You Have To See This Ceremony Archway That The Groom Handmade!

Melissa Hammam
November 2, 2022
Categories: Real Weddings, Seasonal Wedding Trend, Summer, The Blog, Traditional Elegance

Surrounded by the stunning back drop of Snowmass Mountain, this green and white wedding is simply stunning. When the couple couldn’t find the perfect archway for their outdoor ceremony, the groom decided to build one himself! Forget Me Knot Weddings planned a day that brought all of our bride and groom’s wedding day dreams to life, and Amy Lauren Floral Design filled it with blooms that will take your breath away. You’ll fall head over heels in love with the incredible imagery shot by Jacie Marguerite Fine Art Photographer, see it all inside the full gallery.

From the bride… We met as college athletes at the University of Miami, passing by each other in the halls of the athletic department, but never connecting romantically. It wasn’t until the bride became long time friends with the grooms sister, and many years later, when the attraction sparked and fate happened! The timing was just right, I guess. We had a very intimate wedding and so many moments stand out as memorable. Reciting our vows with the stunning backdrop of Snowmass Mountain and the oreo cows that came out to graze was magical. Walking down the aisle literally took our breath away. It didn’t matter which direction you turned, there was beauty everywhere! Also the Groom’s brother, who got ordained just for our wedding, as the minister was so special. We found a way to incorporate all of our family members in the wedding somehow. The brides best friend gave a speech and knocked it out of the park! It connected us all as family and showed how fate brought us all together.

We wanted a wedding in nature. We fell in love with Aspen in the summer time a few years back and wanted to make it a yearly destination for our family. Aspen is also where we got engaged in March of 2020 and thought it was the perfect place to tie the knot! We wanted to have our immediate family there with us so we found a perfect ranch (Patak Ranch) in the mountains that was big enough for the crew to join. We wanted to create the most magical week for everyone and make sure they felt the love that we feel in Aspen too. So we planned a week of fun adventures, had cocktails by the fire, jumped in the pool and did a sound bowl healing meditation in the garden the morning of our wedding. For wedding day, the idea was that we had the ceremony and followed by a grand dinner party! We envisioned neutral colors that only added to the spectacular scenery that surrounded us. We chose a wild flower theme and went with greens and whites that had a splash of pastel oranges and pinks. The table settings were green and clear with a touch of gold and handmade paper menu’s that were custom made for our special day. Our dinner was catered by one of Aspen’s best chef’s and his team on site. We set up a spectacular long table, lined with wild flowers, and ate the most delicious food under a sky full of stars while listening to the sweet voice of a vocalist/guitarist. Dinner was followed by desert, dancing and cocktails by the fire pit. FUN FACT! The groom is so handy and we couldn’t find the perfect archway for wedding day, so he built it by hand!

To honor the brides Liberian culture, we used the West African cloths (lapa’s) in our reception. As we arrived to the reception area, our family surrounded us (as newlyweds) and placed several feet of lapa cloth on the ground for us to walk over together. In original Liberian tradition, it was used a warm welcome home to the village after marriage, and a way to show gratitude for the union.