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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A Snowy Mountain Wedding in Colorado

From the bride, Sara:  I’m from Colorado originally, and knew if I got married, that I would want it to be back home. I grew up going to the mountains with my family, so it felt like a perfect fit to us. Peter is from San Diego and his family all lives in the LA area, so we knew for the southern California crowd, that the Colorado mountains would be unlike any experience they had ever had. 

A Winter Destination Wedding in Colorado

The season of winter was our biggest inspiration. We knew there was going to be a ton of snow, so we embraced that early on and incorporated comfy and cozy elements into the wedding weekend.

A Winter Destination Wedding in Colorado

The bridesmaids were in beautiful berry-colored Amsale dresses, all silk chiffon. Although they were long, each was a different style. They carried baby’s breath bouquets, tied with a pink ribbon. I also custom-ordered Etsy angora wool wraps for each bridesmaid. The color was an ivory with gold thread weaved through it, tied with a silk ivory ribbon.

A Winter Destination Wedding in Colorado

For my personal look, I wore a La Spose gown, I was trying to channel Grace Kelly, especially with my jeweled jacket and faux fur. I really love that timeless, effortless look.

A Winter Destination Wedding in Colorado A Winter Destination Wedding in Colorado

The guys were all in custom-made suits by Jonathan Mustich at Evolution of Style, made of a grey wool tweed.  Peter and his groomsmen had so much fun picking out their swatches and patterns. They really enjoyed the experience.

A Winter Destination Wedding in Colorado

 We held the ceremony in the Timber House on the Devil’s Thumb Ranch property. The room is gorgeous, with giant windows all around, in 360 degrees, including views of the mountains. On each aisle, there was a mason jar filled with baby’s breath and other flowers, tied with a pink ribbon. At the front of the room, we had large pink blooming branches in tall vases. And the guests were given fleece blankets to stay warm.

A Winter Destination Wedding in Colorado

 I loved the moment when I first walked in. Seeing Peter and all our friends and family as I walked down the aisle was such an incredible feeling.

A Winter Destination Wedding in Colorado

 My favorite memory from the ceremony was our personal vows. It was surreal and very emotional. I have no idea how I kept it together!

A Winter Destination Wedding in Colorado

A Winter Destination Wedding in Colorado A Winter Destination Wedding in Colorado A Winter Destination Wedding in Colorado

 The reception décor was in shades of pink and gold. On the tables we had a beautiful burlap-type fabric and  arrangements of flowers and candles, all in either mercury glass or golden vessels.

A Winter Destination Wedding in Colorado

For the table assignments, my dad refurbished an old window pane and built an easel for it. A friend wrote guests names/ table numbers on the individual panes of glass.

A Winter Destination Wedding in Colorado

Our party favors were individual bags of coffee from our favorite Brooklyn coffee vendor, Blue Bottle. We had them do a special stamp for us which read “Peter and Sara, a Perfect Blend, Feb. 22, 2014.”

A Winter Destination Wedding in Colorado

We took old pictures of Peter and I from when we were kids (around the same age), and photoshopped them and created our table numbers.

A Winter Destination Wedding in Colorado A Winter Destination Wedding in Colorado A Winter Destination Wedding in Colorado

The cake table was my favorite detail. It had all the pictures of our parents and grandparents on their wedding days. Instead of a tall tiered cake, we broke up the tiers into three separate cakes, each placed on a tree stump pedestal. On top of the cakes were pink flowers, and the middle cake had a mini “love” banner. It was very special for us, to take our first bite of cake, surrounded by all that history.  Also on that table were little heart luminaries made from vintage books.

A Winter Destination Wedding in Colorado

My advice: Try to get more small stuff done earlier. I saved too many “little to-do” items till the weeks before my wedding and it ended up taking up a ton of time. Also, Peter created Google Drive docs for everything, from payments to vendors to invite lists. It saved me. And finally, everyone told me to “soak it all in” because the wedding day goes so fast. It does go fast but I didn’t really know how to slow it down. So this would be my advice. Rather than trying to soak in every SINGLE moment (because that’s just not possible), I would say, pick a few times during the day to have it be just you two, or even take some time to be completely alone. I spent a few minutes alone in the morning, and it was really nice to have that time to be introspective. A Winter Destination Wedding in Colorado

Sara’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS

 Venue, Lodging, Caterer & Cake: DEVIL’S THUMB RANCH   – in my opinion, most beautiful location to get married in Colorado!

