Charming Wedding at Della Terra Mountain Chateau in the Colorado Rockies

Melissa Baran
December 18, 2018
Categories: Real Weddings, Romantic, The Blog

At first sight, I literally dropped my jaw at the beauty of this fete captured by Mason Neufeld. The bride floating about in her dress from The Bridal Collection, getting ready with her mama (how sweet!), surrounded by loved ones… these two wore BEAMING smiles and their love feels as big as the incredible views. And because I can’t help but link to one more favorite of mine: here you go. Join me in the full gallery for more!

From Mason Neufeld… As the sun set, Rachel & Jake held each other with tears in their eyes as they soaked in the beautiful landscape before them, atop of a 11,827 summit in the Tundra of Rocky Mountain National Park. The pair felt so full of love and contentment from how perfectly every moment fell into place for their wedding celebration. It was everything the pair had dreamed of for the past one and a half years of planning every detail with intention and thoughtfulness.

With the change of the season from summer to fall, the two High School Sweethearts were wed at Della Terra Mountain Chateau in Estes, Colorado. The celebration was filled with the prettiest flowers, with a major focus on family and the rare success that their love holds. They have absolutely beat all of the odds. Jake is Rachel’s very first boyfriend and now forever love. In Jake’s academy they are part of the %2 club; meaning they are one of the two-percent of couples that last through to graduation from the military program. Rachel just graduated from Regis University. They supported each other through their education while being long distance the entire time. Rachel would hop on a red-eye flight from Colorado to New York for just one to two days with her love over the weekends. Not to mention, they were long distance for 5/6 years that they’ve been together. Surrounded by their loved ones, their wedding day was full of teary eyes, sentimental stories, and the sweetness of a steadfast love that surpassed every obstacle they’ve faced over the years.

From the Bride… Jake and I have been together a total of six years, five of which have been long distance. We are high school sweethearts who beat the odds! We were both raised in Colorado, so we both knew getting married in the mountains would be perfect. Jake attended The United Sates Military Academy at West Point and graduated in 2017. I went to Regis University and got my bachelors degree in Elementary Education. Jake proposed to me while I was studying abroad in Ireland. He spent his short, four day Thanksgiving break traveling across the Atlantic to ask me THE question. I am so lucky my first ever boyfriend was my first love and now my forever love! After one and a half years of planning, every detail fell into place. I loved seeing how our team of vendors created my vision.

I have always dreamed of my wedding day ever since I was a young girl and it was nothing short of perfection. My color palette was inspired by a combination of light summer colours (blush, white, greenery) and an added pop of Burgundy since it was Labor Day weekend (almost fall). I knew I wanted to bring out the natural mountain beauty with lots of greenery in my bouquet and on the arch. I wanted everything to be very classic, timeless, and romantic.

It truly was a perfect fairytale. Every detail from the written vows to petal toss and to being surrounded by our most special people in such a special space made the day one we will treasure forever. Our wedding felt so very us, we were able to incorporate who we are as individuals and who we are together as a couple and team.

More on the Wedding Details… Rachel went to The Bridal Collection in search of a classy and timeless gown. She found the perfect dress when she got creative and mixed a show stopping Wtoo skirt with a delicate bodice from Allure Bridals. The combination was unique and suited the bride so seamlessly.

Rachel always envisioned an up-do, and Laura Gravina made all of her wedding hair dreams come true. Her makeup by Kacie Mcintosh was natural with a little pop in the lipstick to match the pop of Burgundy in her florals.

The three generations of the Klein family ladies all wore pearl earrings, and Rachel wore her grandmothers.

The rings were custom and designed by Rachel and J Albrecht Designs. Rachel’s sapphire ring was her mothers, that, in combination with her Michael Kors shoes were her “something blue”.

Rev. Scott Awbrey led a very intimate ceremony that encouraged the participation of the guests and focused on the couples story & their personal vows to each other. The layout of the venue allowed for every guest to participate in the ceremony, petal toss, and saber arch.

Jake and his groomsmen and friends from West Point joined him in uniform. At the end of our petal toss, the military guests created a saber arch. The saber arch is a tradition in which the best man requests a kiss from the bride to the groom as a right of passage.

In addition to military traditions, I (the Bride) incorporated some personal family items. My mother made homemade apricot jam in mini jars as wedding favors. This was something super special to me since she is such a loving mother who puts her heart in whatever she does. My garter is a family heirloom that was worn by my mom and her three sisters and my cousin in Ireland in June of this year!

Della Terra Chateau is nestled on the border of Rocky Mountain National Park, so naturally the bride and groom opted in for a day-after session there. Atop a 11,827 summit in the Tundra, the pair braved the cold and altitude to capture some extra special portraits. The moment that the sun set on their wedding weekend, Rachel & Jake sat in reflection of all of the amazing moments that it held. Jake was in tears, Rachel giggled with joy, both felt so content and full of love.