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A Gorgeous Ceremony With the Help of Friends

September 18, 2011 | Color | 1 comments

From the bride, Lori:
It was the most gorgeous day ever! A good friend married us, another friend played guitar, we wrote our own vows and a special friend recited her words of marriage wisdom which ended with never go to bed angry or with your pants on.I tried on several dresses in multiple stores that I really liked. We saved the most expensive store for last and as we were walking in, I commented to my Mom that I could not believe how girls cry when they put on a dress, it’s ridiculous – it’s just a dress. So we are in the store and I walk out with a Melissa Sweet gown, my mom takes one look and starts crying, then I start to bawl. I’ve now learned that when you find that dress, it’s such an emotional moment you can’t help but cry.
We had over 100 out-of-town guests arrive in Durango so we planned a few activities including a group float down the Animas River. We had over 40 tubes snaking down the river through town; it was so much fun!
I hate to waste flowers, so I wanted to use something that would not get thrown away, but instead taken home and enjoyed – succulents were the perfect solution.
I laughed so much I did not want the day to ever end!

GIVING BACK
Instead of a honeymoon, we are spending two weeks with Engineers Without Borders in Ecuador.

RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Photographer: y Kyla Jackson Photography
Venue & Food: Durango Mountain Resort

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stamp p November 21, 2011 11:12 am
i love your blog, i have it in my rss reader and always like new things coming up from it.

Classy & Cuban-Inspired

September 17, 2011 | Casual Elegance | 0 comments

Surrounded by towering pines, aspen trees and our chuppah that overlooked the mountains, the day could not have been any more idyllic . We included family and friends in every part of the ceremony – from our puppy as the ring bearer to our parents reciting blessings. We chose to honor my heritage with a Cuban-themed reception (1950s pre-Castro Havana). The venue was transformed into a classy Havana night club. We served fresh from scratch Mojitos for the cocktail hour and a custom Cuban menu of ropa vieja, pollo mojo, arroz y frijoles negros and platanos maduros for dinner. We even had an authentic cuban cigar bar. Every detail of the day was an opportunity to share something about our lives, to honor somebody we love, or to commit ourselves to the life we want to share. -Naphtali

Photography by Kyla Jackson Photography

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PERSONAL TOUCHES
-The ring pillow we used once belonged to my deceased older brother, and was used by my mother in her wedding.

-The cup of wine under the chuppah was Joshua’s Bar Mitzvah kiddush cup.

-A large poster of Cuba was our seating chart.

-Vintage post cards from various cities in Cuba were used to identify the tables.

-The table décor consisted of burlap, exotic flowers, coffee beans, oranges, limes, cigar boxes and candles.

-Our favors were Colorado Ponderosa Pine saplings wrapped in little burlap sacks with our initials on them. Each sapling came with a card that described the type of tree, the story of the Missionary Ridge Fire and an invitation to join in planting the saplings, and a message from us expressing how we hoped that planting the saplings would be a new beginning for the Ridge, just as the wedding was a “beginning” for us. With the permission of the Forest Service, on the afternoon after the wedding, members of the wedding party trekked up onto Missionary Ridge to plant them in areas devastated by the fires of 2002.

-The favors were placed on an enormous Cuban flag that was given to me by family in Cuba.

-Joshua’s grandmother recited the Shabbat blessings using her grandmother’s silver candle sticks rescued from Nazi-occupied Belgium.

RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Photographer: Kyla Jackson Photography. Five stars for Kyla & Wesley’s amazing eye, their fantastic personalities and their impressive professionalism. We had so much fun!

Venue/Food/Lodging/Transportation: Durango Mountain Resort. The chefs at Purgy’s did a fantastic job creating a custom Cuban menu and the service staff was friendly and attentive.

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A Perfect Day in Pagosa

September 17, 2011 | At Home/Backyard | 0 comments

Photography by Kyla Jackson Photography

From the bride, Heather:
Our ceremony was overlooking a pond and the San Juan Mountains on my parents property. We wrote our own vows and John’s father married us. Our reception was held in a meadow under a huge white tent strung with hundreds of white lights. After dark, we lit a bonfire for people to gather around when they needed a break from the dancing.

FIRST DANCE
We had been taking swing dance lessons so we could give everyone a show that they would never forget! After the ceremony, I changed into a short dress and we danced to Smash Mouth’s ‘I’m a Believer’ from Shrek. We did leaps, throws, flips, and astounded everyone!