Intimate Mountain Wedding in Aspen

Congratulations to Cara and Austin!  Married July 12, 2014, in Aspen Colorado.

Cara shares her wedding story and tips for a bride planning a destination wedding in Aspen.

Our Story:  Austin and I met our freshman year of high school, started dating in college and after 8 years we got engaged on a trip to New York City.

How we decided on the Ceremony location:  We took our time planning, even played around with the idea of a large, traditional wedding, but in the end we knew we wanted something less conventional. After a weekend vacation to Aspen, in particular Maroon Bells, we knew we had found the perfect place for an intimate mountain wedding. We invited 15 guests and it set the tone for the entire wedding process – everything felt very stress-free and comfortable.

Maroon Bells Amphitheatre is one of the most picturesque places we both have ever been. With snow still on the mountaintops, tons of wildlife (we even saw a moose) and a crystal-clear lake, it was majestic and magical, the perfect location. During the months leading up to the wedding we worked with our amazing officiant to personalize the ceremony. It was a process we really enjoyed, and we felt like in the end we were able to truly make it our own. One of the ideas we incorporated was a passing of the ring’s ceremony. Austin’s brother started the ring ceremony by sharing a blessing. We asked each of our guests to share a few words as the rings were passed from one person to the next and it was something we both will never forget as we laughed and cried with everyone’s sweet comments. We also incorporated a tree planting ceremonial, where we planted two Aspen trees after the ceremony to symbolize our growing relationship. It’s something we can always go back and visit during our future trips to Colorado.

Austin’s family lived in Colorado for many years and it’s a place that has a lot of meaning to him. We vacation there every year and always find ourselves wishing we were in the mountains. Having our destination wedding in Aspen was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made and everything else came easy after that. We also knew immediately that we wanted Stewart-Hunter Photography to be there. I’ve been a bridesmaid in weddings they have shot before and after seeing how beautiful their photographs were, I couldn’t wait to ask them to photograph our big day.

Our Reception:  We decided on the Limelight Hotel because they had the perfect space for us – a balcony that seated 15 people perfectly. We wanted the reception to have a cozy, intimate feeling, which is why we all sat at one table together surrounded by candlelight. We had a fire pit nearby to sit by afterwards and lights strung around the balcony. The customer service at Limelight was amazing, which made it an easy decision.

I’m lucky to have a very creative family who helped with a lot of the decorations. My sister hand-made the napkins and herringbone table runner and my dad cut a tree down at the family farm to create the name card and candlestick holders. I was really excited about the calligraphy too. We incorporated it everywhere we could – name cards, menus, small and large signs, etc. And finally, I wanted the florals to look natural with extra foliage and wispy stems added in, almost as if you picked them there. I was thrilled with how it all came together and I couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful setup.

Best Memory from the wedding day:  During the months leading up to the wedding we worked with our amazing officiant to personalize the ceremony. It was a process we really enjoyed and we felt like in the end we were able to truly make it our own. One of the ideas we incorporated was a passing of the rings ceremony. Austin’s brother started the ring ceremony by sharing a blessing. We asked each of our guests to share a few words as the rings were passed from one person to the next and it was something we both will never forget as we laughed and cried with everyone’s sweet comments.  Our second favorite memory would be having our first dance at the base of the mountain. A close friend played the guitar and we danced to Jack Johnson’s Better Together.

Advice for brides planning a destination wedding:  We had quite the scare that bad weather would force us to move our reception location inside, but it missed us by an inch and left us with an amazing rainbow and even better sunset. The day went exactly how we had hoped – intimate and memorable. My advice to brides would be to have a plan B – just in case and to not overthink the weather. It’s out of your hands. Just enjoy your day and know everything will work itself out!

Vendors:
Ceremony Location: Maroon Bells Amphitheatre
Reception Location: Limelight Hotel
Cake: City Market
Macarons: Franck Thirion Bakery
Cookies: Paradise Bakery
Flowers: Mountain Flowers of Aspen
Photography: Stewart Hunter Photography
Calligraphy/Invitations: Caitlin Welsh of Charlie Whiskey
Bride’s Dress: Nicole Miller
Bride’s Shoes: Anthropologie
MOH’s Dress: Mod Cloth
MOH’s Shoes: Anthropologie
Groom’s Suit: Banana Republic
Shirt, tie, tie clip: J. Crew
Best Man’s Suit: Nordstrom

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.