Notes from the bride, Ashley:
How and why did you choose this venue?
My dad actually pulled the trigger on this venue. He has golfed there before and he has worked with Dave Liniger, The Sanctuary�s owner, for over a decade. My dad told me, �You HAVE to go at least have a look.� It was over the �venue budget� I had in my head but I went anyway, hoping maybe I wouldn�t fall in love. Horrible news, I definitely fell head over heels with the views and the staff. I actually got goosebumps walking down the aisle, the only place I looked where I could really, truly see myself getting married, and I looked at over 12 venues in Denver! I told my dad it was incredible, more stunning than I ever imagined! We had the date held while I kept looking for something more on budget. Then, my dad got a call from their day-of-coordinator two days later saying someone else wanted our date, ah! Without even really consulting me, he booked it! And boy oh boy do I love him for doing so, my practical, budgeting side might have taken over and we would have booked something I wasn�t absolutely in love with, thank goodness for dads!Why is it special to you?- Dave and I both love the outdoors. I feel like I am outside more than inside most days. I wanted a venue where I could enjoy the outdoors, but not have to worry about the elements, as Colorado can have rain, snow and sun all in one day! Not optimal for guest comfort. Dave moved here from New England and attended CSU. He fell in love with the mountains and never wanted to leave. We wanted a venue where we could see Colorado in all of its beauty! The Sanctuary was more than perfect, great view of the mountains, I believe you can spot at least three fourteeners. To top it off, we had a more than perfect day weather wise, it rained and poured most of April, hailed Friday before the wedding and the very next Saturday after our wedding (when we left for our honeymoon) it snowed two feet! However, even if it had rained and snowed with blistering winds, The Sanctuary is well equipped with heat lamps, shades to draw during the ceremony and an indoor reception. We scored! Big time.
Tell us all about your wedding day�what were the most meaningful moments; what are your best memories; what did it feel like?
The first thing that pops into my head when I think of our wedding day, is our ring exchange! David and Lynn, our photographers, captured the moment perfectly; I love looking at the images and reliving/feeling how happy and excited we are!- The second, the flowers! Oh man, do I love flowers and Amy did an even better job than I ever imagined! I remember walking into the venue and seeing all of the bouquets and I had to pick my jaw up off the floor. Lots of �ooohs� and �awws� coming from the moms and my bridesmaids. I was so excited about the colors and the design! It was all so stunning. I was a huge fan of all of our speeches! It felt like we hired professionals! Each one made me laugh, cry and you could just feel the love! I had an insanely huge smile on through each and every one. My dad spoke of family, my sister told a funny joke and warmed my heart with her love for me and Dave, Dave�s brother talked about Dave then, wild and without purpose, and now, driven and smitten and my Australian au pair Dad spoke about my failings as an Aussie, but my winnings as a person. Each speech was so different, yet conveyed one thing crystal clear, we have so much love for one another and everyone at our weddings had so much love for us. You really could feel all the happiness, I�ve never experienced anything like it. It is a rare thing to have all of your favorite people all in one place, all at the same time, celebrating together. We are lucky to be surrounded by so many incredible people from all over the globe.- Next, our first dance!! We actually took lessons and had a little routine. Our song was, �The Mountain Song� by Rayland Baxter and our dance even had a lift in it, yes, much like the lift in Dirty Dancing. I am not a huge dancer and I really don�t love being the center of attention, so I almost pulled the lift out of our routine last minute because I was so nervous! I thought, what if he drops me, what if my dress falls down, what if I fall when he sets me back down� but, Dave wouldn�t let me be afraid, we had so much fun dancing and it ended up being a highlight of the whole night! We forgot some steps, but totally nailed the lift. Our first dance was pretty fun and so was our whole wedding conga line! Have you ever seen a conga line 150 people deep? It�s pretty hysterical!- I could go on and on, it was the most magical and special day to me that I have ever lived. I married my most favorite human in the whole entire world! I have two close friends going through the wedding planning process right now and I have told them both, �In the end, all the stress and all the tiny details are worth every second. I would plan our wedding again in a heartbeat!�
Photographer: David Lynn Photography {LISTmember} | Venue & Caterer: Sanctuary Golf Course | DJ:A Music Plus | Hair Stylist: Adorn Denver | Dress Store: Anna Be Bridal Boutique | Cake Designer: Cakeheads | Makeup Artist: Pretty Bride Shoppe | Floral Designer: The Flower House, LLC | Officiant: The Wedding Priest
More from the bride, Ashley:
Tell us all about your love story! How did you meet? How did he propose?
This is actually a pretty funny story. Getting set up by your mom tends not to work, especially when it is a blind date, but as luck would have it, our little blind date turned into love and pretty quickly at that! I met Dave�s mom and dad, who live literally two houses down from my mom and dad, at my mom�s 55th birthday party bash! My mom wanted to invite everyone she knew and I threw one big party, Dave�s parents were on the guest list. I may have spent about two minutes with the Gorham�s, just playing hostess, but I must have made a great impression because the next day my mom received a giant email from Kathy that basically contained Dave�s resume. No joke, she told me his height, weight, profession, personality, hobbies, anything I wanted to know was there. At first I thought it was a little overbearing, but at the end of her email she wrote, �If anything, you could get a great friend.� So, I took a chance, gave her my number and said if he wants to meet me he has to call and a day later, he did. I suggested we go out for a beer, little did I know I suggested his favorite brewery, Dry Dock. Personally, I think he was hooked right then and there on our first phone call, though he claims it was after date three. One beer turned into two beers and we ended up staying until closing. Our second date was the very next day. On our third date I met his family and we were officially dating not long after. We met August 24th, 2013 got engaged February 22nd, 2014 and we were married on May 2nd, 2015. All pretty fast, but when you know, you know!- When Dave proposed we were living right near City Park. We frequently took the dogs walking around the park, he golfed the course often and we even had kickball league there. City Park was a very big part of our first months together. He decided to propose to me at the 18th tee box, beautiful spot overlooking the city. Here were my clues to know he was going to propose: He asked me to make sure I got work off, told me I should shower in the morning because it was going to be a long day, told me I should not wear the beanie I had on, even though it was pretty chilly and he couldn�t stop talking. He got down on one knee, had an amazing speech planned, though I only remember half, I was too excited to pay full attention, and he even made sure to capture the moment on camera. I said yes about a million times! I love that man! Best �surprise� ever!
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