A Destination Wedding Under the Stars

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

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