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2017 Issue
From the PublisherI am so excited to present the 16th edition of Durango Wedding Magazine. is fabulous issue features sixty pages of southwest Colorado weddings. We’ve gathered helpful planning advice from Durango’s most respected wedding professionals and included twelve pages of creative ways to personalize your day. From the initial stages of planning to months aer the wedding, our featured brides have shared their heart-felt stories, comical mishaps and most memorable moments. I hope all their sage advice, great ideas, and fun inspiration will help you create your own one-of-a-kind wedding day. Every January, we host the annual Durango Wedding Expo, now in it’s 16th year of production. is is a wonderful opportunity to visit with the entire wedding community, view beautiful wedding exhibits, and walk away with lots of creative ideas. We hope to see you there! As you plan your celebration, don’t forget to visit us online and follow our blog as we showcase Colorado weddings throughout the year. Durangoweddingsmagazine.com contains a comprehensive up-to-date directory of local venues and wedding professionals. If you are considering a destination wedding in Durango, the most beautiful landscape in all of Colorado, you will not be disappointed. In addition to breathtaking scenery, Durango is home to a talented group of wedding professionals who can make your destination wedding dreams a reality! Aer viewing the images throughout the magazine and reading the real wedding features, I hope you’ll be inspired to choose Durango for your celebration. Our wedding community welcomes you with open arms! Always remember it’s YOUR wedding, so make it unique, enjoy the process, and have lots of FUN along the way. row a celebration that truly reects the two of you! Best Wishes & Happy Planning, Debbie Devereaux, Founder/Publisher Durango Weddings Magazinedebbie@durangoweddingsmagazine.comPhone: (970) 882-3049 PO Box 762, Dolores, CO 81323 On the Front Cover: Image by Salt & Pine (saltandpinephoto.com) Read the couples story on page 10Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein. Reproduction of any material, copy or artwork herein without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. All rights reserved, Weddings Magazine, Inc.
PLANNING | Why DurangoWith over 300 days of sunshine each year, Durango is the perfect place to plan a wedding! e stunning beauty of our natural landscape provides a spectacular backdrop for weddings of any style. Our local wedding vendors are professional and wonderful to work with, and Durango oers couples the opportunity to have an incredible mountain wedding for a much more aordable price point than many other elite ski towns in Colorado. Regardless of the season, we can help you create the wedding of your dreams! - Jill Davis, Durango Party RentalDurango is the ideal destination wedding location for so many reasons! When a couple is considering a destination wedding, so many factors come into play such as beauty, lodging, accessibility, accommodations, vendors, venues, and activities to keep you and your guests happy. Durango really has it all and that’s why bride’s have been traveling to our little slice of heaven to say “I Do” for generations! -Krii Black, LePlatt’s Ponde Rocky Mountains create a beautiful and breathtaking back-drop for any destination wedding year-round. We’ve traveled all over the country from Washington State to New York and we’ve found Durango to literally be the most beautiful wedding back-drop you could ask for. ~Paul & Katie McPherson, ShutterfreekDurango is such a gorgeous town to get married in. We have beautiful scenery, great weather, pretty venues, and huge mountains. Every season is stellar and picturesque. ere are so many activities for your guests from bike rides to skiing, raing to brewery tours, or shopping and visiting a mining town. Durango is fun, relaxing and memorable. -Colleen Clausen, Lilia Floral DesignWe chose Durango for our destination wedding because we love the vibe of the town and it is such a beautiful place. All our guests had such an amazing time. Not only did they get to enjoy a great wedding, they also got to experience white water raing, mountain biking, hiking, shing, and just the overall amazing feeling that only Durango can give. I would denitely recom-mend that any style of couple would be able to create their own unique and special day in Durango and feel so very grateful to have had the experience of getting married there. ~Connie & BlakeWhether you are renewing your vows, tying the knot in an intimate ceremony or planning a destination wedding with 350 guests, southwest Colorado oers an exquisite array of truly unique year-round wedding experiences! Recite your vows surrounded by spectacular mountain views, alpine ponds, rushing rivers, towering trees and elds of wildowers. Hold your reception in a rustic mountain lodge, historic hotel or outdoors under a big white tent. In addition to jaw dropping landscapes, southwest Colorado oers numerous one-of-a-kind activities and entertainment options that your guests will be reminiscing over for years to come. image by Salt & Pine
From the bride, Jenne Anne: WHY DURANGOOur relationship was built on Colorado adventures. Robert proposed on our last winter trip up at Purgatory Resort before we made the celebratory purchase of 40 acres. We are building our rst home as well as our life together here and wanted to share all of this beauty with our closest friends and family.THE STYLEAs a wedding photographer, I have literally seen. it. all. It was important to us that the wedding reected our adventurous laid back spirits. We tried to implement our favorite things and places in Durango as well as: the outdoors, our pups, local beer, and good food. WEEKEND FUN e day before the wedding we incorporated the hot springs, mountain biking, a SKA brew tour, and dinner at Steamworks. On Sunday, we had everyone join us at Carver’s for breakfast and bacon bloody mary’s. Aer, we rode crusier bikes from Pedal e Peaks/2nd Ave Sports along the river trail.When I was iting my vows e darkest clouds were coming right over me in e aspens and suddenly I heard everyone shouting, Rainbow. There was a rainbow right behind our arb just moments befe e ceremony.
THE CEREMONYOur ceremony was located in one of our favorite meadows o Highway 550. e fall colors were at their peak and most of the leaves fell from the aspens the next day! My husband craed our incredible arbor and built it earlier that aernoon. We had a short intimate ceremony with our closest friends and family. Our pups (kids) had to be right beside us in our moment, my lovely orist Lilia Floral Design, made them oral collars so they didn’t feel le out. We chose to have our unity ceremony with two copper custom engraved mugs and a matte grey growler from Steamworks Brewery lled with our favorite cra beer. Looking back, I loved how incredible e weaer was, hearing our pups barking in excitement at e perfect time during our vows, and e chrs of brs betwn everyone after our ceremony.
