Today’s lovely wedding with rustic chic details features sweet and unstructured floral design by Bella Lu Floral , beautiful mountain views and gorgeous photography by Laura Murray.
Casey + Anthony
Boulder, CO-Chautauqua and The Kitchen
May 4, 2014
Why did you choose the Mountains for your wedding?
We chose the mountains for our wedding because we wanted the location to reflect who we are as a couple. Anthony and I love the outdoors, going on adventures, hiking and being active. We both spent time in the mountains of Colorado when we were growing up. Boulder, in particular, has had a piece of my part since I attended college there. Anthony knew it was a special place to me and proposed to me during our summer vacation there in 2013. We had a quiet engagement at our cabin at Chautauqua with our 2 dogs-it was perfect! We decided it was the perfect place to go back and get married.
Wedding Day Weather
blue clear skies, 70 degrees-PERFECT!
Number of guests that attended
30
What was your theme for your wedding?
The theme for our wedding was really all about family and our relationship. We wanted a small, intimate ceremony that was centered around us and those closest to us. We had a small wedding because we wanted to be able to truly spend time with and enjoy the people that mean the most to us Each detail of our wedding was a reflection of who we are as a couple. We also chose to write our own vows which was one of my favorite parts of the day. For the reception, we had always envisioned having everyone sitting around large tables after our wedding to share a meal and lots of laugher. We chose to have our dinner reception at the Kitchen on Pearl Street in the upstairs wine bar where our vision came true! Dinner was served family style around farm style tables and the whole room was filled with so much love and laugher.
Where did you find your inspiration?
W used our relationship as inspiration! We love the outdoors, we love the mountains, we love our family. Everything else fell into place.
Your budget
$10,000
Biggest Splurge
Our photographer and dinner reception
Biggest Savings
My dress!
How did you choose to personalize your wedding?
We were very involved in writing our entire wedding ceremony. Our amazing officiant got our input on every little detail and included special memories and words about our relationship. We also chose to write our own vows which was an incredibly difficult task! It is so hard to put into a few words how much you love someone but it ended up being the best and most meaningful challenge! It was very special to stand up in front of our closest friends and family and share those words with each other.
What was your favorite part of the reception?
Our favorite part of our reception was having it at the Kitchen. The atmosphere was exactly what we had envisioned from the family style service, the food, the service, the large vintage window overlooking the Flatirons and the intimate setting.
What are three things you’re super glad you did?
- Get married in Boulder
- Keep it small
- Write our own vows
What was the biggest challenge in planning your mountain wedding and how did you overcome it?
The biggest challenge was probably trying to plan everything from out of state and not being able to meet any of our vendors in person. Luckily, everyone was truly incredible and so helpful and pleasant to work with. We had several strategies for working around the long distance issue- my best friend in Denver went to a cake tasting for us, we Skyped regularly with our officiant, I spent many hours on the phone and on Pinterest with our florist, and our photographer asked us answer a questionnaire to get a feel of who we are as a couple.
How did you find and choose your vendors?
We found our photographer first, then she recommended our florist, my make up artist and my hair stylist. The Kitchen has always been my favorite restaurant in Boulder so we knew immediately we would have the reception there. We found our officiant, our musician and our cake from the amazing reviews online.
What is your best piece of advice to other mountain brides who are planning their weddings?
Make sure your wedding is a reflection of who you are as a couple and that you don’t become overwhelmed trying to copy someone else’s look or ideas. Spend time focusing on the things that you will remember 25-50 years from your wedding day. Decide on a budget and the things that matter to you the most and try to stick to it. Most importantly, enjoy the planning process and making decisions together as a couple. When it becomes overwhelming, go back to your roots as a couple and remember why it is that you are getting married.
Boulder Wedding Vendors
Photographer: Laura Murray Photography | Floral Design: Bella Lu Floral | Venue: The Colorado Chautauqua Association | Catering: The Kitchen-Boulder | Officiant: Simone Shepard | Music: Michael Lancaster | Makeup: Alchemy Mineral Blends | Hair: Harmony Kilgore | Wedding Gown: bhldn