clouds parted just in time to give Anna and Tom an absolutely gorgeous wedding day!
THE VENDOR TEAM
Photographer: Lauren Brown Photography – Second Shooter: Lindsey Mulcare Photography // Event Planner: Reed & Lee Weddings // Floral Designer: Lukas Trudeau Event Co // Band: Blue Jack // Invitation Designer: Cast Calligraphy // Venue: Chico Hot Springs Resort
A Mountain Wedding in Colorado
From the bride, Stephanie: Three words…..One. Long. Engagement. We were engaged for almost two years prior to the wedding day. Jared was in school until the December prior to the wedding. So, with that kind of stress we thought it was best for us to hold some of the wedding planning until he was finished. That left us six months to actually accomplish most of the work.
We wanted our wedding to match our lifestyle….we love the outdoors and boating. So we went with a bit of outdoor rustic theme with nautical elements.
All in all, the wedding planning ended up being mostly a team effort. We had some rocky roads in the planning, but we managed to not kill each other! It was not always a fun process, so we hated and enjoyed it all at the same time. We just had to remember to celebrate the big decision maker days and try to enjoy as much as possible. I feel like we accomplished that task… End of day…we are married! And we are happy!
RECOMMENDED VENDORS: Photographer: Ali & Garrett Wedding Photographers // Floral Designer: Bella Lu Floral // DJ: Mannequin DJ // Cake Designer: Mulberries Cakes // Venue: Sevens Restaurant
An April Wedding in Vail
From the event planner, Stacy Horn of JA Special Events: Mountain weather can be unpredictable in April, but Vail locals Ashley and Mark, completely embraced the gently falling snow that softened their wedding day. Brinton Studios beautifully captured the romance of that first dance on the Donovan Pavilion patio surrounded by friends, family, baby’s breath, and shimmering bubbles, the festive bridal party serenade from a green Turtle Bus, the sacred moments of a meaningful ceremony at Vail Chapel, and hand-crafted details like the pretzel ski poles dipped in chocolate by Ashley’s mom, the escort cards displayed in wine corks on wine-box cheeseboards crafted by Mark, and the aspen tree masterpiece cake by Mountain Flour. A gourmet mac and cheese station from Footers Catering warmed guests up for an evening of fun and dancing.
Vendor Team
Rentals: Alpine Party Rentals // Event Planning: JA Special Events // Photography: Brinton Studios // Ceremony Venue: Vail Chapel // Reception Venue: Donovan Pavilion // Catering: Footers Catering // Cake: Mountain Flour // Floral: Sarah Pounder // Videography: Burlap Productions
A Romantic Barn Wedding in Utah
From the bride, Kate: We love the mountains in Park City. Since a majority of our friends and family were going to have to travel to share the day with us, we thought it was a great opportunity to share Park City with everyone.
Our bouquets were autumn and mountain inspired with wheat and berries. They were just a little unkempt too, almost like the most beautiful bunch of wildflowers.
We had a 3-tiered vanilla cake with salted caramel dressing. It was decorated with some of our florals and we had a wood grain cake stand and twigs that had our initials connected with a heart for a cake topper.
I wanted the decor to reflect the beautiful venue at Red Cliff. I wanted it to be reverent of the picturesque surroundings and just add a touch of softness and beauty. We used a lot of burlap and natural colors with floral and lace to soften the look.
Guests left the ranch with little burlap bags with Utah honey and a caramel flavoured bee candy. Damon’s sister made little tags with a stamp with our names and wedding date and the line “meant to bee”. We also did welcome boxes for our guests that they received when they arrived in town. They had necessities for the weekend from energy bars to custom koozies.
My favorite moment was our sparkler exit and ride back to Park City in the classic car Damon picked. I was so excited to be married and so happy everyone had a wonderful time celebrating. As much fun as it was, I was happiest in that moment when I had a moment alone with my husband.
Looking back, I’m glad that we spent the week prior to the wedding in Utah and got to spend some time with friends and family, I’m glad we got to introduce our loved ones to our favorite mountain town, and I’m glad we were able to spend some time together and take a honeymoon after the wedding.
CREDITS: Photographer: Pepper Nix Photography // Flowers & Event Design: Scenemakers // Cake: Layers Cake Company // Caterer: Culinary Crafts // Ceremony Location: St. Mary of the Assumption // Reception Venue: Red Cliff Ranch // Transportation: Something Vintage Something Blue // Makeup Artist: Versa Artistry
An Autumn Wedding in West Virginia
From the bride, Danielle: In the beginning planning stages, I fell in love with so many different styles. A few times during the early (and middle) stages of planning, I committed to styles I thought I wanted, mainly due to others influences. None of these styles “felt” right though and around the halfway mark, I finally decided to go back to the drawing board and go with my gut and chose a color palette of goldenrod, ecru and grey.
I wanted to do something different with my flowers. Silk flowers were an obvious no and real flowers are gone in a few days and I wanted my flowers to last longer. I thought the Sola flowers were simply perfect and the Craspedia gave my wedding the modern edge I was looking for. What’s really cool is that I still have my bouquet and Josh’s boutonniere today. They’re in the same condition as the day we wed.