From the bride, Katelyn:THE STYLERustic shabby chic with a mint and gold color palette. We were aiming for a simple yet elegant day. We wanted to keep things casual and fun. HANDMADE DETAILSFrom the ower girl headpieces, ring bearer signs and gi table skirt to the ceremony doors, we handmade every decoration! We either painted, added ribbons or altered in some way every detail to make it unique. Since I was a little girl, I have always dreamed of having my wedding at LePlatt’s Pond! THE CEREMONYWe added a set of doors at the beginning of the aisle and hung a white lantern from the willow arbor. Tanner’s grandfather is a pastor and we asked him to perform our ceremony, which was very intimate and special.
Katelyn & TannerTHE RECEPTION DECORWe had a total of 19 round tables covered with white oor length linens with a sheer mint overlay. Each table had a small white lantern, mason jars lled with baby’s breath, and a gold candle holder. Our sweetheart table was covered in a oor length gold sequin linen with mint and gold vases. FAVE MEMORIESMy two favorite memories were everyone dancing their booties o and musical chairs for the bouquet and garter. Everyone had such a blast. e tent was full of excitement and laughter!We ate, drank, and danced e night away. Everyone had such a great time!LOOKING BACKI would have started the wedding earlier in the day so we had more time to dance and celebrate!ADVICEKeep your day about you and your signicant other. is is a day to celebrate your love for each other; nothing more, nothing less. THE VENUELePlatt’s Pond (p. 1) is the perfect place for a fairytale wedding! First, the property is absolutely stunning. Upon driving in, you are surrounded by the hops eld. Continue farther down to the eld where the beautifully decorated tent and amazing pond are found. Krii Black and her sta go above and beyond to make your day go smoothly and stress free, from set up to tear down, they do it all. We had the option to get ready on site at a lo by the venue. Krii and her crew know what they are doing and focus on making sure they help you have the best day. We opted for the day-of coordination package that gives you access to the venue for the whole weekend along with Krii’s planning expertise. Krii and her sta included two meetings with us prior to the wedding day to come up with a timeline of our day. ey also took the reigns and coordinated with all the other vendors by giving them their own timelines. is was hands-down the best thing a bride could ask for. You tell them exactly what you want and they make it happen. All you have to do is show up and get hitched!Invitations: Custom Creations (p. 94). Janelle gave us so many options and she made sure we got exactly what we were looking for. ey were extremely aordable and amazing quality.continued on page 90
From the bride, Rachel: I was very nervous the day of our wedding because it was raining all morning. We really wanted to get married outdoors but it rained right up until we were about to start taking pictures. I don’t know what or how, but the clouds opened up and gave us an absolutely perfect fall day. We were able to hold our ceremony outside facing the stunning La Plata Mountains. My favite part of e day was being able to dance e night away wi family and friends. ADVICEShop around for vendors and go with the people that make you feel the most comfortable. I do wish I would have paid extra to have someone come out to do my hair so I didn’t have to worry about going back to town. is would have allowed me to spend more time with my wedding party to relax a little more.FAVE VENDORPhotographer: IlluminArts (p. 61). Drew and his team were more than I could have imagined. From start to nish, it was absolute perfection. He took the time to get every little and important detail. I received so many compliments on how professional they were from countless guests and family. Drew was able to capture moments that I will hold close to my heart for the rest of my life. I would recommend IlluminArts to any and everyone - it was the best service I have had in Durango. continued on page 90
From the bride, Ellysa:THE STYLEI wanted to tie together vintage elegance and natural beauty. Most of all, I wanted our day to be classic and understated. I loved the style of my grandmothers’ weddings. Both wore tea-length dresses and were married in small churches surrounded by family. Ever since I was a child, that quaint wedding image has been in my mind for my wedding day. THE CEREMONYWe held the ceremony at the Boyce canyon site at Purgatory. My dad set up two French doors for us to walk through. He painted them sage green to blend in with the greenery around them and I thought they were just perfect. e doors helped bring a little classic architecture to the outdoor ceremony. As guests were taking their seats, it started to sprinkle. Fearing more rain, I was put into one of the vehicles and waited until it was my turn to walk down the aisle. When my turn came, I jumped out of the car and was so excited that I didn’t even notice I was missing my bouquet! I just held onto my dad as we walked down the aisle together. It wasn’t until aer the ceremony when my mom asked me if my bouquet had run away from home, that I realized its absence.Our ower girl learned how to walk on her own about a week before the wedding. We had a wagon ready to wheel her down the aisle, but last minute decided to let her walk with the help of the eldest ring bearer. About half way down the aisle, she tottered and sat down. Her helper didn’t know what to do, but a kind guest reached out his hand and helped her stand up. It took those two a while to make it down the aisle, but it was adorable to witness. My husband and I wrote our vows to one another. Listening to his vows knocked me speechless, something that doesn’t happen to me very oen! Public speaking isn’t something that scares me and usually comes quite naturally. But, aer he said his vows to me, I was a wreck! My rst line was supposed to be, “Before I fell in love with you…” but what I said was, “Before I fell on you… Oh… Whoops!” Everyone laughed and it really helped me shake out those nerves a little bit!
WHY PURGATORY RESORTWhen choosing a venue for our reception, our biggest concern was having rooms at the same location for guests to stay. We wanted our guests to enjoy the party and not have to worry about driving anywhere aer. Purgatory was the perfect choice for us, not only because it could host our numbers at the reception, it also had plenty of rooms available for our guests.FAVE DETAILCasey and I made “About Casey/ About Elly” cards that we placed on all of the tables. Printed on one side of the card was a note that he had written about me with a cute baby picture, and on the other side was a note about Casey that I had written followed by his cute baby picture. We were even fortunate to have cards that featured a picture of Casey as a ring bearer in his uncle’s wedding, and me as a ower girl in my aunt’s wedding. It was something special to share with family and friends who do not know our signicant other very well. I also loved that it let me share some of the small details that I know and love about Casey, while getting to hear some of those details that he loves about me.