Photographer: Brinton Studios cannot say enough about these guys – they were AWESOME! Everything was seamless because of them. The photos are so pretty. They really captured the day perfectly.

Event Planner: Michelle Gillette. She is truly amazing. Could not have done it without her.

DJ: Dwight Houser with Starkey Entertainmentby far the best DJ of any wedding I’ve ever been to – played so many good songs and everything we wanted to hear. We lost track of how many people at the wedding told us they loved the DJ.

Florist: A Perfect Petal – Cindy is so creative, she really made our vision come to life. Plus, she is super nice and easy to work with.

Table Linens: All Well Rentals //  Blankets: Splendor  //   Videographer:  Bella Luce Films  //  Officiant: Father Martin Hunckler

Honeymoon Location: St. Lucia – Sugar Beach Hotel (most amazing place I’ve ever stayed. Ever.)

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A Rustic Glam Wedding in Colorado

From the bride, Lindsey: Growing up, every year my family would take a ski trip to Colorado. I fell in love with Colorado and the mountains at an early age. Adel and I spent several vacations in Estes Park and made lasting memories that forever impacted our relationship. It was only natural that we would chose to get married in the town we loved and shared such strong memories.

Vintage Rustic Glam wedding in Colorado

I never was a big fan of uniform Bridesmaid dresses. I gave my bridesmaids a color palette (blush/taupe/metallic) and encouraged them to choose dresses that fit their personalities. There is nothing worse than having to buy and wear a dress you do not love. I wanted each bridesmaids to look and feel her best.

Vintage Rustic Glam wedding in Colorado

Each bridesmaid was given a fur collar to pair with their dress to wear on the big day- It ended up looking amazing!Rustic Glam Wedding in Colorado

We couldn’t have gotten married without our dog, Micky being a part of the day! Rustic Glam Wedding in Colorado

I wore a Nicole Miller gown from Nordstrom.

Vintage Rustic Glam wedding in Colorado Vintage Rustic Glam wedding in Colorado

We placed a big focus on neutrals colors and flowers with pine cone and greenery elements.  Vintage Rustic Glam wedding in Colorado Vintage Rustic Glam wedding in Colorado Vintage Rustic Glam wedding in ColoradoWe incorporated Native American elements into the ceremony, many of which my husband picked out himself.

Vintage Rustic Glam wedding in Colorado

Vintage Rustic Glam wedding in Colorado Vintage Rustic Glam wedding in Colorado Vintage Rustic Glam wedding in Colorado Vintage Rustic Glam wedding in Colorado

Looking back, I never imagined I would be so stress free and relaxed the day of my wedding. I enjoyed taking in every moment of the big day! Vintage Rustic Glam wedding in Colorado

Vintage Rustic Glam wedding in Colorado

We had a blast creating custom wedding gift bags for our guests!

Vintage Rustic Glam wedding in Colorado Vintage Rustic Glam wedding in Colorado

 For the centerpieces, we incorporated pieces of my personal milk glass collection. I have collected hundreds of pieces over the years that I am a little obsessed with.

Vintage Rustic Glam wedding in Colorado

My advice: Hire a wedding planner! Having a great wedding planner allows you to be able to relax and enjoy your big day. You shouldn’t have to worry about anything except getting married and having an amazing time!

Vintage Rustic Glam wedding in Colorado

Lindsey & Adel’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS

Luxe Venue: Devil’s Thumb Ranch. This is by far the most unique, upscale resort and venue in Winter Park. Service, people, and venue are 5 star and absolutely top notch. We were treated like royalty the entire week. I would highly recommend getting married at Devils Thumb Ranch!

Photographer: Brinton Studios. CR and Tiff are a gorgeous, fun, professional husband and wife photography team. I highly, highly recommend them! Their photos speak volumes about their work, but this couple is so much more than just Amazing photography. They made the entire process so easy and comfortable for us.

