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Bianca & Jay | June 23rd
From the bride… Our spectacular wedding day was nestled in the beautiful mountains at Echo Basin Ranch.
THE VISION
We wanted a classic vintage wedding with lots of antiques and a dusty rose, ivory and blush color palette.
THE DAY OF
The most memorable moment of the day was the excitement of getting ready for the ceremony!
THE CEREMONY
Our ceremony was outdoors under a gorgeous canopy of lush florals from April’s Garden.
THE RECEPTION
We had dinner just steps away from where the ceremony took place.
THE CAKE
My mother created a masterpiece of a wedding cake.
LOOKING BACK
Our wedding day was PERFECT! With our families as witness to the love we’ve shared for so long, our day was one for the books!
ADVICE
It’s a once in a lifetime experience. Enjoy every minute of it! It comes and goes so quickly, so there is no reason to stress! Have fun and make it something that best describes you as a couple.
THE WEDDING TEAM
Photographer + Video: Shutterfreek
Venue: Echo Basin Ranch
Flowers: April’s Garden
DJ: Aiko Aiko Sound
Stormy & Joshua | April 14, 2019
From the bride: Joshua and I are into fitness and we met in the gym in Arizona while I was in school and he had just got out of the military, we have been best friends since then.
THE PROPOSAL
We were training for a fitness show and went on a 20-mile hike in Strawberry, Arizona and struggled the whole day with the weather as it was raining very hard. We were hiding in an area under the trees waiting for it to stop raining. Joshua was carving our name into a tree and said we would come back in a few years to see if it was still there. I said, “Do you think we will be together in a few years?” He looked at me like I was crazy and said, “Yes” with no question, I was not so certain. After he finished carving our names into the tree, he asked me if I would spend the rest of my life with him. I said yes!
THE WEDDING VIBE
I am from Texas so we wanted to incorporate a rustic country cowboy style. Our color palette was yellow and brown with lots of sunflowers and birch wood.
My favorite ceremony memory was my father walking me down the aisle to give me away to my best friend! I cried a ton. Having my dad there was very special as he did not come in to my life until I was 24.
THE CEREMONY
The ceremony was at Cascade Village. Originally, I had planned on having our ceremony outdoors but there was too much snow. Instead, we held the ceremony inside and it was perfect. The view outside all the bay windows with the mountains was beautiful.
THE RECEPTION
Our reception was held at Purgatory Resort in Purgys Venue. It was decorated with all my favorite things: sunflowers, birch wood, rustic decorations, old colored bottles and pallets.
FAVE MEMORY
Joshua & I sang a song to our guests. We sang, “In Spite of Ourselves” by John Prine. It was epic!!!
LOOKING BACK
I loved the whole day and all went as planned. We loved having all of our family and friends with us on our special day.
ADVICE
Don’t stress out about things if they don’t go as you planned! The day is going to be special no matter what! You are there to marry your best friend not to please anyone else but you two!!
RECOMMENDED VENDORS
Photographer: Kara Cavalca Photo
Ceremony: Cascade Village
Reception: Purgatory Resort
Hair & Makeup: Jackie Searles with Hair Fusion
Dessert: Skillfully Decadent Desserts
Photobooth: Snap Shack
THE HONEYMOON
We attended the 7-day LJT Country Music Festival in Texas.
by Bri States, Bri’s Bridal Boutique
1. Allow yourself time to shop
Allow yourself time to truly shop. Allow yourself plenty of time to try on wedding dresses. Allow yourself time to find and fall in love with a wedding dress. You never know how long it will take you to find THE dress. It could be the very first one, or it could be the 230th one you have tried on at the fourth boutique. It takes wedding dresses an average of 4-6 months to arrive once you have ordered it from a boutique. Give yourself the time needed to shop and to get your wedding dress in for any alterations that may be needed before your wedding date.
2. Bring important people along
If you cannot say YES to a dress without a specific person with you; be that your mother, grandmother, friend, sister, father – bring that person(s) with you every single time you try on a dress. It may be devastating to you or your loved ones if they miss the initial excitement that comes with the moment you have found THE dress. There is truly no recreating that moment – it is one of the most memorable experiences!