FOR THE GROOMFor Casey’s wedding surprise, his parents and I arranged to tow his childhood vehicle to Durango from Flagsta, AZ. Casey loves this Land Crusier, and has pictures from: prom, homecoming, o-roading, and numerous other adventure shots with this truck. It was really special to have it be part of our wedding day. ADVICETake a deep breath before jumping into planning. Talk about what is really important to each of you. We each had a couple must-haves that shaped how we planned the wedding. Once you know the things you just must-have, it is much easier to be united when making decisions. RECOMMENDED VENDORSVenue, Caterer, Lodging: Durango Mountain Weddings at Purgatory Resort (p. inside cover)Photographer, Video & Photo Booth: Shutterfreek (p. 49 )Favors: Whipped Honey & Chokecherry Jelly from Honeyville (p. inside back cover)continued on page 90
From the bride, Alexandra: WHY DURANGOWe got engaged in Durango in 2015, so it’s a very special place for us.THE STYLECharming, earthy, casual. THE CEREMONYWe held the ceremony surrounded by the gorgeous aspen trees around Silverpick Lodge. It was pouring rain before the ceremony but by 5:00 PM, when the ceremony started, the sun was shining through the clouds in such beautiful and visible rays. It was truly magical. I loved at my dad walked me down e aisle and my mom met us at e altar f a big hug, Being hand in hand wi my husband surrounded by our wonderful family and friends is a memy I’ never fget.
THE RECEPTIONWe had dinner in the Sow’s Ear restaurant and it was jam-packed with 145 dinner guests! Aer dinner, we all went out to the lobby and front driveway of the Silverpick Lodge for dancing and drinks. It was so much fun to dance inside and then people could go out front to cool o and relax. ADVICERespect and listen to your ance’s priorities; be prepared to be a united front when it comes to dealing with your families. Don’t waste time on details, etiquette, and traditions that neither of you care about.RECOMMENDED VENDORS Venue, Lodging & Caterer: Silverpick Lodge/Sow’s Ear (p. 29)Lights & Chairs: Durango Party Rental (p. 73)Hair & Makeup: Hair Fusion Salon, Spa & Barber Shop (p. 94)continued on page 90
Looking back, my favorite memory was when I reached the aisle with my dad and I looked at my soon-to-be husband for the rst time. When I saw him, I just collapsed in a wave of emotion. What a powerful thing to be standing at the end of an aisle, looking at the man who has asked you to be his wife. ~SarahLooking back, we had the most amazing day and we can say it was the best day of our lives! We had so much fun and being around such amazing people, it was impossible not to smile and laugh throughout the day! ~EveMy wedding day was the most magical and special day that I have ever lived. I married my most favorite human in the whole entire world! I have two close friends going through the wedding planning process right now and I have told them both, ‘In the end, all the stress and all the tiny details are worth every second. I would plan our wedding again in a heartbeat!’ ~AshleyLooking back, my favorite memory was my walk down the aisle. In the months leading up to the wedding, I had been nervous and anxious about walking down the aisle alone but on the day of the wedding, it was perfect and blissful walking down the aisle alone with everyone focused on me and my soon-to-be hubby. It felt like the ceremony was truly just about the two of us coming together to say our vows and not about a bunch of people parading down the aisle. ~AliI’m sure every bride says this, but it is truly hard for me to pick a favorite memory of the day. Everything was so special, I was truly blissed out on love for months to follow, just reminiscing every moment and detail. ~RobinLooking back, we’ve never experienced anything like our wedding day - it is a cliché because it’s true. It was a day long adrenaline rush fueled by the biggest outpouring of love we’ve ever experienced. It rocked! ~MindiLOOKING BACK | memorable momentsimage by Marianne Wiest
From the bride, Ashley: WHY PAGOSAWe live in Santa Fe, but chose Pagosa Springs for the beautiful and serene setting. Pagosa Springs had everything we wanted and we are so happy we were married there.THE STYLEI wanted a sophisticated vintage look, a 1920s vibe in the mountains. We used Pagosa Springs as our backdrop and added our own personal style and likes. We wanted the style to be timeless.THE COLOR PALETTEMostly greens, creams and purples with splashes of color in our wedding bouquets.THE CEREMONYWe were married under a beautiful pergola covered in growing vines and owers at the back of the lodge. e altar overlooks Martinez Canyon and made for a beautiful view. We wanted our ceremony to reect our personality. We wrote our own vows and made sure every “custom” we used was true to who we are as a couple.
When e time came f us to recite our vows, e wind reay picked up and made it near impossible f anyone to hear what we had to say to one anoer. Alough, at e time it was a little troublesome, it definitely made e moment at much me memable as it helped time slow down. Oh and at kiss at e end, woo.
THE RECEPTIONWe held our reception under a white party tent decorated with purple ribbons, chandeliers, twinkling lights, wildowers and white antique birdcages covered in butteries. MEMORABLE MOMENTWe chose to do a traditional Viennese waltz to “At Last” by Beyonce. We took a few dance lessons before the wedding to feel comfortable with the steps, so we could really enjoy each other and the moment. Rather than concentrating so much on the dance itself. It worked and our rst dance was really unforgettable.ADVICEe engagement and the wedding itself will y by in an instant. Make your wedding your own. It’s ok to compromise. Take your time. Don’t forget to ask for help. Save money where you can and have fun. Don’t let the planning take over your relationship. Remember it all started because two people fell in love.
