{real wedding} erin + ben's colorado mountains wedding

To continue with the woody rustic theme that's going this week which wasn't at all planned, I wanted to share this sweet mountain wedding from Alison Vagnini Photography. 

"Ben and I (Erin) are both geologists who work and live in Denver so it was perfect for us to get married within the beautiful mountain scenery of Colorado.  We were looking for a casual and rustic venue for the wedding and Peaceful Valley Ranch was perfect.  It has beautiful aspen groves and the St. Vrain River runs right through the property.  Ben’s family is from Michigan and mine are from Nebraska so we had everyone travel to us.  Peaceful Valley Ranch had enough lodging for all our guests which allowed everyone to spend the entire weekend together instead of just one night.  We had the opportunity to go horseback riding, swimming, fishing and hiking with our guests throughout the weekend.  We were very grateful for everyone traveling so far to spend the weekend with us that we put together welcome bags for everyone to receive when they checked into the lodge.  The welcome bags contained mixed nuts, bridge mix, bottled water, granola bars, ibuprofen, and sunscreen all tied up with a special note and picture of us next to the “Welcome to Colorful Colorado” state sign."

"We wanted to create a comfortable, rustic, outdoor feeling throughout the entire setting but we also wanted to save money so we did a lot of things ourselves.  Ben cut and painted the wood used for the chalkboards and he also cut the aspen logs that were used for the chalkboard stands.  Instead of the formal guest book we cut pieces of fabric for guest to sign which I will sew into a quilt.  We hung pictures of ourselves with clothespins and twine instead of doing a slideshow.  We bought the mason jars, aluminum watering can and milk cans, ribbons, guest bags, candle holders, candles, and paper for the programs all at Michael’s on-sale with coupons."

"Our background theme was “Lucky in Love” which was inspired from the cake topper found on createbyheart’s Etsy site.  The horseshoe theme fit perfectly with the dude ranch venue and I designed the napkins to fit this theme.  When it came to the flowers, we wanted a colorful country feel and decided to use sunflowers, which is the state flower of Kansas where we met.  Kim and Company created the most beautiful flower arrangements we could ever have imagined.  Ben and I both love dessert so when it came time to decide what to have for the wedding, we couldn’t.  So, we ended up with 5 cupcake flavors, 3 pie flavors, and huge chocolate-chip cookies.  The day was perfect!"

{Photography}  Alison Vagnini Photography  /  {Venue and Catering} Peaceful Valley Ranch  /  {Dress Designer" WTOO by Watters purchased at d’Anelli Bridal, Lakewood, Colorado  /  {Shoes} Vintage cowboy boots bought at a thrift store in Cody, Wyoming  /  {Hair} Jeanice Prohs from Pati’s Haircare, Estes Park, Colorado  /  {Make-up} Tracy Orellana from Classic Hair Design, Estes Park, Colorado  /  {Hair Accessory Flower} Bought on Etsy  /  {Veil}  Borrowed from Bride’s friend, Kat Goodman  /  {Bridesmaids Dresses} David’s Bridal  /  {Flower girl Dress} Bought at Target during Easter season  /  {Grooms Attire} Suit and tie bought at JC Penny, vest rented from Men’s Warehouse  /  {Groomsmen Attire} Ties bought at JC Penny  /  {Jewelry} Pearls borrowed from Bride’s Grandmother, Blue ring borrowed from Mother of the Bride  /  {Flowers} Kim and Company, Estes Park, Colorado  /  {DJ} Ron Michaels, Fort Collins, Colorado  /  {Cake, cupcakes, cookies, and pies}  Mermaids Bakery, Denver, Colorado  /  {Save the Date cards} Bonnie Marcus  / {Wedding Invitations} Wedding Paper Divas  /  {Programs} Made by the Bride, paper purchased at Michael’s  /  {Cake Topper} creativebyheart  / {Bar Napkins} Designed by the Bride and purchased from For Your Party