Stephanie and Chase had an awesome 3 day adventure in Vail and Beaver Creek Colorado. We loved helping them plan the beautiful Colorado destination wedding at the top of the mountain that their southern (ahem, Roll Tide) roots desired! They brought their huge family and friend group from the south and had the best time dancing to the Diamond Empire Band! The gorgeous blush and burgundy floral with the velvet linens, the stunning wedding shoes, the gorgeous centerpieces by The Olive and Poppy, Awesome rentals like the chapel doors by Have a Seat Colorado - Dang, y'all. This was a stunner! We love our Beaver Creek Weddings! 

 Venue - Saddle Ridge Beaver Creek - and Beaver Creek Wedding Deck. 
Photography - Two One Photography
Planning - Sweetly Paired
Ceremony Door Rental, Pedestals and ladder sweet Heart Table Arch - Have a Seat Colorado 
Floral Design - The Olive and Poppy
Linens - La Tavola

Check out Julie and Russel's beautiful Denver Botanic Gardens wedding! Gorgeous Cinco de Mayo themed wedding at the Denver Botanic Gardens All Americas Garden. They wanted a wedding with all the colors - to match the gardens in full bloom! 

There's no question - we love our full-scale huge weddings, with all the floral and decor, all the tablescapes and details! What we also love - is our simple, stress-free elopement clients. They usually travel here to Colorado from all over - as far as Australia, Spain, Colombia, and Mexico... and as nearby as Nebraska and Texas. They want a wedding that's easy - incorporating maybe just their favorite friends and family... but without the stress of a large group.  
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The most expensive parts of a wedding are often the mistakes you make while planning! We can help you avoid making those wedding planning mistakes. A wedding planner's job is to do three things - 

• Help keep you calm under pressure. Whether that means helping you through writing your vows, giving advice on how to handle a meddling MIL or nosy aunt, or sewing you into your dress because a seam ripped - your wedding planner will be there for you. 
• Give you advice... on EVERYTHING. Your wedding planner should be in YOUR corner. They should have your best interest at heart in every decision that's made  - from picking the venue to when to cut the cake. They should help you find just the right vendors to help with your day. A great wedding planner has a network of suppliers, vendors, and creative pros who can do pretty much anything the wedding needs! 
• Be the expert, manage the wedding. Your wedding planner should be the person in the room that manages the day, the vendors, the guests, the parents, the in-laws, the weather, the vendors' needs, the guests' needs... everything. Something isn't what was planned? Run for that wedding coordinator. 

The most expensive part of planning a wedding is making mistakes! This info will hopefully help you to make great planning decisions!
FIRST - Think about the budget, make it match the vision. We wrote a blog post HERE on how to think about budgeting for a wedding. 

• You should sit down with each of the financial contributors. Ask them what their most important line items are. Does your mom love calligraphy? Are flowers super important to your fiancee? Make sure you take all the opinions under consideration when you're deciding how to spend the budget. The more you know about the desires of all of the interested parties, the less likely it is that you'll find yourself in conflict. 
• Come up with a vision. Think about the guest experience (detailed below). Use our blog post to figure out what you should spend in each category. 
• Do all of this budgeting BEFORE you connect with vendors, start dreaming, or start choosing. 
• The budget pitfall is having a dream, and not having the budget to execute it. Before you raid Pinterest and get your heart set on orchids, make sure you have the budget set aside to have that vision. 
• Your guests' expectations are pretty simple. They don't know what they didn't get... just what they did get! 

SECOND - Don't let your emotion take over. Leave the stress at the door. 

• By following the first tip, and sitting down with everyone to get their opinions and desires up front, it will help you avoid stepping into a hornet's nest of emotion when you come across the items that are important to each person.
• Something's going to go wrong. I know... That's terrifying. But it will. Nothing's perfect... your wedding day won't be either. Knowing ahead of time that something is not going to go perfectly means that when it does - you won't freak out. 
• Nobody knows what you planned. When you plan each part of the wedding, know that some things may not be completely as they are in your head. Nobody but you knows that. They just know the awesomeness that did happen! 

THIRD - ​Guest experience is paramount. Your guests will talk about the whole experience for years... whether you do it right, or very wrong! 

• Think about guest experience when you make decisions and allocate budget. When you pick flowers, colors, linens, and even flatware. Consider how each element will affect that guest experience. 
• If you spend your budget on items that don't further the goals, it's wasted budget. 
• Think about each decision and make sure it is budget that goes towards furthering the experiential plan. Here's our take on being a guest at your own wedding. 

Every great tablescape starts with a vision. You want your guests to experience a specific feeling when they sit down at your table. All the little details on the table is what makes that experience happen. Linens, flatware, glassware, plates and chargers, placecards, centerpieces, candles, pretty little sprigs of greenery or herbs, a menu, and table numbers are just some of the top-of-table things you should think of. 
 

