From the Bride, Sarah:
I can't even begin to measure the amount of love, sweat, tears, stress, and maybe even some blood that went into this event. It was beautiful. I am not biased or anything, but it really was perfect. Everything that I could have possibly wanted happened. The food, the music, the decor, the flowers, the dessert, oh my!
The robes that I had ordered from India for us to get ready in, never arrived, so in true Colorado fashion, we all put on plaid flannel button-downs. Thanks to Jordan for bringing extras for some people who aren't as hipster as we are.
Peonies were an absolute must for my wedding bouquet, I have known that for a while, but I didn't actually get to see my florals until the day of. It was kind of nerve-racking, but I was overjoyed with the beautiful creations from China Rose. Amy came to the property to do a walk-thru with me a couple of weeks before the wedding, and she totally saw my vision of this moody, fresh from the field kind of arrangements. She even put some wild raspberries in for me so that I could have a snack halfway down the aisle. Everything was gorgeous, and I couldn't be happier.
Obligatory cowboy boots. I am an Austin native and proud Texan so naturally, I was reppin' the Lone Star State on my wedding day.
Mike and I decided to do a first look to help alleviate some of the nerves of seeing each other for the first time at the ceremony. Also, I am not big into a lot of those traditions. We didn't have a religious ceremony, I didn't change my name, I definitely didn't do a bouquet toss and Mike didn't do a garter toss. Personally, for me, those things are outdated, and although we are spiritual, we aren't religious, so I really wanted to celebrate my church; the beauty of nature and the love of friends and family.
Another reason we decided on a first look was so that we could get most of the photos done before the wedding. I HIGHLY recommend this! We actually got to spend some time at our cocktail hour instead of making everyone wait while we took hours of photos. Also, it allowed for a change of venue, and I have always loved the dramatic shots that I can get up on Wilson Mesa a few miles up the road. We allowed our bridesmaids and groomsmen to make their own outfits as long as they sort of coordinated with a certain color scheme. I think it turned out great and hopefully these are clothes that they can wear again. That was the idea at least.
Kendall Pavan is a photography rockstar! She was a ninja, lurking around, capturing some amazing moments completely unnoticed by most. Not to mention, her work is excellent, and prior to shooting, she asked me what was important to me. I told her, "Tell a story." She did it flawlessly!
Rather than having a guest book, I thought it would be cute to get some old vintage keys, tie tags to them, and create a "Keys to a Happy Marriage" board where guests were invited to share their suggestions for relationship nirvana. Overwhelmingly, people wanted Mike to know that my happiness should be his number one priority (duh!), and that Naked Saturdays are someone's secret to success.
Following the ceremony, we had a cocktail hour at the old barn on our property. Mike designed and created the "BARN" sign, and had the really brilliant idea of having the "N" burnout so that it looks like "BAR" when the lights are on. It looked amazing! I was really proud of him.
Mike and I decided to create signature cocktails for our guests during happy hour. Mine was called a "Telluride Packmule" and was essentially a Moscow Mule with muddled blueberries and mint. It was delish and refreshing. Mike created a "Runaway Mine Train" which was bourbon, alpine liqueur, mint, and muddled peaches. Yum.
I really wanted to create a lighting scheme that created a mood instead of just lighting a tent. Since I wanted this event to feel sort of like of walking in the woods and stumbling upon a fairy tea party, I turned to a lot natural materials to achieve my vision. I decided that to fill the tent and create some atmosphere that I could put all those sticks I had been gathering from the yard to use. Wait for it...BRANCHELIERS aka branch chandeliers! The forest behind our house is literally covered in moss. It is really magical, and as a kid I would take my shoes off and walk across the carpet of moss searching for mushrooms, so I decided to incorporate it into my centerpieces. We cut circles of moss (or I should say, my mom, sister, and her mom did) and topped them with florals and a candlestick. Thanks guys! Mike sliced pieces of aspen and we topped them with glass cloches to hold floral arrangements alongside the vintage brass vases that I had been trolling Ebay forever for. Totally worth it.
Did somebody say, "Dessert bar"? Ever since I saw my first dessert bar, I knew that we were destined for one another. We displayed the desserts on a piece of furniture that had been sitting out in the garage since my mom remodeled. I had been doing a LOT of antiquing prior to the wedding and had invested in some little accent pieces like hurricane lanterns, and old case, and some re-purposed crates to spice up the display.
Our band was a bluegrass band called Whitewater Ramble and the term "good ole fashioned hoedown" would best describe the dance party that ensued. There was line dancing, two-steppin', and heel clickin' good times.
Yes, it flies by. Yes, get a videographer and photographer so that you can at least attempt to capture all of the special moments. Yes, take a deep breath, remember to eat, and try to greet each of your guests. Don't sweat the small stuff. It might all be a little overwhelming, but it will be one of the most wonderful days of your life.
Kendall Pavan Photography | Venue: Private Residence in Telluride,Colorado | Planner: McKinley Hale - Telluride Event Collective | Florist: China Rose of Telluride Flower | Dress Designer: Anne Barge | Makeup Artist: Carmen Wolcott | Dessert Table - Sweet Rhi's | Cake: Telluride Specialty Cakes | Musicians - White Water Ramble | Bride's Sash - Millie Icaro
Looking for get married in Telluride? Check out Telluride Resorts {LISTmember}. They have multiple venues to fit any size of wedding.
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