As part of a special styled wedding shoot I took Hannah and Taylor downtown for some wedding portraits at Denver’s Union Station.
I began my wedding photography business in Washington D.C. and N.Y.C. and it was so fun to be back in an urban setting. I love mountain weddings, but there is something special and electric about being in the city.
Lauren and Cyrus love Aspen and particularly the Grottos Trail. I was so excited to meet them there because it was my first time visiting Aspen, and it certainly won’t be my last!
Grottos Trail is in White River National Forest near Independence Pass (one of the craziest roads I’ve ever driven on!). As you drive through the mountains you see forests full of Aspen trees. When my husband and I pulled to the side of the road to take in the view before the photo session, we could hear the rushing river. In the forest, trails take you through the woods, over a bridge and to the large rock formations with cascading waterfalls. It is so beautiful.
The Grottos were formed by rushing water from the Roaring Fork River that slows down to a gentle stream where Cyrus actually carried Lauren into the water!
Lauren shares, “I have always told Cyrus that our life together is a big book with colorful and beautiful pages. We frequently use our book analogy for chapters of our life together, here is a peek inside:
Chapter 1, You can fall in love in the club
In September 2013, I traveled to Dallas, Texas, from Norman, Oklahoma, to celebrate a good friend’s birthday. We decided that we wanted to go dancing, and I had never experienced a dance club, so we went to Avenu—a local dance club. Cyrus, living in Dallas and working for his family company, was in for just another fun night out with some of his closest friends. Within just a few minutes after walking through the doors I saw a tall, dark and handsome man walking toward me. We danced the night away and exchanged numbers, but both thought that we may never have the chance to meet again as we lived in different states. Cyrus always recalls the story of the following day after we met. He says that he remembers taking a long drive and reflecting that he now had a crush, a feeling that he had not felt since high school. Really, the rest is history and I still joke to this day that “all Avenu’s led me to Cyrus.”
Chapter 5, Dallas
On our very first date, Cyrus naturally wanted me to really like visiting Dallas. I would always wonder why we would take one specific beautiful road that seemed to lead us everywhere. Little did I know Cyrus would strategically take us on that road (even in the wrong direction at times) to see the prettiest pocket of Dallas each time. Speaking of Dallas, we cannot go without mentioning State Thomas neighborhood, it has always been a gem to us in the hustle of Uptown. It’s brick-lined streets and neighborhood feel gave it just the right amount of charm to stake claim on a townhome. Our love of walking to our favorite coffee shop, park and, last but not least, sushi restaurant is what connects us together frequently throughout our week. State Thomas is where we have truly made our house a home, filled with themed parties, family and many sweet memories.
Chapter 10, Travels
We both feel very fortunate to have had the opportunity to travel the world together. In just 7 years we have traveled together to 14 states, 9 countries and counting! Of course, we have gathered a few favorite places over the years that have become special to us. I don’t think we get through many conversations of talking about our travels without mentioning our love for watching the sunrise over the ocean in Tulum, our time of lengthening our trip last minute to soak in and experience Mallorca, sleepless nights roaming the streets of NYC or canyoneering in Zion National Park. Both of us feel a distinct energy while traveling that has us hooked on always planning the next adventure together.
Chapter 20, Aspen
Aspen has quickly become one of our favorite destinations. After our first trip there together, Cyrus thought “this is the spot” to propose. One morning in September we both hopped in the car to drive to hike our favorite spot, the Grottos Trail. We packed up a little bag and headed up to the Grottos. As soon as we arrived, we set up our spot with a blanket to enjoy the sunny summer day. Cyrus quickly told me that he needed to show me something… We both walked over to a tree-filled area where he then handed me his iPad, making me thoroughly confused. Then, he proceeded to press play on a video he had put together of pictures throughout our 6-year relationship while reading me commentary alongside of it. At the end, I got to look over and see Cyrus down on one knee saying, “will you marry me?” He got the immediate answer of “yes!!!” We celebrated this special moment by “taking the plunge” into the freezing cold water of the river that runs through the Grottos. Now Aspen is forever special to the two of us!
Chapter 21, Let’s Get Married!”
Lauren and Cyrus, thank you for sharing one of your favorite places with me.
Congratulations, you two!
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SPACE Gallery is an art gallery and premiere event venue located in the Santa Fe Arts District of Denver, Colorado–the perfect place for a modern bride and groom.