Chargers! Lets talk about what they're for, why we use them, and when to not use them! 

• They are supposed to stay on the table throughout the meal. They keep any spills or crumbs off the linen (in a perfect world) and protect the linen. They also are a design element that remains between courses for the guests, so they're not staring at a bare table linen. 
• They should be larger than your dinner plate - usually 12" - so that they peek out from under the dinner plate. 
• They add a decorative element that stays throughout the meal. 

Flatware - Commonly mis-named silverware. This should only be called silverware if it exactly that - silver (not the color... the metal!). 

• Basic items include - salad fork, dinner fork and dinner knife. Common add-ons are dessert spoons and forks, teaspoons for coffee service, soup spoons for soup service. 
• Check out that diagram above for proper layout of flatware on a table. 

Glassware should be set for the meal service. Don't have superfluous glassware on the table that you won't need. 

• If you're having wine service at dinner, add a wine glass to the place setting. 
• Champagne toast? You have some options. You can pre-set the champagne glass and have the servers pour champagne, you can have the servers pass champagne that's pre-poured, or you can have a drink-in-hand toast. 

We have a love affair with linens! 

• Think about contrast with linens. You don't want bridesmaids' dresses to match the table linens! 
  
• Napkins are very important - if you can choose between getting a little higher-end napkin, or a table linen - go for the napkin for guest experience. They'll have it in their hands and on their faces! 
• Don't be afraid of patter, or pop in strategic places, but don't go overboard! A whole room full of hot pink may be great - for a 16th birthday party! 
• Choose your linens carefully. They make a huge difference to a table, and to your guests experience. Remember - they touch those linens, where they may not notice a few extra roses in the centerpiece, they will notice amazing fabric. . 

Photo credits - Ashley Kidder, Rebecca Marie Photography, Nicole Noel photography
Rentals - Event Rents Denver and La Tavola 

​It might be the last conversation you want to have as a newlywed couple, but finances play a huge role in a successful marriage. The recipe for a happy marriage is made of trust and open communication. This is especially important when it comes to money. Money is the #1 leading cause of stress in a relationship with more than 35 percent of respondents stating money played the main factor. Couples who are on the same page about finances feel more secure, argue less, and even have a better sex life. If you’re a newlywed couple, discuss these financial topics together to start your marriage on the right foot.

Purchases
Are you a spender or a saver? Either way, don’t commit financial infidelity by making secret purchases without telling your spouse. A study from CreditCard.com found that 20 percent of married couples made a purchase of at least $500 USD without telling their spouses with six percent admitting to having a separate bank account the other wasn’t aware of. It’s great to be able to spend independently, but keeping secrets won’t do anyone any good. Communicate expenses and share passwords with each other so you can both view online what your financial situation looks like. You don’t have to tiptoe around each other when you want to make a purchase but there should also be a balance of wants vs. needs items.
Ask for help
If you feel that you’re at a dead end and your conversations about money aren’t productive or helpful, seek help from an outsider. It’s okay to ask a financial adviser, coach or accountant for help when managing your finances - single or married. Seeking a professional’s opinion might ease tension if you often argue about finances. An accountant or financial expert can help with complicated money matters such as investments and taxes, and they will also save you time in the long run. You will need to pay for such services, but depending on your current financial situation, they may be able to save you money in the long run, in addition to saving you stress, time and disagreements. Discussing money in a marriage can be tricky or even downright uncomfortable, but it starts with open and honest communication. With the right money management skills, spending habits, and patience, you will be on your way as a team to overcome any financial situation.

Nataly and Scott came all the way from Texas to get married in the winter in Colorado's gorgeous front range. They chose this destination wedding option that matched not only their budget but their vision. They got an awesome photographer, a fabulous officiant, a lovely dinner for family and friends, as well as a great planner, if I do say so myself! All completely within budget. Just because you're not spending 100k on the wedding doesn't mean you don't get a lovely day that reflects the two of you and entertains your intimate guest list! Be you, be authentic, and be direct about your planning. Make the right decisions to make your guest experience feel right! We can help! Thanks to Meredith Harris for the gorgeous photos!  Great job to Yours Truly Cupcake for the cakes! More details about elopements here! ​

.Brynn and Stephen came from Texas to the snowy mountains of Colorado for their destination elopement. They braved the extremely chilly weather (a whopping 15 degrees outside) and exchanged their vows at the top of Winter Park. They kept some in some traditions with a bridal bouquet, a cake to cut after the ceremony and sharing a first dance as husband and wife at the restaurant they ate at afterwards. But they also threw in their own flair with Brynn's amazing black dress and her cowboy dressed in jeans. It was the perfect touch to this couple's destination elopement.

​If you want to read more about their special day, Brynn was kind enough to write her own blog post about the elopement! Check it out HERE!