“On a late summer evening in 2015, John and I happened to be sitting next to each other at J.G. Melon’s on MacDougal street in downtown Manhattan and struck up conversation over burgers and drinks. Melons had been a Cheers-like hangout for our respective friend groups. Our nonchalant conversation focused largely on dogs. Four years and countless dates and trips later, John proposed to me in Central Park on February 8, 2019, the eve of my birthday. We took over J.G. Melons the following day to celebrate the moment with family and friends. I am originally from Boulder, Colorado. I always wanted to get married outside in the Rocky Mountains. John is a through-and-through New Yorker who fell in love with Colorado throughout our time dating. Aspen felt like the perfect destination, honoring my Colorado roots in one of the world’s greatest towns, a place we knew our friends and family would love. Funny enough, a couple days before our wedding we had a chance conversation with a man in Aspen who dropped an all-time quote from the Rolling Stones that so elegantly captured the vibe I wanted for my wedding: “ethereal, with a down to earth kind of flavor.” I have always been inspired by the juxtaposition of delicate, feminine wild flowers amidst the ruggedness of the Rockies. I wanted to bring that organic, natural beauty to the day. The T-Lazy 7 meadow provided the perfect backdrop, tucked in the mountains just outside of Aspen, filled with endless groves of Aspen trees, horses and cows grazing in the distance, all framed by a spectacular view of the 14,000 foot Pyramid Peak. We held the ceremony and cocktail hour outside and rented a sail cloth tent for the reception so our friends and family could dance under the stars and soak up the magic of a mountain summer evening. I assembled a local Colorado based vendor team to truly capture the natural beauty of the area. The color palette was informed by the nature of the area, a mix of forest greens, nudes, light blushes and ivory. I was drawn to florist Prema Style’s use of textural and unruly blooms that felt as if you could have gone outside to your garden that morning and collected them yourself. Pulled together, yet not fussy. Unexpected yet classic. A combination of ranuculus, garden tea roses, tuberose stems, scabiosa and other seasonal flowers and foliage perfectly complemented the meadow. A large open arch was constructed for the ceremony to frame the breathtaking view. Photographer Laura Murray was the perfect choice to capture the aesthetic. Her photography has this beautiful, airy feel to it, I was instantly drawn to. We were initially supposed to get married on August 29, 2020, however decided to postpone due to COVID-19. It was a hard decision at the time but our vendor team could not have been more supportive and understanding during the uncertainty. We were so happy we ended up postponing. August 28, 2021 was one of those perfect Colorado days. Large white puffy clouds dotted the sky, the sound of aspen leaves whispered in the distance as a light breeze danced throughout the day. The majority of our friends and family were based on the East Coast. It was so special to show them the beauty of Aspen and Colorado during the summer months. Dancing and drinks continued late into the evening under the stars. An after-party was held later in down-town Aspen at the Caribou Club.”
