Posts Tagged ‘Simple’
A Simple & Dreamy Wedding in the Mountains
From the bride, Lauren: As a photographer by trade, having our wedding day documented was extremely important to me! In fact, I started planning our entire wedding on the basis of two things, the photographer and a national park. We knew that we wanted to get married in a National Park, but we also needed our ceremony location to be accessible for all family members and myself, in a big white dress! The accessibility of Schwabacher Landing in Grand Teton National Park was perfect, and the area would accommodate our small wedding party perfectly. It all started as a dream to get married with the mountains as our backdrop, but with a little planning, our dream came true!
My favorite part of our wedding day was our first look, leading all the way up to the ceremony.
I was really nervous getting married outside in September without a back up plan, but I couldn’t envision us getting married anywhere other than Schwabacher’s Landing in Grand Teton Nation Park.
Although extremely simple, our ceremony was perfect and although the weather was unseasonably cool, it didn’t rain!
We both read our own personal handwritten vows (which I was terrified of doing, but knew I wouldn’t regret it) and it was one of the most beautiful experiences that my husband and I have ever shared. My husband is a writer by trade — his vows were eloquent, unique and they are incredibly special to me. Let me share, “Falling in love with you was watching a storm form on the horizon. Seeing the landscape ahead of me blanketed in snow, and all I could do was wait for it to happen to me, too. And when it came over me, my entire view changed. Everything I saw was different, but it was the same. It all was pristine. And in my life, I promise that every fresh footprint I lay will be with you. I vow to love you like the mountains love the snow. I promise to quietly miss you like the flowers do the rain. And I swear to keep you forever like the canyons hold silence. So before our friends and people we love, I hope you feel the same and ready for the next part of our adventure as husband and wife. You are the compass that helps me through this land and I know our life will be one full of things deep, sometimes dark, but always lovely”.
Looking back, having a small wedding was the right fit for us, it saved a lot of money and allowed us to spend more on our guest accommodations.
My advice: Plan your wedding to be exactly what you and your partner want it to be — try not to stress and don’t let the pressure from others sway how you plan your wedding. This day is yours, and it’s a celebration of you coming together as a married couple. Everyone who matters will respect and enjoy your wedding day exactly as you have it envisioned. Overall, just try to relax, enjoy the day because it’s over in the blink of an eye!
Lauren’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Photographer: Jamye Chrisman Photography // Flowers: JH Flower Boutique // Dress: Blue by Enzoani // Hair & Makeup: Tanya Crocker Hair & Makeup // Ceremony: Schwabacher’s Landing, Grand Teton National Park
A Casual Destination Wedding in Moab
From the photographer, Chelsea Dawn Weddings: Family and guests drove and flew in from all parts of the country to hang out for several days at the Whispering Oaks Ranch to trap shoot, four-wheel, and have a good ol’ time celebrating together. The day of the wedding, nearly the entire city lost power, and Elizabeth and her bridesmaids had to high tail it to the other side of Moab to have access to both water and electricity for getting ready. The rest of the evening was filled with love, laughs, and booty-shaking.
A Simple, Relaxed & Organic Wedding at Deer Valley Resort
From the bride, Ingrid: We always dreamed of a wedding in the outdoors in a majestic setting. We wanted the overall look to be simple, modern, organic, elegant and relaxed. We wanted our wedding colors to match the surroundings, the aspens leaves were the inspiration for the green, the mountain lodge for the brown and my dress for the ivory.
Deer Valley means a lot to us since my husband worked there as a ski instructor and I learned how to ski on the slopes of Deer Valley. We chose the Silver Lake Lodge the first day we went looking for venues. We fell in love with the lodge and the surroundings!
We did photos before the ceremony and it was one of the best decisions we made since we didn’t miss a minute of the reception and we got one of my favorite pictures at the top of the mountain in the chairlift.
My favorite moment of the day was walking down the aisle after we got married, it was magical!
We danced a choreographed Tango as our first dance.
My advice: Invest in a good dance floor! Don’t buy expensive shoes, they ‘ll get ruined. Plan the photos you want to take before hand. Stick to the timelines and try to get a good rest the night before.
THE VENDOR TEAM
Luxe Mountain Venue, Catering, and Cake: Silver Lake Lodge at DEER VALLEY RESORT {more info} // Photographer: Pepper Nix Photography // Floral Designer: Roots // Linens and Coverings: Wildflower Linens
A Mountain Glam Wedding in Vail, Colorado
From the bride, Elisa: Having been born and raised in Colorado, I knew I wanted to make our wedding truly authentic with all the things that I love about my home state. Since John and I have so many wonderful memories in Vail, it was an easy decision to make when choosing our wedding destination. Our wedding planning started with a few themes: simple, rustic and elegant with a vintage flare. We started with a few details and it grew from there.
