“Talia and James were friends long before they began dating, but Talia knew that James was the one immediately on their first date. ‘It’s kind of a funny story,’ Talia begins whenever she shares how they got together, and always with a laugh. “I’m originally from Denver, Colorado, and James is from Montgomery, Alabama, but we both went to Auburn University for undergrad. We were friends long before we ever started dating, but I knew he was my husband on our very first date. One of my best friends in college has an older brother, and her brother is best friends with James, so for years we would both end up at the same locations, but invited separately: our friends’ family’s lake house, white tents, and tailgates on Auburn gamedays. Even though we weren’t there together, we were still there together— if that makes any sense. Spoiler alert: my friend and her older brother —James’s friend— were both standing with us on our special day. ‘I always had such a crush on him- this tall, dark, and handsome friend’s older brother’s friend. We peripherally kept up for years this way, seeing each other here and there as the seasons changed. Time passed, James was studying at UAB for Medical School, as I was taking biomedical science classes at Auburn. For years, I would ask this cute older boy for life advice, wondering whether I should go to medical or PA school, and listening as he told me about medical school and the different specialties he was interested in. I did not know it at the time, but James had started to ask around about me as I was graduating from Auburn. I was going to start interviewing for PA schools soon, and he had matched into Orthopedics at tah tah Chattanooga had begun his intern year in this new city. He took me out on our first official date, a hike followed by dinner and drinks at Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga, and I knew he was the one. We began dating, and I decided to go to UAB for PA School. A year later, James proposed at the same restaurant where we had our first date. iI knew I wanted to get married in Colorado, and the mountains have always been deeply significant to my family. My parents had a house in the mountains for a decade, and they began celebrating their anniversary each year in Vail. My siblings and I grew up skiing and hiking throughout Colorado, but as we have gotten older, the Rocky Mountains have become our gathering place for years of winter ski trips and summer vacations. My parents and I knew that Vail and the the Holy Cross Event Deck would be our dream location for my wedding.’ Talia and James were so humbled and grateful on Saturday, August 23rd, 2025. ‘As we looked around and saw the faces of our dearest family and friends, surrounded by the Glory of God’s marvelous creation, we were overjoyed to be married in Vail. Sharing this location with our guests and seeing the beauty of the Rockies reflected on the faces of those we love was a gift. We are overjoyed to get to share in this celebration with all of you. We are so grateful for God’s abundant kindness, and we are so excited to begin life together as one.’”
– Colorado Wedding Photographer, Tamara Grüner Photography
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