If there’s one thing I’ve learned from religiously watching The Notebook, aside from the obvious fact that Ryan Gosling is all sorts of cute, it is this… Boat rides are the ultimate in romance. Plop a Bride and Groom in a canoe on the middle of a lake and I’m a goner. Also romantic is a day built around the natural beauty of Vail and captured so perfectly by smitten photography. This gem has all of the above and then some and you can see every last minute of it right here.
From the Bride… Reid and I first met at the remote Lost Valley Ranch near Deckers, Colorado, where we quickly became hiking buddies. Two years later, I was living near him in the Vail Valley, where we continued to hike, ski and fall in love in God’s beautiful creation. Piney River Ranch at Piney Lake in Vail, Colorado was the perfect fit for us to share our love of the mountains and outdoors to our friends and family. It was honestly the most beautiful day I’ve ever seen in the mountains — we had moose make an appearance before the wedding, and we were blessed with a short rainstorm that created an unbelievable double rainbow, a little gift from above! We actually got engaged in the rain on a hike, so it was very fitting that it showed up on our wedding day!
Having the Gore Range as a prominent decoration, we wanted accessories that wouldn’t take away from the view, would fit with our rustic theme and would create a small window into our lives for our guests to see what it’s like to live in colorful Colorado. DIY s’mores wedding favors, burlap table runners with wildflower silk flowers from Reid’s mom, homemade pies from a baker friend, live bluegrass/jam grass from a local band, barbeque buffet (Reid’s favorite food) and so on. My boots were my favorite accessory, not only because they were borrowed from my mentor at Lost Valley Ranch, but also because the hand-stitched wildflowers were the inspiration for my bouquet and all of the flowers. My wedding dress was inspired by my engagement ring, which was designed after Reid’s grandmother’s antique ring. The lace and beading made it antique, and my cowboy boots tied it all together to create a rustic/antique look. As an avid fly fisher, Reid had his groomsmen bring waders for photos in Piney Lake. We picked persimmon as the main color for flowers and the bridesmaids’ dresses so that it would be a splash of color against the green foliage everywhere. The groomsmen contrasted the bridesmaids’ dresses perfectly with light blue shirts, suspenders and khakis. We even had our old nametags from Lost Valley Ranch incorporated into a sign. Every little accessory had had a story behind it.
Everything we incorporated in our wedding was about bringing our families into what we love as a couple. It was a very intimate and relaxed mountain wedding overflowing with love — my dad and two brothers surprised me with a musical rendition of “My Maria,” and even my grandmother did some two-steppin’ to the blue grass music!
Wedding Photography: Sharon Clark of smitten photography / Wedding Venue: Piney River Ranch at Piney Lake in Vail, Colorado / Bride’s Bouquet: Signe Jones of Petals & Pours / Other Floral Design: DIY by the Groom’s Mother using Silk Flowers / Wedding Cinematography: Amy Storkel / Dessert: Rachelle Riggins of Duncan Inspired Bakery / Beer Catering: Crazy Mountain Brewing Company / Band: The Laughing Bones / Wedding Dress: Oleg Cassini / Bride’s Boots: Old Gringo Boots “Bonnie” / Bride’s Pearl Necklace: Her Grandmother’s / Bride’s Garter: Sofia Unique Boutique / Hair: Sister of the Bride / Makeup: Amy Joersz / Bridesmaids’ Dresses: David’s Bridal / Men’s Shirts: Van Heusen / Men’s Pants: Dockers / Men’s Suspenders: Suspenders.com