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.

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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

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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.

 

A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies

 

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.

 

A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies

 

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.

A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies

A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies

 

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.

 

A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies

 

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.

 

A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies

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.

 

A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies

 

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.

 

A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies

 

The lit aspen trees surrounding the pillars inside the barn were cut from my parents’ yard in Denver.

 

A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies

 

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!

 

A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies

 

THE CENTERPIECES

The flowers were delicate and flawlessly arranged to intermingle with worn, gilded collectibles such as trumpets and miniature animals.

 

A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies

 

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.

 

A Whimsical Winter Wedding in the Colorado Rockies

 

THE WEDDING TEAM

Photographer: Brinton Studios    Event Design & Planning, Flowers: Alexan Events    |  Venue, Caterer & Cake, Lodging: Devil’s Thumb Ranch

 


 

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Sea Glass in the Mountains

Alba & Andrew  |  September 1st  |  Granby, Colorado

From the bride, Alba:
I wanted a romantic, rustic, elegant wedding without the stuffiness of formal weddings that aren’t really our style. Kara, my wedding planner, thought of the theme “Sea Glass in the Mountains” which I loved. We had blue and green glassware, with hints of yellow and milk white glass.

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My Anjolique dress was simple, yet detailed and very romantic. brinton0104 brinton0105 brinton0106Our ceremony took place in the yard outside my husband’s family home, which is located right on the Colorado River. It’s an understatement to call the location a backyard because it is so majestic.

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My father in law officiated the ceremony, and had it been anyone else, would not have been anywhere near as special. Hearing someone speak of love, marriage, and friendship that you hold in such high regard really hits close to our hearts.brinton0109 brinton0110 brinton0111 brinton0112 brinton0113 brinton0114 brinton0115

Our personalized wedding favors, which also served as name/table placards, were mini succulents.

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The tables were just arranged perfectly by Kara. I was so lucky to have so many of the details I’d always dreamed of.

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Our first dance as husband and wife, my dance with my dad, looking out at our closest loved ones during dinner and taking in all the chatter and laughter and smiles – these are moments etched in my memory.brinton0119Looking back: I do wish I would have started planning sooner and gone with my gut instinct instead of entertaining everyone else’s ideas.  I wish I had spoken up sooner when I didn’t like something –it would have saved me a lot of time. Don’t worry about being perceived as nice and not difficult, just say what you want in a respectful way – you are paying these people after all, they work for you!

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My advice: Enjoy your time, think about what makes you happy and don’t worry about what others tell you. Take advice constructively. Take help from the people who offer it!

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Alba’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS

Photographer: Brinton Studios!!! There are not enough words to describe how much the success of our event had to do with the Brintons.

Event Planner & Florist: Kara Delay at Love this Day Events. The best type of planner you can ask for- organized, very creative, a great listener and sometimes interpreter, and has great style and taste!

Caterer & Cake: Wildhorse Catering. The most delicious food we tasted – the best part was it tasted exactly the same on our wedding day as it did on the day we went in for our tastings.

Musicians: Leftover Salmon. They were awesome and learned some requested songs for us.

Tent & Rentals: Butler Rents  //  Linens: La Tavola Fine Linen Rental  //  Bridesmaid Dresses: Nordstrom  //  Groom’s Attire: Macy’s

Classic Mountain Rustic in Beaver Creek

Kelly & Erik | May 26th | Beaver Creek, Colorado

From the bride, Kelly:
Erik and I both grew up in Colorado and have always loved the mountains and skiing together. Beaver Creek was the perfect location because it gave us the mountain wedding we were looking for, but was also easy for our guests to travel too. Plus Beaver Creek is such a great setting because not only is it one of the best spots in Colorado but everything is within walking distance or shuttle service so none of our guests had to drive and there were so many activities for them to enjoy. We had guests go golfing, hiking, fishing and to the BBQ Festival that weekend.

Brinton StudiosMy wedding dress (Monique Lhuillier) was a blush pink color so it inspired the colors for the flowers, invitations and other details.

Brinton StudiosMy dad passed away several years ago so I had a locket with a picture of him tied to the bouquet. I also wrapped the bouquet in a piece of my mom’s dress, that was my something old.

Brinton StudiosI took our save the date which was a custom illustration of Beano’s with our names and wedding date on it and made it into a poster which everyone signed as our “guest book”. I love that because now I can frame it and hang in our home and always remember our special day and all the fun notes from our friends and family.

Brinton Studios Brinton Studios Brinton Studios Brinton Studios Brinton Studios Brinton Studios Brinton Studios Brinton Studios Brinton Studios Brinton Studios Brinton Studios Brinton Studios Brinton Studios Brinton StudiosMy advice:  Do not caught up or stressed over all the little details. In planning a wedding there are so many things that you can fixate on and you have to keep in mind the bigger picture and what the wedding is about.   Alos, on your wedding day, take a moment with your new husband and stop to take in everything, because it goes by way to fast.

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Kelly’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Photographer: Brinton Studios. Love them!  //  Venue: Beano’s Cabin. The most beautiful and special setting in the mountains and the service and food was amazing.  //   Florist: Vintage Magnolia   //  Invitations & Programs: Kiwi Cards   //  Band: Martini Shot  //  Wedding Gown: Monique Lhuilier from Anna Be //  Hair: Keri Mohr, Contage Salon  //  Bridesmaid Dresses: J.Crew  //  Men’s Wear: J. Crew and Jos A Banks  //  Guest Lodging: The Pines Lodge in Beaver Creek. Great mountain lodging where all our guests stayed. We also had our rehearsal dinner and brunch the morning after the wedding at the Pines. Everything there was wonderful!

From the Magazine: Vineyard Vintage

We absolutely love this intimate vineyard wedding in Napa Valley designed by Luxe Collection partner, Pick Me! Floral & Event Design. A soft pastel color palette combined with a Mad Hatter tea party theme created a fun, yet utterly romantic celebration. This 7-page magazine spread photographed by Brinton Studios is dripping with gorgeous vintage details!  See more in the Gallery, then read all about this amazing destination wedding in the Magazine!

From the Magazine: Vineyard Vintage

We absolutely love this intimate vineyard wedding in Napa Valley designed by Luxe Collection partner, Pick Me! Floral & Event Design.  A soft pastel color palette combined with a Mad Hatter tea party theme created a fun, yet utterly romantic celebration.  This 7-pages spread photographed by Brinton Studios is dripping with gorgeous vintage details!

To see more,  ORDER the MAGAZINE!