Everyone had a lovely time, we were surrounded by ose we love e most in is wld and are left wi noing but amazing memies. THE VENUECanyon Crest Lodge (p. 45) and owner Valerie Green are simply the best. e site was breathtaking for the ceremony and reception. Valerie made planning the wedding so much easier for us. She is willing to do as much as you want her to do and only wants your wedding to be perfect for you. I cannot sing her and Canyon Crest Lodges praises enough. Would recommend to anyone who wants their day to be stress-free and unforgettable.
From the bride, Blaguna: THE INSPIRATIONe mountains and the majestic views. We wanted to bring the outside in. Our color palette was blues from baby blue to navy. THE CEREMONY We got married at 10,000 feet on Purgatory Mountain. e aisle was lined with hanging owers, which led to a beautiful arbor decorated with owers. Our guests were seated to live acoustic music. e wedding party walked down to a live version of “In my Life” by e Beatles. Our minister who is a great friend of ours, said our names for the rst time during the Native American Blessing and not a second later, a loud crash of thunder was heard.I’ never fget walking down e aisle wi my dad to “Attics of My Life” by e Grateful Dead as I tried not to cry.
I wore 3 antique blue buttons on the back of my dress from Mike’s great aunt - she was an established button collector. It was such an honor to have them sewn on.
Blaguna & MikeTHE RECEPTION e reception was at Dante’s, about 100 feet away from the ceremony. Having a live band was a huge highlight. e decor was earthy with moss and owers on the tables. Our escort cards were hung on driwood from the Animas River.DAY AFTER FUNWe oated on tubes down the Animas River with 70 of our guests. e next day about 30 people took the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge train.I wish we would have spent me time wi our guests and asked f help doing a e little ings.ADVICEEnjoy the planning and just realize it is one day; every-thing is not going to be perfect, so roll with the punches.RECOMMENDED VENDORS Photographer: Drew from IlluminArts (p. 61) felt like an old friend. He blended into the day, half the time I did not even know he was taking pictures. He kept in contact throughout the whole planning of the wedding and we love how he likes to tell the story of the whole day. Drew and his assistant were the friendliest people to work with. We had so many compliments about them. ey did not make me feel awkward about any pictures, which made us feel so comfortable that we could be ourselves. Flowers: Marje from Linnaea Farms (p. 94) was really easy to work with. We were out at the right time in March as she was just starting to plant her owers and she let us choose what we wanted and planted them for us. She asked many questions as to what we wanted and what we didn’t. We put full trust in her and the owers turned out beautiful!Rehearsal Dinner: Sow’s Ear at Silverpick Lodge (p. 29). We had about 50 people and everyone was well taken care of. e food was amazing and George couldn’t have been more accommodating for our large group.Venue, Caterer, Lodging: Durango Mountain Weddings at Purgatory Resort (p. inside cover).Hair & Makeup: Hair Fusion (p. 94)continued on page 90
From the bride, Kaylee: WHY DURANGOWe are both outdoorsy people and could not think of a better place to get married than Southwest Colorado. Beyond the obvious beauty of the scenery, nature is a foundational piece of our relationship. Prior to meeting, work for each of us meant a day outdoors under the sun. We met at the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, where we both studied the environment. As the most famous alumni of our school, Aldo Leopold said, “ere are some who can live without wild things and some who cannot.” My husband and I denitively cannot. ese landscapes are a large part of our story, our altar of choice, and we couldn’t imagine getting married anywhere else.THE INSPIRATIONOur style really emerged by accident, because my husband is a huge birder (he loves bird watching, identifying species, and going on long hikes with his binoculars) and I’m super cheesy (I love sappy movies, inspirational quotes, and silly jokes. Simply put, I love love!). When we put those two things together, the theme of “lovebirds” emerged and it captured us perfectly! THE COLOR PALETTEOur color palette centered on the dusty blue/green/gray color of a succulent, and accented by a soer hue of the orange/copper color of a Rufous hummingbird. e palette was rounded out with light pinks and o-whites. Our owers were local, most from the gardens at Blue Lake Ranch. We wanted to draw in the natural beauty of the landscape as much as possible. Right befe our ceremony started, e cottonwood trs started dropping eir cotton sds. It looked like it was snowing in June. It was magical and memable. WOW MOMENTWe didn’t see this happen but several of our guests commented aerwards that while we were reading our vows to each other, two birds ew right behind us and landed together on a tree branch, facing each other in the same way we were facing each other. Now that’s true love (birds).
TABLE NUMBERSOur table numbers (1–10) had a picture of both my husband and I at the age of that table number. It was really fun to see our pictures next to each other. As a fun coincidence, at age 8, we were both playing basketball!THE CAKEMy favorite detail was the lovebird cake topper we placed on our red velvet cheesecake.MEMORABLE MOMENTDuring dinner, my sister-in-law shouted, “Look, there’s a deer outside!” and we all ran outside to see a huge buck walking through the eld. It was such a fun surprise, a perfect representation of our love of wildlife and a great memory of our Colorado wedding. ADVICEWhen you get engaged, talk to your partner about each of your top three most important things about the wedding (besides getting married, of course!), like photography, location, food, music, etc. It’s helpful to know what’s on each person’s top three list so you know where splurging is more appropriate (e.g. spend-ing more on photography and less on owers), and where saving is more possible. Above all, remember that at the end of the day, you get to be married to your best friend. at right there, makes your wedding a huge success. Everything else is just icing on the cake.
