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Peyton & Jacy | September 29, 2017 | Kirtland, New Mexico
From the bride: Our wedding day had a boho, earthy-glam style with a neutral color palette.
THE CEREMONY
It was an absolute downpour of rain the hours leading up to the ceremony, but right before it was time to walked down the aisle, the skies cleared and were bright blue. The ceremony was intimate with an earthy feel, which we loved. Everything came together so perfectly.
THE RECEPTION
We had Mexican food for dinner and then had dessert and danced in a wood barn lit with string lights and chandeliers.
THE DECOR
The decor consisted of reclaimed wood, gold accents, and lots of fresh eucalyptus.
FAVORITE DETAIL
Our cookie bar! We made hundreds of different homemade cookies and hand-stamped cookie “to go” bags with our wedding logo.
HANDMADE DETAILS
My dad built our dessert, gift and s’mores table by hand from reclaimed wood. This added a sentimental and unique touch to our wedding. Everyone loved them!
ADVICE
Don’t let the stress of planning a wedding get to you! In the end, your wedding day flies by so you should sit back and enjoy every second of it and not let little things get in the way.
THE WEDDING TEAM
Photographer, Video & Photo Booth: Shutterfreek
Venue: Triple J Ranch
Hannah & JD | August 19, 2017 | Durango, CO
From the bride: My family and I have vacationed in Durango for over 20 years. It is a very special place to us and it felt right to have our wedding on my parent’s lawn in Hermosa.
THE STYLE
Our Durango wedding was simple, elegant, and rustic with ivory and natural wood colors.
THE CEREMONY
We held the ceremony at sunset on the west lawn of my parent’s home. My favorite memory was having my godfather marry us in front of our loved ones.
THE RECEPTION
The backyard was set with wooden tables, white linens and lots of flowers and lights. Having the wedding at my parent’s home felt very personal and intimate. It was so nice to have our favorite people in our favorite place.
MEMORABLE MOMENT
My favorite part of the night was all the dancing!
ADVICE
Take your time planning and enjoy it! Looking back, I wanted more time for pictures and dancing.
THE DURANGO WEDDING TEAM
Photographer: Illuminarts | Cake & Caterer: The Yellow Carrot
Reprinted from the 2018 issue
Jamie & Eric | August 12, 2017 | Purgatory Resort
From the bride: Durango and the southwest corner of the state is our favorite area to go camping, hiking, and rafting. We live just outside of Denver, but try to travel to Durango as much as we can. We knew we wanted a summer wedding in the mountains in Durango with vibrant colors, flowers, and a meteor shower.
THE CEREMONY
The ceremony was held on the edge of Dante’s Peak amidst a beautiful mountain backdrop. The weather couldn’t have been better. My longtime childhood friend was our officiant and we wrote the ceremony together to ensure what we felt was said. It highlighted nature, love, and our human connection with the earth. Also included were a few Native American blessings and the Apache Wedding Blessing.
Reading our vows to one another was a truly breathtaking experience.
Eric made name card holders out of aspens in our yard.
THE FAVORS
We had stemless wine glasses engraved with “Kiss Me Under the Light of a Thousand Stars…”
THE FIRST DANCE
Our first dance was the Dirty Dancing song, ‘Time of My Life”. We totally nailed it considering we had not practiced and our dancing consisted of random twirling, dipping, and lifting.
MEMORABLE MOMENT
At 10 pm hiking half-way down the mountain in my wedding dress to get our picture taken under the Milky Way with the meteor shower.
ADVICE
Take your time, enjoy your engagement and the commitment you just decided to make to one another. Make sure to plan everything just the way you want it. If everything resembles you, as a couple, it will be that much more meaningful.
The Durango Wedding Team
Venue, Caterer & Lodging: Dante’s at Purgatory Resort. Purgatory Resort was an absolute amazing place to hold a wedding! The resort gave our guests restaurant options, outdoor summer activities, clean nice lodging, and a ride to and from the wedding site. Sitting in the middle of the San Juan mountains you get great views everywhere!! The wedding ceremony & reception were held at Dante’s Peak which is an absolutely beautiful place on the backside of the mountain. They also had great food. We wouldn’t have wanted to celebrate our wedding weekend anywhere else!!
Linens: Durango Party Rental. We rented a few accent table cloths, runners, and napkins from Durango Party Rental. They were very knowledgeable & helpful in what we needed and at a very reasonable price! The pick up & drop off were super easy & all of the accents looked great!
Photographer: J. La Plante Photo | Flowers: Linnaea Farm
Reprinted from the 2018 issue
Sarah & Ed | September 23, 2017 | Durango, Colorado
From the bride: We love the outdoors, so we wanted to bring in as many natural elements like wood and flowers as we could. Our color palette had greens, golds, and purples. We incorporated Ball jars into a lot of our decorations since Ed’s last name is ‘Ball’.
THE PLANNING
My parents and I attended the Durango Wedding Expo. Being from out of town, it was so nice to have all the vendors we wanted to see in one spot. We had prints of most of the magazines and used the website for those that we didn’t. I had all the years’ issues I could get my hands on. Being able to see the work of all the vendors we were considering in real weddings was a big help. We did a lot of research online and through Durango Weddings Magazine, then narrowed down our list and visited those that we could in person. We wanted vendors that could work with our style and within our budget.
THE FLOWERS
April’s Garden is amazing and I couldn’t be happier with how our flowers turned out. They worked with us to make sure our wedding florals were beautiful.
THE CEREMONY
We held our ceremony next to the river. We almost had to move the ceremony indoors due to rain and hail that day, but the weather miraculously cleared up less than an hour before our ceremony was set to begin and we ended up having a beautiful evening. The river site is amazing – we wanted an outdoor ceremony away from everything, so it was perfect.
My dad made a light-up sign with Ed’s and my initials that we hung over our dessert table stand.
Most Memorable Moment
Getting picked up by a horse and carriage at the end of the night – a surprise from my parents.
ADVICE
Get your vendors early!
Recommended Vendors
Photographer & Photo Booth: Shutterfreek
Venue: Ridgewood Event Center
Caterer: Durangourmet
Floral Design: April’s Garden
Favors: Honeyville
Carriage: Spring Creek Carriage Service
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