Photo by Kara Cavalca
3. Have a vision of the perfect dress
Having an idea of what you want for your wedding dress can help you narrow down your search. However, don’t get too attached to that vision or have such a specific idea of your wedding dress in your head that it literally doesn’t exist. Give yourself room to explore the amazing details that designers have put into each wedding dress. The details may be the unexpected thing that makes you truly fall in love with a dress. Let your stylist bring you suggestions, it may not be your entire vision, but it could quite possibly be what you have been looking for all along. Having an idea for your wedding dress is a great idea, just don’t have such a specific idea that it hinders you from finding your perfect wedding dress.
4. Have a budget in mind
When you start shopping for your wedding dress, have an amount in mind that you are willing to spend. If you try something on way outside of your budget, you risk falling in love with a wedding dress you can’t afford. Then when you go shopping for something that compares within your budget, nothing will truly measure up. Don’t do that to your heart. Be safe and look at the price tags.
Photo by Kara Cavalca
5. Don’t stress
You are looking for the very dress you will be marrying the love of your life in. That in itself is exciting. Don’t let it stress you out. If you don’t find it right away, don’t stress. You WILL find the perfect wedding dress. Don’t let the family that you bring with you stress you out. They will love your wedding dress once you have chosen the right wedding dress for you.
Bri’s Bridal Boutique is Durango’s newest bridal shop located in Three Springs at 258 Pioneer Avenue, Durango, Colorado.
Sienna & Robert | July 28th | Paradise Ranch
From the bride… We wanted a casual and laidback outdoor wedding with a rustic vibe where family and friends could enjoy dancing the night away.
THE VENUE
I couldn’t have felt more blessed to have found Paradise Ranch for our venue! I wanted an outdoor venue, without having the hassle of setting up all our own amenities (electricity, parking, water, toilets, etc.). This venue had a beautiful home with lots of room for our wedding party and families to stay at. We used the pavilion for our DJ and dance floor as well as the dessert table. Zana, the owner, was extremely helpful with planning especially as it got closer to our big day!
THE PLANNING
Durango Wedding Magazine helped to inspire our casual style with more specific ideas to our corner of the state. I used the magazine to get inspiration from other featured weddings. It was helpful and fun to see others’ ideas and incorporate that into our big day.
THE COLOR PALETTE
Dusty blue, sage green, and highlights of mauve.
THE ATTIRE
I wanted to have an elegant look with a sexy touch. It was also important to have a dress that would work well for an outdoor venue. My dress had a beautiful train, but it could easily be bustled once we started to dance. I wanted my groom to be comfortable as well, so he wore nice jeans and a button-down shirt that matched the greens in our color scheme.
HANDMADE TOUCHES
I made signs that fit the personalities and interests of Robert and I. We included important members of our family in creative ways, such as photography, flower arrangements, baking desserts, DJ, videographer, officiant, ceremony musician. This made the day even more special.
FIRST LOOK
We had our first look down at the river before the ceremony. Robert cried when he saw me, and it was a very emotional, touching moment that we shared.
My dad and I rode our horses to the ceremony.
THE CEREMONY
We stood under an aspen tree arch that was draped with beautiful greenery. My brother in law officiated, my cousin and uncle played our ceremony music, and my god-mother read scripture that we had chosen as significant to our relationship and beliefs. We potted a tree for our unity ceremony and read our own written vows.
FAVE MEMORY
Our personal written vows were very memorable. Standing there looking into each other eyes and vowing to be there for each other through it all.
At the end of the ceremony, my husband and I rode off on horseback.
FAVE DECOR DETAILS
I loved the beautiful chandelier that was hanging from the big pine tree under our sweetheart table and the pavilion decorated with twinkle lights.
FAVE MEMORY
Dancing with all my best friends, husband, and family. And making sure to do a keg stand in my wedding dress!
THE CAKE
Since we both love to fish, I thought this cake topper I found on Etsy was perfect.
LOOKING BACK
I really love having a video to look back on and remember all the wonderful moments from our special day. It could not have gone any better although the night went by way too fast!
ADVICE
Don’t stress too much. This is your day! Don’t let family or friends or anyone else for that matter determine how or what you are going to do for your wedding day. Pay attention to what is most important to you and go with that.
THE WEDDING TEAM
Venue & Lodging: Paradise Ranch. I couldn’t have felt more blessed to find this venue. Zana, the owner, was extremely helpful with planning our big day!
Photographer: Roots & Wings | Tables & Chairs: Pine Valley Rental | Caterer: Chavolos Taqueria | Cake: For Heavens Cakes | Video: Rachelle Little | Hair Stylist: Anissa Lucero with San Juan Salon | Alterations: Let Er Rip