Looking back, our wedding day was amazing, it was actuay e most perfect day I could have imagined. RECOMMENDED VENDORSVenue & Flowers: Ridgewood Event Center (p. 7). What a perfect spot to get married! eir professionalism, event planning expertise, and undeniably beautiful location are a winning combination. Joan was amazing! She cared so much about our vision for our wedding and made the day run so smoothly. Her ideas for the decorations were perfect and she did an amazing job with the owers (bouquets, boutonnieres, table arrangements, etc.). She even packed to-go boxes of dessert and snacks so that we could enjoy the goodies aer the night ended. Caterer: Jimmy Nicholson, Durangourmet (p. 89). Jimmy was wonderful to work with. First and foremost, his food is excellent. Our guests all commented on how delicious it all was! He did an amazing job meeting our hopes for the evening with passed appetizers and a family style dinner. continued on page 90
From the bride, Mandy: WHY DURANGOI think Durango is just absolutely gorgeous and so uniquely beautiful with a fun, chill vibe. My mom lives up near Silverpick Lodge, so I’d been eyeing the lodge as a possible wedding venue for a while (Ben and I live in Littleton, CO). THE STYLERustic, earthy, Bohemian, organic with a color palette of teal/earthy blues and greens, brown, cream, and coral. I love the cozy, woodsy, down-to-earth feel. Our number one goal was to get to spend time with all of our loved ones for longer than the typical wedding. We booked the Silverpick Lodge for three nights (Fri/Sat/Sun) so we could spend some quality time with every-one, it ended up being perfect. THE CEREMONYI was a little nervous the morning of the wedding since it was raining and I really, really, wanted to get married in the beautiful meadow we’d decided on so long ago! en, just in time for our ceremony, the clouds parted and it was absolutely beautiful. We rode up to the marriage meadow in a pristine white carriage pulled by a magnicent black Percheron dra horse. It was straight out of a fairytale!THE DÉCORe chairs were set up to have our guests facing the mountains. Our amazing orist, Lilia Floral Design, did a perfect job on our owers and arbor incorporating all the beautiful colors of fall.
Mandy & BenTHE RECEPTIONe reception was at the Sow’s Ear restaurant inside the Silverpick Lodge. We had a delicious dinner made with organic/local ingredients. We had aspen leaves in the chandeliers and charming, woodsy ower boxes with tiny lights running through them on the tables.LOOKING BACKI would have planned more! I denitely procrastinated on planning and even though everything ended up going great, it would have been nice to not be as stressed out; especially on the morning of our wedding!ADVICEPlan, plan, plan…so you don’t stress when it’s time to enjoy! But no matter what—planned as well as you’d like or not—be mind-ful about enjoying every. single. moment. of your wedding when the day arrives—it really is one of the best days of your life and one of the most special memories you’ll have with your partner, friends and family. Really nothing compares to everyone being together for something as joyous and light-hearted as your wedding.RECOMMENDED VENDORSVenue, Caterer & Lodging : Silverpick Lodge/Sow’s Ear (p. 29). Chris Wing is great to work with and super relaxed about things, so it’s a no-stress situation. e lodge is incredibly charming and cozy—it was the perfect place for everyone to be together. e Sow’s Ear has such a fun atmosphere about it too—a beautiful, cozy dining room upstairs and a fun bar and dancing area with gorgeous views of the mountains. George Mehae is great to work with, and he and his team make fantastic food! Floral Designer: Colleen Clausen, Lilia Floral Design (p. 89). Hands down fantastic!!! I told her I wanted everything to feel and look earthy, Bohemian, asymmetrical, unique, woodsy, and rustic —and wow did she deliver!! We were blown away with how beautiful all of our owers and décor were!! She created these perfectly gorgeous boho chic ower crowns for me, my maids of honor, and our ower girls. She did an amazing job at incorporating all of my fave colors into our décor and made it super unique and well, it was perfect. Colleen’s amazing work made our wedding and our photos more beautiful. We are so happy we chose her to decorate our ceremony and reception—she’s amazing.Hair & Makeup: Hair Fusion (p. 94). Simply fantastic. I could not be happier with how fun it was to work with Mary Beth and her amazing skills! I mean, wow!! She did my hair and makeup perfectly and I felt absolutely beautiful on my wedding day!! ere are not enough ways to say how highly I recommend her! continued on page 90
From the bride, Shea: THE CEREMONY We got married in front of the La Plata River. is was meaning-ful to us because we got engaged while shing the Animas River. My mother-in-law completely blinged out a shing pole for us to use over the altar. My uncle performed the ceremony and he did the most perfect job. He kept it light and meaningful and kept Christ at the center of it all. My dad gave Casey a mile lei, which is a signicant lei in the Hawaiian culture. It means he was giving Casey the joy and responsibility of taking care of me for the rest of my life. We laughed e whole night. From e ceremony to e dancing, we had such a good time!
Enjoy e planning and ask f help because it is stressful. And kp it simple.RECOMMENDED VENDORSPhotographer, Photo Booth & Video: Shutterfreek (p. 49). ey are the bomb.com. Seriously, I loved these guys so much. Kate and Paul did an incredible job. We were blown away by every-thing. Our highlight video is through the roof amazing. Venue & Flowers: Ridgewood Event Center (p. 7) Rentals: Durango Party Rental (p. 73) continued on page 90
From the bride, Ashley: THE STYLELaid back, farmhouse, handmade, rustic, and bohemian with a dark purple, green, and cream color palette.THE LOCATIONe day was incredibly personal because we were able to get married in our backyard! Originally we had booked a venue closer to Purgatory and then two months before the wedding, we closed on our rst house in La Plata Canyon. Once we moved in, we realized our own backyard was the perfect wedding venue. One month before our wedding, we cancelled our other plans, frantically called guests, reserved a tent, and moved the venue to our backyard. We were cracking jokes and getting everyone to laugh roughout e whole ceremony. THE CEREMONYe day before the wedding, a freak September snow storm blanketed everything in 3 inches of snow, which thankfully melt-ed in the hours leading up to the ceremony. For days, the weather had been grey and snowy, and then an hour before the ceremony, the clouds parted. During our vows, the sun nally broke through and everyone erupted in applause. My brother acted as our ociant which was very special to us and gave the whole ceremony a very relaxed and personal feel. MEMORABLE MOMENTWalking down the aisle and seeing Shaun for the rst time. Looking out at the mountains and seeing all our friends and family gathered in our new backyard was so magical. Knowing this was our new home and where we are going to build our life and family was so special. Given that we had only been living there for 2 months it immediately gave us a very special connection to our new home.
