Aspen Wedding Planner highlights fall wedding at Hallam Lake

spen locals tie the knot at Hallam Lake. Congratulations to Haley and Jason.

Haley and Jason’s October 5th wedding proved to be an excellent time to capture the fall colors of Aspen Colorado.

Aspen wedding planner Windy Gillespie created a Victorian-rustic wedding theme and incorporated vibrant rich colors, real antlers, pine cones, vintage place settings, decorative mercury glass centerpieces and mismatched picture frames to compliment the natural elements of Hallam Lake and the rustic urban feel of the Elks Club Lodge.

 Their Story: 

How did he propose? Jason (the groom/husband) took me to Kenichi, favorite restaurant of ours where we had our first date in Aspen.  We had an amazing meal, walked home and went to unlock the door.  He started checking his pockets and told me he forgot something at the restaurant.  When I asked him what he forgot, he said he forgot to ask me to marry him.  And he popped the question right in front of our stoop!  Perfectly simple yet perfectly us.

How did you decide on Aspen for your wedding location? Aspen is our home and one of the most beautiful places in the world. We wanted to share this special place with friends and family coming from around the country.

How did you choose your venue? We chose the ceremony venue (ACES at Hallam Lake) because it was so close to in town and easy to get to, but more importantly it was a gorgeous nature preserve with beautiful views. It was important to us to have our guests feel like they can see what Aspen had to offer!  It was perfect with a small blanket of snow on the surrounding trees.  We couldn’t have planned better.  We picked Elks Club Lodge for our reception because it almost had “urban” Aspen feel since it was so close into town.  We went from a meadow to a historic building!

Were there any special or unique details, entertainment or activities at the reception? The building has a roof, which was really fun to run up to and cool down, taking in all the views of downtown Aspen. We also had a photo booth with funny ski-related props and outfits. What really kicked up the party a notch was Windy bringing in light-up tambourines, hand held bubble machines, and other things people could play with while dancing.  They were a hit with our guests and made the pictures look phenomenal!

What was the wedding cake flavor?  We had three different flavors of cupcakes (we really aren’t wedding cake people) and they were Pina Colada, White Russian and Strawberry Daquiri.  So fun and creative.

Favorite memories:   “Jason and I did a first look and seeing him then was the best moment of my life.”

“Seeing my dad before the ceremony was our special time that I’ll never forget – he was so proud of me!”

Wedding Resources:

Wedding Planner: Windy Gillespie of Events by Windy Photographer: Camara Photography Flowers: Mountain Flowers of Aspen Invitations: Express Yourself Ceremony Musicians: Silver City Strings Chair Rentals: Premier Party Rental Blanket Rentals: Splendor for Your Guests Transportation: CTS Aspen

Kelsey Stamps

Hey, I’m Kelsey! I studied Social Psychology at CU Boulder and now split my time between writing about dreamy Aspen wedding spots, clever planning hacks, and real talk on international marriages (yep, American guys and foreign girls). I also run a small psychology practice, helping couples navigate love, culture, and everything in between. Connection and honesty are my non-negotiables.