Sustainable and Family-Focused Wedding at The Lyons Farmette

Colorado I Do’s

Environmentally friendly, sustainable, outdoors, family-focused, are the words that Ashley and Shea used to focus on their wedding planning. These fun-loving Coloradans wanted their wedding planning to be based around an outdoor location that understood the importance of protecting this gorgeous area. The Lyons Farmette is an organic, local floral farm with some animals (alpacas, a llama, and chickens) that join the property. All the florals at the wedding from the bouquet, boutonnieres, ceremony site were all grown at The Farmette. Catering focuses on locally grown produce within the Northern Colorado area. The tablescapes focused on the greenery in the area, with reusable vases, and again greenery found on the venue’s property. You will see ferns throughout the reception decor, which was to honor Ashley’s grandmother, Fern, who was the one grandparent on either side that was able to come and celebrate with them. Ashley said, “I have a tattoo on my wrist of ferns as well. I love little reminders of my grandmother, Fern. I wish we lived closer.” 

Ashley and Shea shared that, “it was important that our family and friends could relax and enjoy the wedding moment with us, so nobody was able to help decorate, clean up, etc. Everyone was present and was able to celebrate with us all day!” Ashley then said, “Shea and I are ones who admire and try to create community wherever we are. We wanted to bring family and friends together as one. We got so much joy seeing co-workers dancing with family members, cousins, and kiddos from opposite sides of the family playing together.” From the ceremony seating is open, to the farm-to-dinner tables with the passing of each dish from guest to guest, it truly was such a love-filled, and community-centered wedding day.

One very unique and fun tradition Ashley and Shea added to their ceremony was to have a Wine Unity Ceremony. Their officiant, a close friend, chose a bottle of wine for them. Ashley and Shea wrote love letters to each other during the ceremony, then closed everything up with the wine in a box. Ashley said, “Each year we’ll write another note to each other and put it in the box. On our 5th wedding anniversary, we’ll open the box and drink the wine. On our 20th wedding anniversary, we’ll open the box and read all the love notes. If for some reason our marriage gets rocky, we’re to open the box and drink the wine together and read all the notes thus far to remind us of how we’ve felt over the years.”

Ashley and Shea shared that they realized their wedding day would be the only day in their lives when all these amazing people would come together. “Never again will all those people be in the same place at the same time, celebrating so much love.” From the venue sets the tone, gorgeous local flare, portraits in the flower farm, a goat eating the bouquet, personal nods to family, and family and friends embracing one another, it was a perfect Coloradan wedding day!

– Colorado Wedding Photographer, Red Aspen Photography

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