THE RECEPTIONWe held our reception just a few feet away from the ceremony site under a big 40x40 tent provided by Durango Party Rental. We rented long farmhouse tables with benches and decorated with simple burlap runners and wildowers in mason jars. Each table was named aer a peak in the La Plata Mountains. All aspects of our reception were simple and handmade. SEATING CHART Our seating chart was made from a window from our family barn in Massachusetts. It was own all the way out to Durango to bring in a piece of New England. SWEETS For dessert we had a pie bar and I baked the cake we cut, which was a recipe from my grandmother. Our wedding got rowdy! The dance flo was always occupied and e music didn’t stop until late in e early mning hours. Given it was our own house, we had no one kicking us out! ADVICEAccept the help of everyone who wants to make the day special for you and spend the money on a wedding planner. Even if you hire a planner just to coordinate the day-of logistics, it’s so nice to have someone else handling the details so you can relax on your wedding day.
LOOKING BACKe snowstorm the night before our wedding sent me into a panic. We had to scramble and drape a tarp over the opening of the tent because the snow was blowing in sideways. It was one of those moments that we just had to laugh because there was nothing we could do. I still look back and chuckle, realizing how worked up I got over it. RECOMMENDED VENDORSCaterer: Durangourmet (p. 89). Working with Jimmy was awesome. His commitment to sourcing locally was such a big part of why we chose to work with him and he came up with a great Southwest themed menu. Many of our guests came from the east coast so being able to show them the avor of the area was very important to us. e food was incredibly fresh and everyone raved about it. RECOMMENDED VENDORSTent & farmhouse tables: Durango Party Rental (p. 73). Durango Party Rental surpassed our expectations with fantastic customer service and a great eye for detail. Working with Jill was a great experience and she really took the time to understand the kind of laid back event we really wanted. ey respected our budget and helped us think of creative ways to make our rentals work for what we needed. When the weather took a turn we were so glad we were able to add a tent heater to our reservation a few days before the wedding. Also, the setup and breakdown crew did an awesome job of moving things in and out with minimal disturbances. Aer they took the tent down, you would have never known we had hosted a wedding in our yard. continued on page 90
From the bride, Jennifer: WHY SILVERTONWe decided to celebrate our wedding in the location where we fell in love, Silverton, Colorado. THE INSPIRATIONEclectic antique meets mountain rustic chic. I fell in love with the idea of unique items, mismatched antique candles and vases, old books, wood, and lace, coming together to create a cohesive style.THE CEREMONYWe held our ceremony in the meadow at the Kendall Mountain Community Center (p. 90). It was a perfect day, not a cloud in the sky. I wanted the beautiful scenery to be on display during the ceremony. We had owers lining the aisle and an aspen arbor covered in owers. e ceremony was short and sweet. FAVORITE CEREMONY MEMORYWalking down the aisle with my dad and seeing the look of excitement on Aaron’s face.ADVICE: Don’t stress, you can’t make everyone happy, so just have your wedding the way you want to.
Kenda Mountain Community Center is such a beautiful place! They were very accommodating and easy to wk wi.
From the bride, Chelsea: WHY DURANGOA couple came into my work in Phoenix, AZ who recently got married at Dante’s Peak in Durango. ey showed me pictures of them standing at the altar and I, having recently gotten engaged, said, “I want to get married RIGHT there”. HANDMADE TOUCHESJustin made our ceremony entrance. It was two old wooden white doors with a big wooden sign painted, “What God has joined together, let no man separate” on one side and “Here comes the bride” on the other side. Justin also made our altar arch from some old railroad ties and a chandelier of mason jars. e chandelier now hangs over our kitchen table. THE STYLEI LOVE gold, especially sparkly/glittery gold, and wanted it to be everywhere at our wedding. As soon as I got up to e altar, e wind blew, and my veil was beautifuy flowing up in e wind. THE CEREMONYJustin’s dad ociated and it couldn’t have been more special! My favorite memory was reading our personal vows to each other.
My ggeous bouquet contained white roses dipped in gold paint, mixed wi grnery.
RECEPTION DECOR e guest tables were adorned with sparkly gold table runners, candles, wine bottles painted gold and dipped in glitter, and tall skinny vases lled with white roses and dendrobiums.
Chelsea & JustinFAVORITE DETAIL Justin made a large sign that said, “e Hoese’s” (our last name). He found the letters at this special vintage yard sale that is hosted once a month in Phoenix. He then found a bunch of rustic wood and nailed them together to place the letters on. He put several light bulbs in each letter so it would light up similar to the classic “Las Vegas” sign. It turned out GREAT. He put the sign on 2 poles and then stuck those in cement inside some old whiskey barrels. Everyone walked under our sign to enter the wedding, “like entering the fair” as Justin said.LOOKING BACK One of my best decisions was doing a sweetheart table. I initially thought I wanted to sit with our wedding party at dinner. However, aer thinking about it, I realized that sitting down at dinner may be one of the only times throughout the night we would be alone. It was nice to have those few moments alone together during dinner to talk and enjoy being freshly married. ADVICEI would pass along the best piece of advice that I got, which was to not worry about everyone else. Just enjoy each moment with each other. RECOMMENDED VENDORSVenue: Dante’s Peak at Purgatory Resort (p. inside cover). e breath-taking view speaks for itself and the wedding coordinators were great! Photographer: IlluminArts (p. 61). Drew is just a fantastic guy! He has a wonderful easy going personality and was very organized and detailed. Not to mention, his work is fabulous! Hair & Makeup: Mary Beth at Hair Fusion (p. 94) was AMAZING!!!continued on page 90
From the bride, Katye: WHY DURANGOAndre and I grew up in Bayeld together and love this area. We would never imagine getting married anywhere else. Durango is so unique and beautiful. THE PLANNINGAttending the Durango Wedding Expo (p. 5) was extremely helpful. I seriously looked at the Durango Weddings Magazine almost every month trying to get new ideas, I read all of the Mag-azine’s blog posts, and must have looked at all of the vendors at least a dozen times. THE INSPIRATIONWater was a theme for our entire relationship. Our rst date we went tubing, we fell in love hiking to Emerald Lake, and he proposed at Andrew’s lake. We tried to incorporate water into all aspects of our wedding. We got married by the beautiful pond at River Bend Ranch. We lined the ceremony aisle with lanterns. Our tables were named aer signicant places in our relationship that had to do with water and our centerpieces were owers submerged in water.