Our dog, Bingo (a Chihuahua-Chinese Crested mix) was such a handsome boy in his bowtie and, while slightly neurotic during the ceremony, he was a shining star during the family photos!
Our ceremony took place outside on the upper deck at Adventures on the Gorge. We had an amazing view of the New River from the mountaintop.
I searched for hours to find quotes that would define our relationship and the love we have for one another. I wanted depth and real meaning. Not just a few fluffy words in a frame.
Looking back, truth be told, I would’ve eloped; on a remote island; Fiji perhaps.
Danielle’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Photographer: Melissa Perella Photography // Venue: Adventures on the Gorge
Pretty in Blue in Utah
From the bride, Alyssa: I was going for a simple, elegant look that would fit with the rustic, mountain setting we chose to get married in.
On my bouquet, I carried a charm with a photo of my father, he passed away 13 years ago.
Our flowers were gorgeous! Lots of blues and rustic touches – loved the spirally twigs and birch accents and the peacock accents in the ceremony arrangements.
My favorite memory was that the ceremony was extremely personal. Having a close friend officiate and writing the ceremony together with him was the best decision we ever made. It was so personal, romantic and emotional, it was hard to avoid a few tears.
We used vintage license plates for table numbers. This turned out to be one of my favorite details! The license plates states had meaning for the people seated at the respective tables – Connecticut for my college friends for example, as that is where we went to school. Also, Mike, is a HUGE car guy, so this was another nice way to bring a little bit of him into the decor and details. We were even able to use the license plate from his late grandmother’s car at his family’s table, which was a very special touch.
The groom’s cake was a replica of Mike’s 1967 Mustang he has had since he was a teenager.
My favorite reception memory was our first dance. We took lessons secretly for a few months prior to the wedding, so our choreographed little routine was a big surprise to everyone and a lot of fun to finally pull off!
CREDITS: Photographer: Logan Walker Photography // Floral Designer: Branches Event Floral // Cake: Carrie’s Cakes // Venue: Wolf Creek Resort
A Winter Wedding in the Rocky Mountains
On a beautiful Colorado blue sky day, these high school sweet hearts said “I do” at one of our favorite mountain venues, Devil’s Thumb Ranch. A nature-inspired color palette of greens and creams with pops of navy blue perfectly complemented the snow covered landscape. An intimate ceremony overlooking the Continental Divide followed by a cozy reception inside the beautiful Board Axe Barn was perfectly captured by Brinton Studios.
THE VENDOR TEAM
Luxe Mountain Venue, Caterer & Lodging: Devil’s Thumb Ranch Resort & Spa { more info }
Photographer: Brinton Studios // Event Planner: Calluna Events // Floral Designer: Plum Sage Flowers
A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies
Kristen & Sean | Colorado Destination Wedding
From the bride: Winter Park has been a family vacation spot for years now, and Sean proposed to me there one year before our wedding. The two of us met in Houston after both having lived all over Texas, and we wanted to share a special place and the beauty of a Rocky Mountain winter with our Texan friends and family.
THE STYLE
Initially, we were mostly attracted to rustic wedding trends (wood carvings, antiques, simple cake style) but we wanted to incorporate some of the strong colors and metallics featured in our home. Our main focus was to highlight the beauty of the Rocky Mountains.
I love paper products and had lots of input in the form of amateur sketches of our wedding invitations that a professional artist brought to life.
THE CEREMONY
Sean and I stood in front of open barn doors allowing the beauty of the mountains beyond the altar serve as the backdrop for the ceremony.
We crafted our ceremony to include both goofy and touching readings from our best friends, and the vows we wrote to one another ended up wringing out tears from many in the crowd but especially from each other. Our music choices were especially important as they were all songs reminiscent of other important moments in our lives and relived in the happy context of our wedding.
HANDMADE SEATING CHART
My dad salvaged two old windows from a cabin near Yellowstone that has been in our family for generations and spent all summer prior to our wedding collecting and pressing Idaho flowers to place in the windowpanes. We then used glass markers to make these into the seating chart. This was my favorite detail.
THE RECEPTION
For the reception, we wanted a soft, intimate ambiance. The roaring fireplace, candles, and twinkling aspen trees were exactly the lighting that created this feel.
The lit aspen trees surrounding the pillars inside the barn were cut from my parents’ yard in Denver.
THE FAVORS
For favors, we gave out chocolate and caramel covered apples from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. A yummy choice for the end of the night!
THE CENTERPIECES
The flowers were delicate and flawlessly arranged to intermingle with worn, gilded collectibles such as trumpets and miniature animals.
ADVICE
Definitely hire a wedding planner if you live at a distance – their advice from having worked for years in that city can save you a ton in time, energy, and money. They already know which vendors are awesome, what the weather will realistically be like, and how to troubleshoot that venue if they’ve worked it many times before.
THE WEDDING TEAM
Photographer: Brinton Studios | Event Design & Planning, Flowers: Alexan Events | Venue, Caterer & Cake, Lodging: Devil’s Thumb Ranch
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