Dan and I are in love with the mountains. That is no secret! You can just browse through the plethora of blog posts and photos on this site and it'll be pretty easy to see that being in the mountains is where we are most happy.
So, we decided to get married in the mountains. But not any group of mountains: the Colorado Rocky Mountains. There's no other place we've been that's quite like it and even though there are gorgeous places with mountains elsewhere in the world, Colorado holds a unique place in our hearts. I grew up here and Dan and I want to forge our life here.
The next few blog posts detail the lead up to and day of the wedding, followed by our Honeymoon in Alaska!
View from Lost Man Loop Trail
We had a busy weekend before the wedding but managed to cram in a short hike with Sophia and Rebekah on Saturday in the mountains. We drove towards Independence Pass from a Wolf Den (our reception site) and stopped at the Lost Man Loop trailhead. The trail forks shortly after the trailhead and heads towards Linkins Lake. The lake is a quintessential mountain lake at about 12k feet. It was breezy, but the day was perfect for hiking, plenty of sunshine, and a few clouds to keep the photo contrast interesting.
It was great to acclimate to the mountains again! Being at 12k feet is so exhilarating, even if it's chilly and we are Oxygen deprived. The wildflowers were in full bloom and we got to see genuine Colorado columbines right next to the trail! If you have never been hiking in Colorado during July and August, I'd highly recommend it. It's usually very very green. Though keep an eye out for late afternoon thunderstorms -- which thankfully, we did not have any issues with this weekend!
Much of the rest of Saturday was spent preparing for the big day and grilling with family and friends at a Wolf Den, which ended up being a perfect way for folks to meet each other before the chaos began. Exhaustion couldn't set in at this point because we were still high on adrenaline. Our wonderful friends Ashley, Kasey, Jenna, Sophia and Rebekah chilled with us around the campfire with whiskey and smores on Saturday evening.
Sunday was a very busy day. We had the rehearsal at noon at the pass with our awesome officiants, Jennifer and Tim Bailey, who braved the wind at Cottonwood Pass to run through our ceremony script. Then it was down the mountain and off to the rehearsal luncheon at Eddyline Brewery. Shout-out to Eddyline's taproom manager who helped fit us all in during a very very busy Sunday afternoon, even if we couldn't sit right next to each other, due to a misunderstanding about reservations. Dan deftly and selflessly handled our two families crowding into a small room in the taproom, while I took shots with Bekah and my physics peeps outside!
Our couple's portrait session with Steve and Randy, our two wedding photographers was scheduled for 1830 that afternoon.
Steve suggested the area in and around Buena Vista for our couples session. We made use of an old caboose in BV's main park, and the stunning vista of Mt. Princeton west of town.
Next up, our wedding!!