Brides & Weddings Magazine
Captured & submitted by Stratus Adventure Photography
Our day started bright and early when the fantastic local-ish hair and makeup artist came over and made Liz feel like a princess for the day. After a quick impromptu first look, we decided to head up to one of the local’s secret off-road mountain trails for some romantic pictures in the forest.
We drove up to a clearing with a long narrow path that leads directly into a thick aspen grove I had scouted out earlier that week. It was the perfect place for the two of them to have some time to themselves, and enjoy the music of the wind through the trees before heading back down the mountain to be with their guests.
Liz knew that although she chose a more adventurous mountain wedding, it was still important to her to incorporate her Jewish heritage and traditions into the ceremony.
One of the main traditions is for the bride and groom to stand under a chuppah while they say their vows. It is a four cornered structure with a cloth covering the top and placed directly under open sky, symbolizing the new home the bride and groom are building together. With extremely limited rentals and vendors anywhere near Lake City, I offered to help build one in place with the help of my father who was a contractor for over 20 years. Liz and I exchanged pictures during the months leading up to her wedding, and worked together to design and build a gorgeous DIY Aspen Chuppah from logs my father and I harvested from friend’s property a few days before. It was covered by a thin white fabric chosen by her mom, and decorated that morning by Benton and Liz’s brother.
The family read the Seven Blessings, with toasts of wind, a vow exchange, the breaking of the glass, and of course who could forget Kaia-possibly the cutest doggy flower girl you have ever seen!
After we spent time taking family pictures, the white fluffy clouds began to make way for their grey counterparts bringing with them a promise of summer showers. With all of the stresses of the wedding day behind us, we loaded up Kaia and jumped into the jeep to head out to the peninsula in the middle of the lake. We hiked up with the wind swirling around us, making way for giant rain drops that lasted just long enough to have a bit of fun.
Once we drove back to the cabin, Benton had one last surprise in store for Liz. One of their favorite things to do together back home in Boulder is to one wheel around town. He grabbed their one wheels, and their bon voyage was rolling up the gravel driveway hand in hand. A perfect end to a perfect day!
Makeup Artist:Beauty by Manda//Floral Designer:Rocky Mountain Rose//Photographer: Stratus Adventure Photography//
