Posts Tagged ‘snow’
A Winter Destination Wedding in Colorado
From the bride, Elise:
Having a wedding in the mountains is truly breathtaking! Kevin and I skied the morning of the wedding and said our vows to each other, just the two of us on the mountain in a quite location in the trees as it lightly snowed, it was magical!
I loved my bouquet, it reminded me of a mountainside covered in snow.
I wanted lots of dynamics and textures so I had all my bridesmaids pick out their own dresses with different fabrics and colors in the blueish green realm.
My mom made my dress. 
My advice: Don’t stress and reputable vendors know what they are doing. We didn’t have a tasting, our dessert was homemade, we never met our videographer until the day of our wedding, and we didn’t send a list of our favorite music to the DJ, but it all turned out perfect!
Elise & Kevin’s
RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Photographer: Julia Vandenoever. Loved, highly recommend.
Venue and Lodging: Copper Mountain Resort, The Grand Hall. Awesome big venue overlooking the mountain where Kevin first taught me to ski.
Videographer: Belle Luce Films. AMAZING, our favorite splurge! Tye is beyond fantastic!
Flowers: Petal and Bean // Musicians: Karly Jurgensen
A Winter Wedding in the Rocky Mountains
From the Groom, TJ:
We chose Estes Park because we knew we wanted our wedding in the mountains. The area is home to Rocky Mountain National Park; the entrance was 1/4 mile from the venue. Everything in the natural environment of the Park was continued in our venue (natural landscape, massive rock faces, 200 year old pines, lots and lots of snow and bluebird days). Naturally, we fell in love with it.
As Sally was walking down the aisle, she was ready to cry. I could see that, and knew that my duty as the groom was to say the perfect thing to her. Unfortunately, I had no idea what that was, so I just told her, “Hold it together.” Luckily for me, it worked, she had no second thoughts and I got to make her my bride a few minutes later. 
We got married on one of the coldest days of the year, so it was very much an indoor affair. The ceremony presided over by an Air Force chaplain. We used parts of the lyrics to Neil Young’s “Down by the River” in our vows because (a) Neil Young is awesome and (b) “Be on my side, I’ll be on your side” and “Take My Hand, I’ll take yours” are actions of love and commitment. The song also includes the lyrics “Down by the River/ I shot my baby,” so we had to be a little selective about which parts to use.
Our décor was earthy. We used flagstones with wine bottles, aspen branches, and some glass icicles on the centerpieces.
We used a cake topper that is 3rd generation. It was on my grandparents’ wedding cake, my parents, and now mine.
Looking Back: Starting with a big decision by picking the venue first was the most helpful to our planning. Once we had a room in which we could picture getting married, we were able to build every other decision around that. Also, working with the look of the room helped us eliminate a lot of different ideas and options that were appealing, but just wouldn’t fit. We kind of shot from the hip in terms of a budget. I would recommend doing a little research beforehand, setting a reasonable budget for your means and what you want, then sticking to it.
TJ & Sally’s
RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Venue: Della Terra Mountain Chateau. Unforgettable location, and the amenities of staying there are really incredible. It was also nice to have the place to ourselves and to know that the venue specializes in weddings. That meant that they helped us avoid some common pitfalls and had a number of tools (like tableware and linens) that we didn’t have to seek out from another spot.
Photographer: Stacey M Photography. Stacey took incredible photos and she was quick on her turn-around so we could see them. Couldn’t have asked for more from her.
Band/Musicians: Trout Steak Revival. They rocked our socks off! And learned a couple songs just for us.
Cake: Sweet Daphne Confections. Amazing cupcakes and variety.
Honeymoon Location: We hiked the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru. We booked through Inca Trail Reservations and found them to be very easy to work with.
A Winter Ranch Wedding in Colorado
From the bride, Sage:
Ira and I love Colorado and we very much enjoy the mountains! We are both Colorado natives, I grew up outside of Durango and Ira grew up in Colorado Springs. We both love the snow and all the magic that comes along with Colorado winters. We wanted to have a wedding that was not only beautiful, but memorable and magical.
Every detail was arranged with such care and perfection, which is exactly who I am. 
We had the ceremony outside. It had snowed for 4 days prior to our wedding, so the snow was fresh and plentiful.
As our guests arrived, they were greeted with hot cider and hand + toe warmers. 
I am a horse fanatic, and it has always been a dream of mine to ride in on a horse. A black horse, of course, with my beautiful white dress draped over his back. When I met with Devil’s Thumb Ranch and expressed this dream, there was no hesitation! My dream came true, I rode Bo, a gigantic black Percheron. He was amazing!!! I arrived at Devil’s Thumb Ranch days ahead of time, to make sure I had plenty of time to ride and get to know him before the big day. The last thing I wanted was to be a run-a-way bride!
The two older flower girls pulled a sled with our baby flower girl and ring bearer. 
The crowd gasped as I came around the corner on Bo. It was very emotional.
The ceremony was short and sweet and full of love.
A 2 horse sleigh came and picked Ira and I up after the ceremony. We headed out to celebrate the first few minutes of married life. Our guests enjoyed a live blue grass band, hand crafted cocktails, appetizers and sleigh rides!!
We had a surprise first dance that started out with a sweet love song, then broke into a super fun hip hop dance session then back to a sweet love song. People were super impressed because Ira is not fond of dancing, but he was a really good sport.
Our wedding day was a dream come true and executed perfectly! I would say, let’s do it again, but it was perfect!!
Sage & Ira’s RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Venue, Caterer & Lodging: DEVIL’S THUMB RANCH { website }
Photography: ELC Photography // Day of Coordinator: Love This Day Events // Flowers: Fiori Flowers