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The power of the queer cowgirl: cue the rainbow.
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We had so much a blast curating our welcome bags. They are so essential to a destination wedding, and we really thought of them as a huge “thank you” to our guests for making the trip - plus we knew we’d get to have all the leftovers.
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Perfecting the austere look for photos was a big challenge for us because we couldn’t stop smiling. I think my lip was quivering here.
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Fringe, suede, leather. Period.
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Our most proud feature of our welcome party were the beer burros, Stetson and Dolly. We knew our guests would lose it when they walked in and were greeted by a donkey offering them a beer. They were a hit with the kids too.
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Our friends really leaned in to our theme. It’s not a Colorado wedding without a touch of western.
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Our welcome party outfits were a reflection of the kind of fun and vibrancy we hoped would inspire the tone of the weekend overall, from the bold colors to the playful accessories, we were intent on creating an atmosphere where laughter flowed as freely as the donkey beer.
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We had a lot of fun with the details of our jewelry. We each had birds on silver rings as an ode to our new last name and worked with an independent vendor on Etsy to create custom belt buckles with our logo, wedding date, and location. Much of our jewelry was found on Etsy, in antique shops, and at the Houston Rodeo (Houston is Lauren’s hometown).
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The white boot centerpieces were actually a surprise to us from our wedding designers. They knew we wanted to keep our welcome party decor simple yet unique to reflect the character of 4 Eagle Ranch.
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This was the moment we walked into the welcome party - everyone was clapping and cheering, and we were so excited to see how incredible everyone looked: the boots were bootin’, the hats had been steamed and shaped, and the party was about to begin.
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It had been suggested to us that at some point, we should get on an elevated surface to view our party from above. This was that moment. We were so overwhelmed with joy that all we could do was make out.
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We love hats. We made a special trip out to Colorado specifically to design our hats for the wedding weekend. We already had quite a collection of Kemo Sabe hats, but making these was really about making the memory together ahead of the wedding. Each of our hats has a piece from the other, and under the brim we had our wedding logo and date branded alongside our [new] initials.
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I was adamant about wearing a hat on wedding day - it is my favorite accessory, almost like my security blanket. I designed the rest of my outfit around the idea of wearing a cowboy hat for my wedding, and putting it all on that day was really surreal. This was the final touch before I got to go see my bride.
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This was the dream. The entire reason we had a wedding on top of a mountain is because we wanted this picture. This was also the most peaceful moment of both of our days: we got to have a moment of quiet together, just the two of us [with the exception of our amazing photographers capturing this private moment].
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I’m hearing Faith Hill’s "This Kiss" in my head here.
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You’d be amazed how many bugs end up in your clothes while frolicking through wildflowers on top of a mountain. But with crickets and all, we couldn’t stop smiling during this playful mountaintop photoshoot.
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We had such an incredible imagery team that collaborated on all of our shots. They had an amazing eye for the landscape which gave us the freedom to run around on top of a mountain before we got married.
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Because I chose not to wear a traditional wedding dress, I still wanted to bring a bit of femininity into my overall outfit. Enter: lace.
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We think this speaks for itself [but if you want to know more]: the florals were our nod who we are. We were here to celebrate a gay wedding, and the rainbow florals perfectly matched the rainbow which ended up showing up during the ceremony.
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I kept telling myself to take my time walking down the aisle, look at my guests, take it all in. I did not do that. I basically dragged my parents behind me in a full sprint to our officiant because I was so excited to see Hanna walk down the aisle to me.
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I felt like the brightest star. A year of planning culminated in this exact moment. I wanted to take in every second, every smiling face, every whisper of wind, every colorful flower, and small detail that we worked so hard to curate. Walking down the aisle toward the love of my life, surrounded by the most special people in our lives was the happiest and yet craziest feeling I’ve ever experienced.
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As we were waiting for the ceremony to start, we saw these huge dark clouds off in the distance and were on the cusp of panic attacks thinking it was about to pour. But the rain held off, and our jaws dropped when we saw the effects those clouds had on our backdrop.
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Listening to Hanna’s vows first, I was beside myself thinking “wow, she really lives inside my head”. Our vows completely played off of one another’s - we noted the same inside jokes, we promised each other the same things. We were in lock step.