SPECIAL DETAILSI chose lilies for my owers because Lily is the name of my maid of honor. We included pink in our wedding in honor of my step daughter, it is her favorite color. All of my bridesmaids wore pearls in honor of our son, whose birthstone is pearl. THE CEREMONYWe got married by the enchanting pond at River Bend Ranch. We had 180 of our friends and family in attendance from all over the country. Our ociant told our love story, which started back in seventh grade. Hearing all of the moments that led to our wedding was really heartwarming for both of us. We had the bottle of champagne from the night we got engaged that we placed handwritten letters to each other in. We will open the letters on our one year anniversary. My favite part of e ceremony was e kiss, and en e guests blowing bubbles as we walked back down e aisle. You could sense a of e love surrounding us.
Katye & AndreTHE RECEPTIONWe wanted our guests to have fun. Andre and I love to laugh, so it was important to us that everyone could cut loose and have a good time. FAVE MEMORYI loved our father-daughter dance. My dad and later my son came to dance with us, it is a memory that I will cherish forever. LOOKING BACKIt sounds so cliché, but I wish I would have enjoyed the day more. I was in such a hurry and wanted to make sure that everything went as planned, that I did not take a second to take it all in. I would have also snuck o for a few minutes right aer the ceremony to enjoy a moment with my husband. We released a lantern at e end of e night. As e lantern was being released, we told each oer our wishes and hopes f our future. RECOMMENDED VENDORSVenue: River Bend Ranch (p. 89). Even though they were booked all month with weddings, they really paid attention to us and what we wanted. ey were so organized, so helpful, and made everything look as if we were in a story book. Photographer & Photo Booth: Shutterfreek (p. 49). ey are really the best at what they do. I am not photogenic and hate having my picture taken. However, Paul made it so easy and truly captured the best part of me. I would recommend a photo booth at any wedding or event. It is a great way to get guests involved in the wedding. Some of my favorite pictures were from the photo booth. Plus, it was nice to have pictures of the people I did not get a formal photo with. Linens: Durango Party Rental (p. 73). ey were so easy to work with and had everything that we needed. ey also made renting super easy. Hair & Makeup (94): Hair Fusion. ey managed to get myself, eight bridesmaids, and my niece’s hair and make-up done in about ve hours. More importantly, everyone looked beautiful.continued on page 90
From the bride, Kaitlin: WHY DURANGOWe live in Fort Collins, but absolutely love the town of Durango with all the scenery and surrounding activities that southwest Colorado has to oer. We rst visited Durango in 2013 and had made a few visits back, before we decided that it was the ideal wedding location for us. THE INSPIRATIONDean and I decided to take a year o. We quit our jobs, bought a VW vanagon camper van and set o to let our souls be free and explore our various passions! We drove around North America, visiting friends and family along the way, with our three dogs in tow. It was a year we will never forget and we have so many fun, beautiful memories from this time o together. It set the tone for our relationship, wedding and future together. THE STYLEBohemian mountain wedfest. Some of our favorite things are mountains, good music, food, drinks and parties with our closest friends and family! So what better than a festival themed wedding in the mountains. We chose a color palette of dusty blue, sherbert orange, rose quartz and sea glass green.
We wanted a festival style invitation so a friend painted Dean and I, Lucy (our V W camper), e venue, e band, and our r dogs. It was amazing, personable and so us!
THE CEREMONYWe had our ceremony in an intimate setting in the woods with the La Plata River as the backdrop. We were married under a beautiful aspen arbor with wildower wreaths and draped garlands. Our band did an acoustic set and played the background and processional music while our close friend ociated the wedding. It was the most gorgeous setting for an evening ceremony. Aer the ceremony ended, everyone followed us on a short nature trail walk through the woods to the event center. Along the way, we had rustic framed photos of us tied up to the trees. On the event center lawn, we had a full band and cocktail hour setup with lawn games under the huge Cottonwood trees.
