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Melanie + AngelA Colorado Small Wedding with Brewery CelebrationTheir Story: “I are from Texas and we met in high school, but started dating in our 20’s. We have been together for over 5 years and love Colorado! We want a micro wedding to avoid the drama of and headache that was experienced from my sister’s 200+ person wedding.”
Planning Details: We often hear that from couples who reach out to us: they either had a sibling host a huge overwhelming wedding, or started planning the big “typical” wedding that everyone else expects, only to realize that it a huge expense that comes with drama and stress. When Melanie and Angel were searching for a small intimate wedding, the found our package and and started he process with our Ceremony Site Report service - a great place to get started as it is a written consultation in which we not only provide affordable ceremony options that fit with couples needs, budget, and priorities….. but, we also give planning guidance to make it all flow well. Melanie and Angel identified their top priorities as having scenic mountain views (preferably with a lake), to have bridesmaids and groomsmen, and to *not* have a first look, waiting for that at the ceremony.….. all reasonably priced with an overall budget of around $10,000 (including travel, lodging, dinner). Check, check and check! ⬇️ 🎉 With our packages, you can certainly have attendants (we include florals for them). IDEA: though, if you are trying to be budget-friendly, then consider no wedding party as the cost adds-up for things like dresses, florals, extra photo time, hair/makeup appointments, gifts, accessories, etc. As an alternative, I’ve seen brides have their best friend(s) go with them to the salon (they all get ready together), wear some coordinating colors of dresses (not overly matchy-matchy - their own attire), and are present when the bride gets ready (in more photos). But, for the ceremony, they are still regular guests. Read our article about How to Have a Non-bridesmaid/attendant Wedding for great ideas and photos. |
Colorado Small Wedding Planning |
Melanie and Angel decided to host their micro-wedding in the heart of the Rocky Mountains in August. Summit County boasts some of the world’s best ski resorts which in the summer makes for amazing mountain backdrops, majestic lakes, and serene rivers. August is one of the BEST months to get married: warm summer days, cool crisp nights and towards the end of the month, vacationers start to drop off as kids head back to school. Summer activities are in full operation: hiking, mountain biking, off-roading, white water rafting, etc.
During the planning process, though Melanie and Angel promoted their priority of seating for their guests an added-on our wooden benches. They decided that it was most important to have brides-grooms people (yes, Angel’s sister was the Best Woman). Thus they opted for us to play play music through our Bluetooth speaker (vs. hiring a live musician), add-on more photography time, and have nice florals + hair/makeup for their attendants. They were also able to save a money by hosting their celebrations at a brewery and brining their own officiant. Yes - the great thing is about Colorado is that it is a self-solemnization state. In other words, you can marry yourselves. That opens it up for your closest ones to officiate the ceremony. If they are not clergy or a judge, they can’t say “by the power vested in my, I pronounce the couple....”. However, they can say someone this like: they couple has committed to each other in personalized vows. And, it is with great pleasure that I introduce the newly married couple....” But honestly, there aren’t wedding vow police running around (haha). |
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Melanie and Angel added some unique personalized touches to their small wedding day that had a big impact:
Getting Ready: Melanie got ready at a vacation house where her and her immediate family were staying. To keep things calm and running smoothly, only her mom and sister were present for the details and dressing. The rest of her five bridesmaids were downstairs, getting ready themselves. Fewer people in the dressing area means less confusion, “chatter” and the photographer has room to move about. First Look with Dad and Bridesmaids: the fun part about this format is that we got some time with Melanie and her dad, capturing first-look moments with just the two of them. Then, we brought the bridesmaids upstairs and did a first look with all five of them at one time - super fun and probably one of my favorite first-looks ever! Colorado Brewery Wedding: Colorado boasts some of the best micro-breweries around. And, many of them have space in which you can host a small wedding reception. For food, you can either hire a food truck, or bring-in your own takeout. For Melanie and Angel, who wanted to keep within their budget, this was the perfect option. The brewery was able to setup a semi-private area for the group to gather, and also tables for them to setup take-out pizza and pasta. This is a great strategy to keep post-ceremony celebrations affordable, casual and fun! |
Favorite Micro-Wedding Details |
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