Anna and Jim were married on a beautiful September day at Shupe Homestead in Longmont, Colorado.
Anna shares, “Jim and I got engaged in May of 2021 and we picked our venue almost immediately after. I knew with covid and everyone postponing their wedding we were in serious competition. Shupe was the first place I looked. I found it so charming immediately, but looked at about six other places before taking Jim back with me for a second visit and pulling the trigger. The property is naturally beautiful, wedged between farmlands with the mountains in the distance. They have all these quirky and unique touches like chandeliers and sofas around the property. We loved how much flexibility the venue provided, but also how much was included. Shupe came with all the tables, chairs, linens, flatware, barware, plus its own service staff. It felt like a fair deal for the price, plus we had so much flexibility with choosing our own vendors.
Neither Jim nor I consider ourselves to be “fancy,” so we loved the mom and pop vibe of Shupe and its natural beauty and charm.
Weddings are so weird because you put all this time and energy into this one day and I was pretty anxious leading up to it. Everyone told me that the day of it will all just melt away and I didn’t believe anybody. But it was weirdly true. When the weekend finally showed up and there was little I could do to control it anymore, you kind of just let go and let the adrenaline carry you through.
My favorite part of the whole wedding was the ceremony. I was kind of freaking out because, as my bridal party was walking, it was drizzling! I kept saying “wait, it’s raining!” and the planner just told everyone to keep going. As I turned the corner, holding my brother’s arm, I saw everyone standing up for me and immediately went into emotional shock and sobbed the entire way down the aisle. I was basically ugly crying out of pure happiness. It was so intense, and so magical. Everyone clapped for me once I made it down the aisle because I was such a hot, happy mess.
We had two llamas at the wedding, Liberty and Bandit, who were probably my second favorite part, next to marrying my man!”
Anna and Jim danced their first dance to Friendship by Chris Stapleton, “We got friendship, the kind that lasts a lifetime.”
Sarah and Zach were married on a beautiful summer day at the Cherokee Ranch and Castle in Colorado. The day began with Sarah and her bridesmaids at a nearby hotel.
The couple shared a first look on the castle’s terrace facing the expansive mountain views.
Sarah shares, “Everything went fairly smoothly the morning of the wedding which was a relief. We were thrilled to get some light rain to clear up the smoke and smog that hung over Denver most of the week. This allowed our guests to enjoy the spectacular views that ranged from Pikes Peak up to the Flatirons in Boulder. We loved our venue because it is a beautiful property both inside and out. The Cherokee Ranch and Castle also has an amazing art collection that reminded us of one of our first dates where we bonded over the art history classes we had taken. We really wanted to showcase the full property by having the wedding in the courtyard, tours through the house during the cocktail hour, and then the reception in the tent where the pool once was.
We were so lucky to have our wedding surrounded by all our friends and family. With COVID, we knew we might change plans so the fact that most of our guests were able to attend and celebrate with us was a blessing. Some special moments were hummingbirds flying by the chuppah at the start of the ceremony, the mother/son and father/daughter dances, and when I dropped the cake during the cake cutting. We loved ending the night dancing and singing along to Don’t Stop Believing.”
Sarah and Zach picked the song Sound and Color by Alabama Shakes for their first dance. Sarah and her dad danced to What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong and Zach and his mom danced to an acoustic version of Simple Man.
Whitney and Dillon planned an intimate, relaxed day to share with their closest friends. The day began at their air B&B in Brighton with games and drinks and lots of laughs and then they took a limo into the city to have dinner at the Four Seasons and share vows and toasts.
Whitney shares, “Since my family is from California and his family is from Wisconsin, Colorado was the perfect distance between. By the time we finally got around to actually setting a wedding date, we had already been together for nearly ten years. We had owned a business, bought a home, and had two children together. We had always talked about how we didn’t want to spend thousands of dollars and cram our celebration into just one day. So, we decided to rent a home large enough to house our wedding party and be able to celebrate for an entire week!
We planned to spend our ten-year anniversary together in the Rocky Mountains, where we had our own private photo shoot with Jess (check out the Bear Lake photo session here). Then we met everyone the following day to enjoy our week. Since it wasn’t your typical wedding with an extensive guest list, we were able to rent a private room at at the Four Seasons, Edge Restaurant, in Denver. The day was spent casually getting ready, with lots of mimosas and laughter. There was no schedule to adhere to, no rushing around gathering guests or décor. We were able to simply enjoy our time with our closest friends and family. We had a private limo drive us to dinner and had an incredible time having our photos taken at Union Station in Denver.”
Union Station was so close to the Four Seasons that it made a perfect stop, before dinner, for some photos.
The dinner began with special vows, drinks and toasts. The menu was exceptional including Wagyu Beef, Palisade Peach Gazpacho and Filet Mignon.
Cheers to you, Whitney and Dillon!
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Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park is a magical place. Driving through Estes Park gives a glimpse of the scenic beauty, but once you drive through the Bear Lake corridor, and walk out onto the lake, the view takes your breath away. The alpine lake sits beneath the sheer flanks of Hallett Peak and the Continental Divide, the air is fresh and the water is sparkling–it’s the perfect place to celebrate a wedding!
Whitney shares, “Ten years ago we met on a camping trip in the mountains of Northern California through my best friend, Jessica. Our life together has been incredible and unorthodox in the last decade. We lived in California for three years before deciding to move halfway across the country to live in Wisconsin. In 2017, we bought our first home together. Our business was still new and fresh and I was dedicating a lot of time to work so Dillon was in charge on moving day. I had been at work for nearly twelve hours and was exhausted, so we ordered pizza.
When the door bell rang, I answered to find that Dillon had secretly flown my best friend out from California to surprise me! The next morning, Jessica wanted to take our picture in front of our new home (in the middle of January…in Wisconsin). He wasn’t paying attention to the camera and kept saying how much he loved me and I kept telling him to take the picture until he finally said, “Whitney! Pay attention!” I looked at him and he had his grandmother’s wedding ring in his hand. I was completely shocked and surprised by the entire weekend.”
Whitney and Dillon, thank you for being up for anything!
They scaled boulders, hiked up the side of a mountain, and walked through the forest and just kept smiling! And it was totally worth it.
Congratulations Whitney and Dillon!
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