Q&A with the bride and groom: 

Tell us about your wedding! What was the inspiration behind your day? Did you have a specific theme, style or color palette? Did you incorporate any cultural or religious traditions in any part of your day? 

We knew we wanted a very natural and beautiful setting for the wedding, so I guess if there had to be a theme, it would be nature. We love to hike together and be outdoors, so it was important to incorporate that into our day. Plus it made decorating a little easier...you don't have to do much to what is already beautiful. We went with natural hues and neutral tones for most of our attire and decor as well, to complement the natural beauty of our venue and the Rocky Mountains. 

Let's talk wedding decor. How did you decorate your space for the ceremony and the reception? Was any part of the decor DIY? 

We didn't do too much DIY - we didn't want to overwhelm ourselves or anyone else with a ton of things to set up and tear down. We brought our own candles for the tables that had nice, light scents that we loved. I (Katie) am really into crystals and gems, so we had been to a few gem shows throughout the year collecting pieces that went with our color palette. Those also went on the tables and around the venue, and smaller gems were used to hold down the place cards and were for guests to take home. Even that was a lot to set up so we were glad we kept it simple, and it brought a nice sparkle and glow to everything. 

What were the florals like in your wedding? Did you use flowers in any of your design elements like the bridal bouquets, centerpieces or ceremony backdrop? Did they play an important part in the overall style of your wedding? 

Our florist did beautiful arrangements that went with our color palette - white, green and purple. The table arrangements and bridal bouquets were done with flowers that we loved as well - our florist recommended these lavender Amnesia Roses that we did not even know existed, but fell in love with and went perfectly with our colors. They added a unique touch to the bouquets. We kept it simple for the outdoor ceremony since there was so much nature already surrounding the area. We had two large white arrangements with big Lilies and curly branches and sprinkled the whole area with white rose petals. 

Did you personalize the day in any way (food trucks, guest entertainment etc.)? What were some of your favorite parts of your wedding? 

A: We tried to personalize everything we could! Our florist was a florist that Katie has loved since she moved to Denver, and always said if she ever got married that she wanted them to do her flowers. Our officiant and MC was Jason's cousin, and he personalized everything to us. Our wedding DJ was a close friend and played the playlists that we thoughtfully created together (while brilliantly mixing in some crowd-pleasers as well). Our photographer was recommended by a friend and was a perfect fit for what we wanted in terms of style, and her laid-back personality. Valhalla Cake Shop did the amazing succulent cake that Katie insisted upon, and one of our best friends who is an amazing mixologist did a custom cocktail that was served at the bar. We wanted our wedding to be unique and very "us", and we are so grateful to everyone who helped us achieve that. 

Let's talk fashion. How did you both choose your wedding day look? Describe the looks in detail. 

A: I knew I wanted something simple and elegant for my dress, but wasn't sure exactly what that would look like. The one feature I knew I wanted was something backless. I tried on a lot of dresses that checked most of the boxes, but still had a few characteristics that I was not crazy about. The very last dress I tried on ended up being the one that checked them all! It was backless with beautiful detailing and beading, and form fitting. For the men, we also knew we didn't want anything to formal, and thought that black or anything dark wouldn't flow with the natural backdrop of our ceremony. We decided we both liked the idea of something tan with a bit of a green undertone rather than gray, to go well with the bridesmaids dresses. We ended up having to go custom for the suits to get what we wanted, but it was totally worth it! 

How did you meet? Tell us about the proposal. 

Our proposal was simple, but so sweet. We both love our dog Bear so much (he was actually the ring Bear-er in our wedding). Every morning someone takes him outside, and when he comes back in he will jump on whoever is still in bed with excitement. That particular morning, Jason took Bear outside, and when Bear came back in he jumped on Katie with a ring tied around his neck. "Yes!" was said, and tears were shed, and the rest is history. 

What was the most anticipated or special moment of your wedding day? 

Probably the most anticipated moment for me (Katie) was reading our own vows, I was so nervous! But in the end we were so happy we did them, they were so personal and heartfelt. I think the most special part of our day was just having all of our friends and family there to celebrate with us, it meant so much to be with everyone on our day and feel that support. 

Do you have any wedding planning or marriage advice that you'd like to share with other couples planning their day?

A: Try not to get too overwhelmed with everything. It's naturally such an overwhelming process, and most likely something you have never done before. And things WILL go wrong and unexpected issues will come up, so try to roll with the punches and have a backup plan. Try to nail down the big, time sensitive bookings as early as you can (dress, vendors, venue, etc.). There are so many little details that you will have to address once your date starts getting closer, you will want to have those big things out of the way. Biggest piece of advice is to just enjoy it all. The day goes by so fast, so have fun with the process too!