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.