The flowers at the ceremony and reception stayed true to our theme. I envisioned a natural wild flower look,but still elegant. Lizzy from Soul Flower Floral Designs made that vision come to life. I was absolutely obsessed with my bouquet, my bridesmaids’ bouquets, and the beautiful arrangements used throughout the reception.
John and I decided to do a first look at the top of Vail Mountain which was so incredibly special. It was nice to have a moment alone with each other before the ceremony overlooking the Rocky Mountain Range. The view truly took our breath away and the moment was perfect. Chris McLaughlin did an incredible job making us comfortable and the photos he took throughout the day truly captured the joy that we felt.
One personalized moment that I will always remember was having John’s brother play the guitar, while my dear friend sang ”When the Right One Comes Along” during the ceremony. We were so overwhelmed with love in that moment and it will stand out in my mind as the most complete I have ever felt.
Another special moment was when John and I took pictures with our wedding party under the iconic Covered Bridge in Vail Village. There was a food and wine festival happening that weekend making the bridge a very busy intersection. To have complete strangers be so accommodating while those photos were being taken was also very special. 
Continuing with our authentic Colorado theme, we used vintage skis as our guestbook and gave guests wild flower seeds to “spread the love.” We provided personalized mason jars to drink our “I Do” beer from Gore Range Brewery. We also had fun games for the guests to play that tied in with our rustic theme such as the corn hole and pinball.
Jessica from A Vintage Affair Events & Rentals and her team went above and beyond to ensure the reception encompassed all the elements of our theme. Each aspect of the décor was truly perfect, from the whiskey barrel dessert table, to the beautiful lounge area, and the use of wooden crates to display pictures from our parents wedding. 
Elise’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Photographer: Chris McLaughlin Photography // Planner and Event Designer: A Vintage Affair Events and Rentals // Ceremony Venue: The Vail Interfaith Chapel // Reception Venue: Donovan Pavilion // Florist: Soul Flower Floral Designs // Caterer: Gourmet Cowboy // Chair and Linen Rentals: Alpine Party Rentals // Cocktail Hour & Reception Music: Tent Show Kings // Bistro Lighting: Pink Monkey Solutions // Cake: Mountain Flour // Hair & Makeup: Blush and Brush Group // Stationary (invites,menus,escort cards, programs): Fleur De Lis / Transportation: Turtle Bus Bar
A Colorado Lake Elopement
From the photographer, Rayna McGinnis: Sarah and Almir decided to elope to the Colorado mountains from Lincoln, Nebraska. Their only guests were Sarah’s parents and younger sister. Their day was marked by beautiful Colorado weather in a breathtaking location. Dillon Lake made for an amazing backdrop that complimented their personalities perfectly. They were a joy to work with, so full of life and laughter. Sarah was probably the happiest bride. From the moment she said I do, her smile became ever lasting and contagious.
From the bride: We made it a day about us, which for us is usually just relaxation. So, on our wedding day we got up early, drank tea together after breakfast, drove together to the ceremony site, got married, then relaxed the rest of the day. We even had a celebratory dinner together by ourselves; it was perfect! 
We got out of the car, walked right up to the most gorgeous location inches from the lake. The mountains were in the background, the sun was shining, the clouds were puffy and bright. 
My advice: Don’t feel obligated to follow everyone else or what’s trending; be brave and do what you want and your day will be perfect (and less stressful!) 
Sarah’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Photographer: Rayna McGinnis Photography. Rayna was so much fun to work with, suggesting different poses and settings. Her personality is so cute too! The pictures are so beautiful that every time I look at them again, I fall even more in love with them!
Hair & Makeup: Kylee Williams. I’ve never worn make up before so she did a really good job of making me look natural but really beautiful. I was also worried because my hair is short and my trial run with my usual hairdresser didn’t turn out well, but Kylee came prepared! She had me send her pictures of the disaster, plus pictures of what my hair looks like blow dried, and because of her talent, she made my hair gorgeous! (I don’t know how, but she did it and it was perfect!)
Officiant: Diane Gansauer. She worked with us tirelessly to write an extremely personalized ceremony that included the exact wording we felt moved by. She had so many helpful suggestions and would accept any and all critiques with such professionalism. Her demeanor and attire at the actual ceremony was exactly right for the setting and only added to the perfection of the day. She also included a keepsake copy of our ceremony for us to treasure.