Picturesque Colorado Ranch Wedding with Charming Rustic Details

Why a Mountain Wedding?

We were both raised in Colorado: Erin in the foothills and Billy on a ranch and so a mountain wedding was always in the cards. In our eyes it is hard to find venue that compares to the mountains of Colorado. Being a ranch in the Colorado Rockies, Devil’s Thumb Ranch fit us as individuals and as a couple perfectly!

 Your budget.

$50,000.00

Where did you find your inspiration?

The inspiration always came from our background in mountain and ranch living. Throughout our relationship I have always had ideas for our wedding that would match us as a couple. When we found the perfect venue all the pieces came together. Attending other weddings, pintrest, and help from family and friends jump-started the creative process.

Biggest splurge

The open bar! A great add to our liquor bar was the mashed potato bar. We had regular and sweet potatoes with all the fixins’.  The guests were then able to create their own delicious appetizer.  Since most of our guests were staying on site, we felt strongly about having an open bar for the entire evening. We wanted our guests taken care of, a lively atmosphere, and made sure if was a night that everyone could enjoy.

Biggest savings

For our budget savings, the majority of the décor was handmade (DIY) decorations made by the bride and groom. (Corn-hole boards, burlap pennant signs for sweets and thank you gifts, lace mason jar candle holders, ring bearer sign, directional signs…)

The biggest time savings was picking a resort that had (almost) everything onsite: guest rooms, ceremony site, reception site including food and drinks, restaurants, and activities. It was awesome for all of the families and guests to have everything at one location in order to spend more time together.

What were some personal details you incorporated?

• The groom’s great grandmother’s Turquoise Broach was pinned on the bride’s bouquet.
• An anniversary box made by the groom that was used in our ceremony and we will open on each anniversary.  It had our favorite drinks so we can toast to another year and our vows so we can reread and be reminded of our love and special day.  After we got our DVD back from our videographer, we included that in the box so we could relive the memories.
• The groom’s sister made the brides sash and incorporated beading from her own wedding dress.
• The bride wore earrings given to her by her mother-in-law and a pearl necklace from her grandma.
• The cake cutting set that we used to cut our cake was the set that the Bride’s grandparents once used.
• On the bathroom doors we had a childhood (toddler) picture of the bride on the women’s door and groom on the men’s door.

Your favorite moment of the day.

It was an accumulation of everyone’s hard work coming together and actually being able to walk down the aisle with my dad and see the man I was going to marry waiting at the front.

Three things you’re glad you did.

1. Everything took place at the same location
2. Hired a month-of wedding planner so we didn’t have to worry about small details, decorating, and cleanup for the weekend & day of.
3. Making it a weekend event and not just one day. Having a couple days to see and actually talk with everyone that was able to make it was very special to us.

Anything you wish you hadn’t done?

Looking back we were happy with the way everything turned out.

What was the best piece of wedding advice you got?

The day goes by so quickly.  Take a moment with your new husband to step back, take in the moment, and look at your vision come to life as well as how much fun everyone is having.

Anything you wish you hadn’t worried about?

I was very involved in the planning and allowed time to focus on each detail, so no.  I would say, surprisingly, I was fairly worry free.

Anything You wish you had known about sooner rather than later?

Sometimes you are so close to the planning and details of the wedding you feel like everyone should be on the same page. You have to focus on making sure all of the schedules & details are communicated to your guests (such as invites & wedding websites).

How did you choose your vendors?

Some research was done online through wedding sites and reviews.  Once I found a few key vendors (i.e. venue, planner, and photographer), I asked for their recommendations.  I met with and talked with an average of three vendors in each category before making a choice about whom we would use.  Other factors included cost, references/reviews, and being able to see their work from other weddings.

What is your very best advice to other mountain brides?

Weather in the mountains can be unpredictable.  Make sure to have a plan B just in case. Just realize you’re getting married that day and not to sweat the small stuff – it’ll all work out amazing in the end!