If there was one photo that could sum up the happiness of this day, Rachel Olsen Photography could capture it, and when you see the confetti entrance below, you’ll know she did just that. There is pure joy emanating from that image, and it spills over into every sweet detail from the day!
The amazing staff at the Redstone Inn made the day run seamlessly. All of Kate & Ralf’s (very detailed) pre-wedding planning went off without a hitch. Kate’s borrowed veil from her Aunt went perfectly with her beautiful dress and the heirloom jewelry borrowed from her mother rounded out her wedding day attire. She was stunning from head to toe. Ralf was as dapper as ever in his suit from J. Crew. Their flowers by Field Florals were absolutely beautiful. Field Florals organically grows and harvests all of their flowers in Paonia, Colorado. Kate and Ralf not only had one wedding cake but 10 Germa Kuchen from Rosie’s Little Bavaria in Glenwood Springs! And I loved how they cut their cakes directly after the ceremony so their guests could enjoy some sweets during cocktail hour and then go eat dinner- that’s the way I’d always eat if given the choice! While the guests were enjoying cocktail hour we stole away and went up to the top of McClure pass to a beautiful aspen grove. It was so nice to have a bit of time to create portraits with just Kate and Ralf. And to round out their wonderful day they had Dwight of Starkey Entertainment as their incredible DJ. He was truly amazing. The way he mixed old & new seamlessly had everyone out on their feet dancing the night away (even I was bopping around as I was taking photos)!
From the Bride… When I was planning my wedding, one of my very good friends told me, reassuringly, that the things you worry about happening won’t actually happen, and the things you never even thought about, always will. So true! My husband and I dated for almost 4 years before he asked me to marry him. I was so worried that he would never ask, and then, when I least expected it, there it was, this stumbling question and a ring! I was so in shock at what was happening that I asked him, “Are you proposing??”
For our wedding, we wanted to find a venue where our international guests could be comfortable, everyone could stay the whole weekend, and, most important, not have to drive home after the party. The Redstone Inn was ideal. I grew up going there for sleigh rides and hot chocolate, so it won me over from a very early age! I was so happy to host my wedding there so many years later! Redstone is a quite artist town, 20 miles from cell phone reception on each side. The redrock canyon walls shoot straight out of the aptly named Crystal River, and life slows down to a gloriously leisurely pace. One can exhale. It was the perfect place to host the celebration of our lives!
It took us a year and a half to plan our wedding, which I must admit, felt like an eternity at times, but when you are coordinating family and friends on a few continents, you can’t hurry weddings! We settled on a few details right away, our red wine would be from Chile, the same wine we drank on our engagement eve, I would wear my great grandmothers sapphire necklace, and we would have lots of German Kuchen (cakes) right after the ceremony! The rest of the details came with time and trial and error.
More from the bride…
Wedding Vision: Ralf and I really wanted to find a place where our guests could get away from it all and just enjoy the beautiful mountains.
Favorite Details: Using Family Heirlooms (Linens, Cake Server, Silver Platters); Aspen Trees (We love the symbolism of their linked roots); Wildflowers
Wedding Menu: We had a Colorado feast! Elk in filo dough, trout canape, beef medallions, chicken Marsala, fresh steamed veggies, mashed potatoes and 10 German Kuchen! For the vegetarians and vegans, the Inn made what I heard was a delicious veggie tort, and Jenn Connor at Rosies Little Bavarian in Glenwood, our baker, made a vegan raspberry tort so they could enjoy the wedding cake as well.
DIY: A friend designed our Save the Dates. Ralf made a bilingual website, bilingual invites and RSVP cards, and bilingual wedding programs. He also made name cards and table cards and taught our minister how to say part of the service in German. My dad made aspen wedding location sign and aspen table centerpieces. My aunts and neighbors decorated the ceremony location. My uncles decorated the tent with lanterns and lights. A good friend loaned us name and table card holders. She made and used them at her wedding the previous summer.
Favorite Memories: There are so many wonderful memories! I remember dodging thunderstorms, rafting with family and friends, playing disk golf and drinking beer in the woods behind my family’s house, wearing my aunt’s veil, meeting one of my best friend’s infant on his one month birthday, dancing non-stop and having a quite breakfast with my sister. I remember practicing our wedding dance in the woods a couple days before the wedding, and again in a glorious aspen grove high on McClur Pass. My sister’s roast, ah, I mean wedding speech! Dancing with Ralf in the aspen grove. JJ retrieving a room key from the deep end of the pool the next morning. (That was hilarious! It belonged to one of Ralf’s German friends who didn’t speak English that well.) I remember feeling total and absolute love. “We are now in the mountains and they are in us, kindling enthusiasm, making every nerve quiver, filling every pore and cell of us. . . in this newness of life, we seem to have been so always.” ~john muir
Photography: Rachel Olsen Photography | Flowers: Field Florals | Cakes: Rosis Little Bavarian Restaurant | Hair: Mane-ia | Entertainment: Starkey Productions | Groom's Attire: J.Crew | Wedding Venue: Redstone Inn | Bride's Attire: Wtoo