Kaitlin & DeanTHE PHOTO BOOTHOur 1988 Volkswagon Westfalia Vanagon camper van, Lucy, was our photo booth. She was looking SUPER, all decked out in wedding décor and the perfect photo booth for our guests. Everyone had a blast taking pictures in it… especially all the kids! In e evening, everying was lit up beautifuy and we got to dance under e stars until we ought e band inside e event center to crank it up a notch! ADVICEHave fun! Don’t sweat the small stu, no one, seriously, no one will notice if anything is missing or goes wrong, except you. At the end of the day, you will still be married, so don’t let anything distract you from your beautiful, memorable day. Also, make sure to set aside some brief time with your husband/wife aer the ceremony and during the night…. 5 minutes here, a few minutes there…. to step back and take a moment to appreciate it all together. It goes by so fast! RECOMMENDED VENDORSVenue, Event Design & Planning: Ridgewood Events Center (p. 7). We absolutely loved this venue, it was perfect for us, beautiful scenery, serene and out in the country. Joan was our day-of coordinator and she was fantastic. She’s very creative and artistic, and listens to what you want. She created our centerpieces, helped decorate the altar, set up the dessert table, and set the tent with ribbon chandelier. She was wonderful!Photographer: IlluminArts (p. 61). Drew is super! He’s very professional and his work is top notch. He was wonderful to work with, and accommodated our wild group well. Caterer: Durangourmet (p. 89). AMAZING! Jimmy is so great, and his food is incredible. We did family style and everyone loved the food and the portions were perfect. Hair & Makeup: Hair Fusion (p. 94). Amazing. ey were lovely people and we were all so happy with our hair and makeup. ey did a beautiful job.continued on page 90
From the bride, Sara: THE CEREMONYWe held our ceremony at a friends house at 2 Dogs Estates. e view of Castle Rock was great for pictures and the lighting couldn’t have been more perfect. My cousin, Justine sang as our wedding party walked up the aisle for the ceremony and back down the aisle aer. She has an incredible voice, our guests loved it. Our great friend, Bob performed the ceremony, he held the ceremony papers in my husband’s favorite cookbook (he’s a chef). Our dog was the ower girl, which denitely added an element of humor to the event. Both of my parents walked me down the aisle, it was great to share that moment with them. My mom sewed my wedding dress, which was absolutely perfect. It meant so much to wear e dress, knowing at my mom made it. The dress had pockets too, which is a nice ing to have on your wedding day.
Sara & Ki THE RECEPTIONOur reception was at the Sow’s Ear. It was so convenient to have the lodging and additional room space all in one spot. e views are incredible at the Silverpick Lodge and it’s perfect for out of town guests. e food at the Sow’s Ear is probably the main reason we chose the restaurant. e food is made to order and by far the best food in Durango. Our guests were very impressed.THE SEATING DISPLAYWe had the guests’ names hanging on a frame. When they took their name card, they replaced it with a polaroid picture. It was so great to have so many candid pictures of our friends.ADVICEWe walked around aer dinner and greet-ed many of our guests. It was great to have a few moments with everyone. I would highly recommend this as the day goes by so fast and it’s hard to see everyone. RECOMMENDED VENDORSReception Site: Sow’s Ear at Silverpick Lodge (p. 29). e food was so delicious, guests were raving about it all night and to this day. George, the owner, spent time with us to pick our menu and alcohol selections. He paid attention to our food interests and budget. Guest Lodging: Silverpick Lodge (p. 29) was perfect. e lodge has a spa, hot tubs, the Columbine room (where personal catering can take place), and an array of rooms that can accommodate many family sizes. It is so convenient to have the lodging and reception in one place. e Columbine Room with the re pit was perfect for the extra events we hosted for our out of town guests. Event Planner: Jill Davis, Durango Party Rental (p. 73). Jill has been in the wedding industry for 15+ years. She is great at collaborating with what you envision and bringing it all together. She oers great insight and truly helps pull the wedding day together. continued on page 90I loved at a of our dec was DIY. My mom is my best friend, it was great to know she put so much love into our big day.
My train knocked over a candle on the way down the ceremony aisle with my dad. I laughed so hard when I saw the video and noticed my friend who is a reghter dove to recover it before it lit my dress on re. I had no idea! ~Brittany & SeanOur ceremony was comical right from the beginning. My veil got stuck on the stone steps of the wedding deck as I was walking down the aisle. I couldn’t get Sergio’s ring on his nger and just before our “I do’s” my veil took ight and my MoH had to jump up in the air to catch it. ~Stacie & SergioFunny things happen at all weddings. ose are part of the special moments you will always treasure with your family! My OMG moments happen when issues arise that you aren’t expecting…like the votives being placed too close to the centerpieces and catching them on re or the cake arriving to a high country venue cracked completely in half. Once when I was working at a ski resort, we arrived to open the venue and a bear had snuck in to the building in the middle of the night and was still in the reception space! Needless to say, those moments keep you on your toes and allow for some pretty creative troubleshooting! ~Jill Davis, Durango Party RentalAs I was hiding behind some trees waiting to walk down the aisle, my dad realized I had giant black ants crawling up my FIVE layers of lace. Eek! We managed to get them all out just in time and have something to laugh about as we walked down the aisle. ~Heather & TomI was a guest at a wedding where the presents on the gi table caught on re during the rst dance. e re was quickly extinguished. en recently a very tall groomsmen passed out during the vows. All the other guys caught him though. He was revived and the ceremony continued smoothly. ~Colleen Clausen, Lilia Floral Design LOOKING BACK | comical moments image by Faith Photography Studio
From the bride, Brittany: WHY PURGATORY RESORTWe met at Purg and got engaged at Purg. Purgatory will always have such a special place in our hearts… we just knew we had to get married there and keep our Purg love story going strong.THE CEREMONYMy dad and brother made our arch from aspen trees they found around the yard. e aisle was lined with a blush sequin runner and gorgeous rose petals. e ceremony was short and sweet. We didn’t want anything too long or drawn out. My brother told the story of how we met and talked about the love we have for each other. We said our vows, kissed and that was it!THE RECEPTION DÉCORe tables were draped in black satin oor length linens with a blush pintuck linen on top. ey were adorned with a combina-tion of large black trumpet vases, vintage mercury gold vases, gold candlesticks, black candelabras, rose petals and candles.I hated when e night ended… I just wanted to kp dancing!ADVICEPlan far in advice and make a checklist! ere are so many small things that you forget about it if you don’t take notes and keep track. Also, give yourself at least nine months to plan and enjoy it!RECOMMENDED VENDORS Venue, Caterer, Lodging; Purgatory Resort (p. inside cover) Linens & Rentals: Durango Party Rental (p. 73)continued on page 90