Event Design & Planning, Flowers: Kara Delay, Love This Day Events. I don’t think I can say it enough- Kara Delay is Amazing!! She did such a fantastic job and was an absolute joy to work with. Not only was she fantastic as a wedding planner, but this girl has such a fun personality and is so much fun to be around that you instantly want to be best friends with her. Her passion for everything wedding is so contagious- it has even caused me to rethink my career and what I want in life. She is an inspiration and a perfect example of “Do what you love, and love what you do.”

 

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A Winter Destination Wedding in Colorado

From the bride, Erin:
We knew we wanted to have a destination wedding in the mountains. As a girl, I had learned to ski in Winter Park and my first cross-country skiing experience was at Devil’s Thumb, before it had been built up into a beautiful resort. We were so excited when we saw the new resort and event space. We loved Devil’s Thumb Ranch right away, and my own personal history with Devil’s Thumb made it even more special.

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We really wanted our wedding to combine the outdoor feeling of the Colorado Rockies with simple elegance.  We had also been hoping that it would snow since we love the feel of a snow-covered cabin in the mountains.

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Tom and I had a “first look” before the wedding ceremony.  He was waiting for me outside of my cabin.  I put on snow boots with my wedding dress and went outside to see him for the first time on our wedding day.  I was not expecting to be so emotional, but when he turned and saw me for the first time, it was all I could do to keep from crying.  We hugged and he held my hand.  We could not help but smile the whole time.  Standing among the snow-covered trees, in the mountains, by a beautiful cabin; it was such a perfect moment. 

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Tom and I both have Scottish and Irish heritage, so we really wanted to incorporate a few traditional Celtic elements.  We had ribbons of our family tartans crafted in Scotland and mailed to us.  We then used these tartan ribbons in a Celtic hand fasting, or “knot-tying,” ceremony during the wedding.  We also chose a few traditional Celtic songs to be played by our string trio during the ceremony.  We had a special remembrance moment during our ceremony to honor our grandparents who were not able to be present, in particular my grandmother who had passed away in the months leading up to the wedding. 

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We wanted to bring in the wintery mountain theme with our table names and name cards.  So, our tables were named for Colorado ski mountains.  We also found small snowshoes to use for the name cards, but then my mother and I spent 6 hours tying the snowshoes together! It was definitely worth the effort, since they were one of my favorite wedding details.

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My father had been taking dancing lessons prior to the wedding, so he taught me to waltz during our dance. It was such a great moment. 

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My advice: Take time to enjoy the wedding planning process.  It can be really fun if you don’t stress about the small details.  Also, having a wedding planner really helped me to relax and enjoy everything, because I knew she had it covered.

Brinton08Erin & Tom’s   
RECOMMENDED VENDORS

Venue, Caterer & Lodging:  Broad Axe Barn at Devil’s Thumb Ranch {website}
Photographer:  Brinton Studios. CR and Tiffany are wonderful and so talented!
Event Planner: JA Special Events. Choosing Jessica as my wedding planner was the best wedding decision I made!
Flowers: Plum Sage Flowers   //    Cake: Shamane’s Bake Shoppe  // Invitations & Programs: Noteworthy Notes  //  Officiant:  Sunflower Weddings & Beyond // Bride’s Gown: Vwidon by Carla & Kenneth  //  Bridesmaid Dresses: Lazaro  //  Hair & Makeup: CMP Bridal //  Men’s Wear:  Al’s Formalwear  //  DJ:  Elite DJ  //  Musicians: Songs from the Heart

Honeymoon Location:  Bora Bora and Moorea

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Rocky Mountain Vows

From the bride, Catalina:  Sustainability of our surroundings is very important to us and became a deciding factor when we chose the destination for our wedding.  We wanted our guests to experience the Colorado mountains and enjoy the incredible scenery.  We decided on an intimate wedding at Devil’s Thumb Ranch with the presence of just our family and closest friends.  Our wedding day was truly unforgettable!

