2011 is really starting off to be a fantastic year; and Jeremy & Katie’s wedding has been a big part of it. About a month ago I flew out to Denver, Co. to spend several days with these amazing couple and their closest friends and family. We all met at the Crooked Willow Farms in Larkspur, Co, which is about 15 minutes south of Denver. Crooked Willow is a not only a beautiful wedding location but is also the #1 Hunter/Jumper Equine breeder farm in the country.

Saturday’s wedding started off great with the girls getting ready in the bridal suite at the hands of the very talented Kori Schell of K Schell Designs who did an amazing job with the hair and makeup. Heading over to the guys room, I was blown away by the fantastic “man cave” they had. Large drop-down screen with ESPN playing, club music blasting through the built-in sound system, leather chairs and couches, cigar’s being lit, scotch flowing – it was crazy awesome. Usually, guys are an after thought, but here, they’re kings!

The converted barn was the location for both the ceremony and the reception, and everything was run perfectly with the very talented Heather Allen of Table 6 Productions coordinating. And when I say talented, I really mean it. Last week in Las Vegas, she was voted as National Event Planner of the Year (congratulations Heather!). Heather and her team managed to convert the ceremony location to a sit down dinner and reception setup during the hour long cocktail hour. At cocktail, Steven St. James sang some great songs from the Rat Pack, while guests enjoyed drinks. Moving into the reception, the band Ol’ Blue Eyes not only played great music, but Derek, the lead singer,  proved to be the most entertaining and engaging singer I’ve seen to date. He spent more time off the stage than on it, working the crowd, getting them engaged, and everyone loved it.

At about 9:30pm, everyone headed across the courtyard to the other part of the barn known as the loft. Here, a DJ from Starkey Entertainment was spinning some great club music. Blue lights set the mood, drinks were still flowing, and if that wasn’t enough, Catering by Design had set up a full blown s’mores table with homemade marshmallows, graham crackers, and Hersey’s chocolate bars. They had this big wire rack with heat rocks, which had flames coming from underneath so you could melt your s’mores. Next to it was a complete hot chocolate bar with everything you needed to keep you warm on a cold Denver night.

I know, you’re expecting more – and there is. Because we weren’t able to do an engagement shoot, Katie and Jeremy got dressed back up for a 2 hour shoot on Sunday morning at the Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs, Co. A beautiful hotel in a beautiful location was the perfect spot for the beautiful bride and her new husband to enjoy a few more hours dressed up, just the two of them. We toured the grounds, inside and out, and got some amazing shots. I wondered, after such a full day, how would it be for Katie and Jeremy to start a photo shoot at 9am, but really, it wasn’t hard at all. We all had a super fun time, and it was completely worth it. We got some amazing photos you would never have time for on the wedding day. If you’ve ever thought about it, I would highly recommend it. I’ve posted a few of those in the blog as well so you can get a feel for things.
This has been a longer than average post, but then again, it was a longer than average wedding  weekend. I thank Katie and Jeremy, their fantastic families and their friends for having me part of their full weekend. Thanks to all my new vendor friends in Colorado as well – it was a blast and hope to see you guys soon.

Oh, and if you’re wondering how cold it was – Friday, Saturday and Sunday we had a high of 65 degrees! It was so perfect. I stayed on for several more days in Colorado and by Wednesday, it was -35 with the wind chill. Yup, that’s negative 35 with wind chill!

Cheers to Jeremy & Katie!

Additional vendors:

Cake: Elegant Bakery

Flowers: The Perfect Petal

Linen’s and additional detail: Linen Hero