Some like rustic weddings with vintage charm, some like chic soirees with a touch of the contemporary, but I’m fairly positive that ALL will love this fête with it’s 1,000 origami cranes, the fabulous florals from Swank Stems, and it’s gorgeous al fresco reception. With Save The Date Events behind the wheel and Jason+Gina Wedding Photographers behind the camera, the couple was left to do nothing but be sweetly in love and fully enjoy their day – and the resulting smiles on their faces are the real reason we all love this one. Check out the gallery to see what I mean!
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We live and work in Atlanta, Georgia. The first time we met, we discovered that we both shared a love for the outdoors and particularly the mountains in Colorado. (I went to CU Boulder for undergrad and Nate worked on a ranch near Colorado). Our first vacation together was a ski trip to Colorado, so it was fitting that Nate proposed in Colorado. One day Nate picked me up from work to go to a dinner party with friends, but instead of going to our friends’place he got on the interstate. I realized we were driving to the airport. Nate had called my office, asked for time off of work for me and packed my suitcase for a surprise trip to Colorado. (He actually did a decent packing job.) Nate made it seem like it was just a fun, spur of the moment trip. I thought he might propose, but I honestly did not think he would keep a ring in his pocket all day on the ski slopes (he falls a lot), so I was surprised when he popped off a ski, got down on one knee and proposed to me on the ski run “Easyway” We were both lucky it was a green, or we might have fallen down the mountain from happiness.
Our ceremony was simple, short and sweet. We had an amazing musician duo, Kort McCumber and Beth Wilberger who played our favorite songs. The bridesmaids/groomsman walked down to “You Belong Among the Wildflowers” by Tom Petty. I walked down to “She is my Everything” by John Prine. We exited the ceremony to “Eyes of the World” by Grateful Dead.
Our officiant was Allix’s best friend, Alex Hunt, which made everyone laugh, since Allix was marrying a Hunt. It was a very loose, relaxed ceremony; we told Alex to just speak from the heart and we told our readers they were free to say what they wanted before or after their reading. We wrote our vows together, which were very short. Nate’s friend Guy picked a poem to read in Hebrew to represent Allix’s Jewish heritage. Nate’s best girl friend, Jamie, read one of our favorite quotes from Tom Robbins. Nate’s brother Nick, read a passage from Black Elk Speaks and Alex read a Navajo wedding blessing at the end of the ceremony.
We wanted the reception to be relaxed and wide open. Since most of our guests were not from Colorado, we wanted to make people feel like they could hang outside and enjoy the setting. We had lawn games like bocce ball, and plenty of adirondak chairs to lounge in on the grounds. Some of our friends waded in the St. Vrain River which runs through Planet Bluegrass, and one or two of our guests even fly fished the river. The bar was also located outside.
We had a lot of help from our wedding planner, Gabby, our amazing vendors, and our family and friends. Our friend (and bridesmaid) Taylor handmade jute signs like the “Just Hitched”sign that hung off of the back of our chairs. Our friend (and bridesmaid) Claire handwrote all of the escort cards. For our guestbook, we purchased vintage Colorado postcards from eBay for people to write well wishes on and drop in a vintage suitcase we found at a yard sale. My mom has been mailing the postcards to us over our first year of marriage, which has been a really great way to re-live the day. Nate and I handmade our menu chalkboard together on an old window, which we painted cobalt blue to match our wedding colors. My mom had framed all of the wedding pictures of our grandparents and parents and they were placed on our dessert table.
Photography: Jason+Gina Wedding Photographers / Flowers: Swank Stems / Event Design: Save the Date Events / Ceremony + Reception Location: Planet Bluegrass