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DavidLynn0101 DavidLynn0102The moment we can’t stop thinking about is when we first saw each other. We decided to wait and see each other until the ceremony. As soon as our eyes met, we were overwhelmed with love and happiness.DavidLynn0103 DavidLynn0105 DavidLynn0106We had herbs of rosemary, thyme, sage, basil and lavender, flowers and ferns as table decorations. We wanted to be able to reuse the decorations so we gave many plants to friends and family and also planted some in our herb garden. DavidLynn0107 DavidLynn0108 DavidLynn0109 DavidLynn0110By the end of the evening it was snowing and we were so happy. The snow made the night feel still and romantic. We couldn’t have asked for a better day. It was magical. DavidLynn0111 DavidLynn0112

Catalina’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS
All of the vendors we chose were absolutely wonderful. We wanted to support local businesses and had this in mind when we made our choices.

Venue: DEVIL’S THUMB RANCH {More info  | Website}We chose Devil’s Thumb Ranch because of its unique and beautiful setting in the Colorado mountains.
Photographer:  David Lynn PhotographyCaptured our wedding day exactly how we remember it.
Floral Designer: Plum Sage Flowers.  Amazing job with the herbs, flowers, plants and candles.
Cake: Teacup.  Unbelievably delicious.
Invitations, seating chart, table numbers:  Tasha Rae Designs
Hair Stylist: Weemala

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Comfy Vintage Elegance

From bride, Claire:

My overall vision was to have a comfy, vintage, homey feel with touches of soft elegance and beauty. We kept the decor colors pretty neutral in ivories, muted golds, and silvers, with antique detailed frames for family wedding photos, and gorgeous chandeliers hanging by burlap from the barn banisters. A couple of my favorite touches were having a hot chocolate bar for the guests before the ceremony, a theme of buffets for people to choose their own favorites (for cocktail/hors devours hour, dinner, and dessert), as well as a comfy sitting/lounge area of leather sofas and chairs around the barn fireplace.  Overall, the entire experience was such a fun and enjoyable one. Although the day was a bit chilly, the entirety of it all was absolutely perfect, and we have all of our incredible vendors, family, and friends to thank for that.

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RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Photographer:  Sarah Hays Photography  //  Venue:  Devil’s Thumb Ranch  //  Flowers, Decor, and Day-of-Coordination: Love This Day Events  //  Wedding Gown: Allure Bridal  //  Hair: Kut Above Salon

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Love & Music in the Mountains

Kara & Joshua |  September 2nd  |  Tabernash, Colorado

From the bride, Kara:
After 7 years together, Joshua and I knew we wanted a wedding that would reflect us as a couple, including our love for live music, a good party, and fall in the Colorado Rockies. Our handmade save-the-dates were concert tickets, and we kicked off the Labor Day wedding weekend at a Phish concert in Denver with our closest friends. The celebration continued at Devil’s Thumb Ranch with live music from our favorite local band.  The love in the air was palpable, and the reception was the ultimate celebration to culminate the weekend. Following dinner and dessert, we danced and horah-ed our hearts out to the funky music of The Motet, and concluded the party with late-night breakfast tacos and cigars around the fire. We couldn’t have dreamt a more perfect wedding weekend!

A close friend officiated the ceremony, which reflected our spiritual beliefs while still honoring Joshua’s Jewish heritage and my Mexican heritage. Our favorite moment took place during the unity prayer, when my parents wrapped us in a wedding-ring quilt that took my mom two years to make!

We chose our florist, Lauren Morgan, for both her beautiful work and her use of sustainably and locally grown flowers. We have since replanted all the succulents from the centerpieces and can enjoy our wedding every day

RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Planner:  Rami Carter, Pick Me! Events; her day-of coordination went far above and beyond the day of the wedding!
Photographer: Dona Laurita Photography  //  Ceremony, Reception, & Catering: Devil’s Thumb Ranch  //  Cake & Macaroons: TeaCup Bakery  //  Cake Pops: Wildhorse Inn  //  Invitations: Lilywillow Paper & Press  //  Flowers:  Fair Eliza’s Flowers  //  Band: The Motet