Alison Amy of A Bride’s Best Mate, Chuck Hutson of Hutson Floral Design and I dreamed up this art gallery wedding inspiration. We were inspired by the space, the artwork and a chic city style with pops of color. Along with the creative talents of Chirp’s and Cricket Paper Design, Sweet Ride Bakeshop, Vow’d Wedding Dress, Skin Works Studio and Allwell Rents, the style came together so beautifully.
Special thanks to SPACE Gallery and the artists currently on exhibit: Rebecca Rutstein, Ramón Bonilla, Frank T. Martinez and Joshua Enck. A big thank you also goes to our couple, recently married Hannah and Taylor. Congratulations on your wedding this past summer!
I have loved visiting art galleries since I was a little girl going to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. with my mom. It was such a joy to shoot in this beautiful gallery filled with interesting pieces.
It was pretty amazing to see how Chuck pulled the colors out of the artwork to create this gorgeous bouquet.
More photos of this couple and a trip to downtown Denver and Union Station coming soon!
Natalie and William were married on a beautiful November day at Lionscrest Manor in Colorado.
Natalie and William shared a first look before the ceremony.
Their adorable son, Theo, looked so sweet and handsome in his bowtie.
The outdoor ceremony overlooked the mountains and was visited by a mule deer just before the ceremony began.
Natalie shares, “Will and I had always envisioned a very casual wedding day, so the details weren’t important to us, but our day ended up being perfectly wonderful in every way!
We both agree our favorite moment of the day was the ceremony. The weather was unseasonably beautiful–75 and sunny in November–and the details of the ceremony fit our personalities perfectly. We had all of our lovely family and friends there, including our pups, and the sentiment was exactly what we hoped it would be–fun, casual and full of love and joy.”
Terri and Alex had a magical, fairy tale, book-inspired wedding in Montauk, NY. The day included a first look at a lighthouse, a ceremony surrounded by brightly colored wildflowers, a walk on the beach with their dog, and a reception filled with books, library lights and typewriters, and lots and lots of love.
The couple shared their first look at the Montauk Lighthouse.
The couple included a quaich, an ancient Scottish tradition, in their ceremony. The quaich is a two-handled cup that seals the bond of two people and celebrates the blending of two families. The tradition symbolizes love and trust as the couple shares the first drink of their marriage together.
After the ceremony, we went to Navy Beach with their pup to get some photos with a very important family member, Cosmo.
Terri shares, “We met on Tinder while living in Syracuse, NY, a day or two after Alex’s 24th birthday. My roommate was actually helping me swipe and we think she was the one who matched with Alex. Our first date was at Green Lakes State Park where we walked and talked for about two hours without a moment of silence. It was perfection from the beginning.
Alex proposed on our 3-year first date anniversary, but only after a bet was made during our quarterly performance review about whether he had an engagement ring. That evening he posted a series of post-it notes along the hallway and staircase leading to the roof. When Terri unscrambled the post-it’s, they spelled out “Pay up and marry me.” So she gave him $150 bucks and he gave her the engagement ring.”
Terri continues, “Our wedding was a genuine fairy tale. The goal was to make it a book-themed, whimsical story come to life and Coordinated to Perfection helped us do it. We loved everything about the entire weekend. Ruschmeyer’s is owned by our family and when we went to Montauk for the first time, we felt this peacefulness and magic. We knew we had to get married there.
Magic was pervasive throughout the entire weekend, but we had a few really amazing moments; the first look was breathtaking – seeing each other for the first time, facing the Atlantic Ocean, there was no moment that could be more surreal. The speeches given throughout the entire weekend helped reaffirm the love we have in our lives from all of our family and friends and served to remind us why we were there in the first place – to marry each other and join all our loved ones together. And finally, we finished the night of our wedding at the oceanfront at Montauk Blue with our closest friends and family and dove into the Atlantic Ocean in full wedding attire. Nothing screams fairy tale quite like that.”
Simone Vega of Coordinated to Perfection helped the couple create an enchanting design. Look closely at the centerpieces–each one was unique and included everything from antique-style bookends to library card holders bursting with flowers.
The couple shared their first dance to If I Aint Got You by Alicia Keys.
The wedding cake was an incredible design by Pure Sugar Inc that showcased a golden snitch and a re-creation of the bride’s grandmother’s jewelry box.
