We were set on having a mountain wedding and were very close to booking in Winter Park. After some discussion with ourselves and family we realized that we were asking a lot of our 90% of out of state guests. So we decided to just look closer just in case. On a whim I found the Boulderado and we went one night after work for a tour. Instantly we were mesmerized with the hotel, it’s grandeur, and above all it’s staff. Anna Mundale is hands down the most wonderful person I could have ever imagined working with. Addicted to email just like me, there wasn’t a week we did not talk at least once. She help to craft our wedding into exactly what we had pictured and more. She embraced my family and assured them of the success! And didn’t fail. An all in one location that does it all! Granted you still have to bring in your florist, cake and music, but having the majority of the wedding taken care of under one roof was just fantastic. The rooms at the hotel are just amazing and help you to truly embrace the historic feel of the hotel. The discounted rates are reasonable, but not for every guest. The service was impeccable. The hotel staff was great with room change requests, moving bags, dealing with some difficult family members, they did it all with a smile!! We opted for a cocktail style reception with heavy hors d’oerves and then a pasta station and a prime rib station. Immediately after the reception there was this huge display of beautiful food for all to enjoy. We had two different passed dishes as well which were huge successes. We were running late on pictures but they went ahead and fed the crowd (which I requested prior) and there was not one person that didn’t say it was just delicious! The bar staff was entertaining and fun for all. We only hosted beer and wine and then cash bar, and we were right on with our numbers and we cashed the kegs and only had a half bottle of red left over! Perfect! If you are looking for an intimate location with a touch of glam I would highly suggest the Boulderado. Great pictures as well!!! Anna and her team still amazes me how they made my day 100% stress free and the most laid back bride ever!!!!
Google helped me to find Murray with A Custom Look. His photo booth is an all black booth with digital shots, but the classic B&W four picture strips. He even prints a custom folder for your guests to put their copy in. You also get a DVD of ALL the pictures taken that night!! We used the photos as our guest book and it worked perfectly. Everyone loved it and it definitely kept folks preoccupied. Murray worked the crowd and even got the grandparents in the booth. It was just hilarious!!! He was a very organized and efficient person to work with. One of the best vendors and very reasonably priced compared to others.
We found the Judge through the Boulder County listing of judges who perform civil ceremonies. We met with him and instantly he and my FI clicked, it was kind of cute. He has been performing ceremonies for 30 years and has every single one in a binder. We sat there and through a lot of those ceremonies we created ours with our own touch. He even filed our license for us for no extra charge. He performed the ceremony without a hitch and projected perfectly. We were very impressed and glad it worked out.
I think I’ve posted on here before, but WOW Christina was amazing!!!! She finished our envelopes very quickly and without mistake! She just made them look so elegant and amazing I cried when I picked them up, not kidding. I got nothing but complements from family and friends for taking the time to get them done and not using labels! (Sorry to offend anyone!)
When we sat down to start planning we each wrote down our priorities for the wedding. Not only were they exactly the same but photography was #1. Photography is my hobby and passion so I knew it just had to be where we spent the most of our budget. I researched for about two weeks and emailed over 15 of the top photographers in Colorado. Once I had narrowed it down and gotten who could do our dates, we set off on appointments. Laura was first, we drove downtown after work one night both exhausted. We walked into her old studio she had beer and wine ready to go and we were just excited! She just talked with us and got to know us, no big selling speeches. Then we settled into the couch and watched a few slideshows and we were hooked. We just grabbed hands and knew that we didn’t need to look anymore. We told her how my FIL is not one for the camera, so she showed us a wedding with a similar FOG and we laughed so hard because she got some amazing shots. So we booked her the next day! E-pics were everything I could have hoped for! They were a bit traditional but good for the moms like we wanted. So FF to wedding day. Laura showed up with her second shooter right on time. We were running a bit behind but not a problem they had time to scout locations and get some shots of the Boulderado. Laura went with the guys first and she was able to make two of the groomsmen who are very hard to loosen up, laugh and get into the shots. Laura made the girls shoot so easy and fun it didn’t feel like a burden at any time. Same with the guys shoot, just a breeze! After the ceremony we did family shots immediately, can’t wait to see those, but she managed to get everyone (two big families) done within 15 minutes!!! Then BP pics took a little longer, but that’s because I wanted a lot and then of Ryan and I. After that, I didn’t see Laura until it was time for her to leave!! Just like we wanted. We took some “end of the night” shots and poof she was done! She created the slideshow within 4 days was ecstatic when my dad called me on the honeymoon to tell me they were up. I paid $3.00 in some “internet café” which was just three computers in a bar to watch it at turtle speed, but it was worth every penny! I can’t wait to see the other pictures, but I am more than pleased right now and I know it will just get better. Laura is so easy going and friendly to work with. She felt more like a friend to me shooting my wedding than anything else. I highly recommend her and would just note to not cut corners on the things that mean the most to you. It’s worth the price!
Even though I love a good project I wanted my invites to be perfect! We found Polly at a registry event at Crate and Barrel. She is such a delight to work with and so fun. She has options in every price range to get the invitations you want! They came in so fast I was so pleased. Polly knows the ins and outs of wording in every situation as well so that can help!
We found Shamane through the Boulderado Vendor List. We had gone to two cake places prior and we were extremely let down by the taste, quality and service. We went into Shamane’s for our tasting and again were greeted by Shamane herself with a smile and offer to just relax. We didn’t really have a vision for our cake we just knew it had to be incredible with every bite. We gave her a list of flavors for our tasting and after we tasted them we wanted them all!! We settled on a chocolate cinnamon cake with chocolate mousse and buttercream frosting as our display cake, then a pecan hazelnut cake with Italian crème filling and buttercream frosting for our sheet cake. She started to sketch our cake and we just said…YES! I didn’t see the cake until after the ceremony across the balcony and I was just starstruck. It was gorgeous, three tier square cake with white frosting and chocolate twigs then hydrangea petals scattered all over. We ate our first bite and it was better than before. Shamane doesn’t freeze any of her cakes and most ingredients are organic or locally grown. And you can taste it!! She offers a free anniversary cake of any kind because freezing does not work!!! Shamane was great and I highly recommend!
Again I found European through the Boulderado Vendor List. I met Kristine the owner while she was actually doing a wedding at the Boulderado. I loved her work that day so we decided to meet. Our first meeting was fantastic and everything I pictured. She took my magazine clips and my words describing what I wanted and transpired it onto paper. Now after that first meeting she was always delayed. She was over two months delayed in getting my contract and my deposit done. She feel it was necessary to meet with me three weeks prior, I insisted and I’m glad I did because she was headed in another direction with my bouquet. On the day of the wedding she was a bit late and rushed, and my bouquet was kind of droopy, and my Mom’s corsage was a little brown. We fixed it all ourselves, but I was a little disappointed. However the centerpieces, the wrap at the staircase and everything else was just gorgeous and exactly like I had pictured. It truly made the space shine and feel like an elegant display.