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I think this is when I (Lauren) followed up Hanna’s vow to drive me around more with “I promise to always be your driver.”
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Our first kiss as wives in front of all of our friends and family was so meaningful for us in so many ways. Naturally, the cheering from our friends and family only encouraged us to kiss harder and to really take it in. We might not have stopped if we didn’t have to go inside to beat the rain.
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We practiced the dip a few hundred times, but we didn’t make a solid decision to actually attempt it until we were walking back up the aisle. 10/10 no notes, nailed it.
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This excitement was purely from having nailed the dip. And now being married, of course.
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We couldn’t believe we just got married AND nailed the dip. I felt on top of the world in this moment.
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We were unsure about the idea of the Second Line as we didn’t know if it would mesh with the overall western theme. However, when you ask if Great Family Brass can play Beyoncé…wow do they deliver.
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We wanted to keep our wedding favors simple, and our escort card set up unique. Introducing the wedding favor AS the escort card concept. We felt the boot bottle openers were the perfect western touch and easy favor for guest to take home at the end of the night.
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What an entrance am I right!? Spruce saddle lodge was the perfect venue for our mountaintop wedding. Rustic yet refined, situated just down the hill from Beaver Creeks main gondola and easy to decorate with the most stunning florals.
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The overall theme of our wedding aesthetic was “A Ralph Lauren Western, but make it a little gay”. The reception florals were the perfect subtle nod to rainbow, but not flamboyantly so. Each table was adorned with florals, candles and napkins according to the areas color scheme, and were paired with tasteful Ralph Lauren style decor accents. You really had to scan the room to see the scheme but once people did, it was so fulfilling to witness their “Aha!” moments.
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Our planners revealed the space to us privately before all of our guests came upstairs. We were shook. It wasn’t on paper or in a presentation deck anymore. It was here, it was real, and it was perfect.
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Our first dance was "Forever and For Always" by Shania Twain. My adrenaline was way too high, and I just kept trying to dip Hanna and threw any of our choreography out the window. Luckily it made for great photos.
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Having the perfect timeline of events for the reception is key. We wanted to get the party started immediately so after our first dance we went right into a little group dance party. It was the best way to keep the energy high and set the tone for the rest of the night.
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Wedding speeches are hard, emotional, and often a slow point in the evening. My (Hanna) mom decided to take a different approach and STUNNED the crowd not only with an outfit change, but also with her own unique rendition of our favorite song from our favorite movie. Instead of “You don’t own me, I’m not just one of your many toys,” a well known song from The First Wives Club, Paula changed the lyrics to, “You’re a wife now. You’re not a single girl anymore”. For two whole minutes my jaw was on the floor.
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I think there’s something to be said about a wedding with a strong theme. It allows everyone to feel a little extra special that night/weekend, perhaps a bit out of one’s comfort zone but it gives people an opportunity to be someone different for the evening. Our friends know how to party, but I’ve never seen a dance floor so packed particularly with friends and family who don’t typically “cut a rug”. We had the best time dancing with our people.
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As you can tell, we were quite gagged by Paula’s song. What an unbelievable surprise. We will be talking about this moment for the rest of our lives.
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Once again, I couldn’t stop cheering and singing along. Paula secretly worked with our band in the weeks leading up to the wedding to ensure they could play the song properly. Paula, our planners and even the imagery team all kept it a secret from us. It was one of the greatest surprises and best moments of my life.
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Rather than a standard Photo Booth, we decided a mirrorball photo moment (right off the dance floor) was absolutely necessary at the reception. Naturally we had to have our own little photo shoot.
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One final touch of rainbow was the inside of our wedding cake. But cutting a 7 layer cake was not as easy as we thought it would be. The slice wasn’t cute, but we had a lot of fun.
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I am the proud friend of some incredibly strong women. Both literally and figuratively. About halfway through the evening, my friend Jessie turned to me and said “Do you want to crowd surf!?” “Heck yes I do!!” I replied. So two of my strongest girlfriends picked me up. It didn’t last long but man, what a shot!!
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This was one of my most favorite parts of the evening. In truth, I just need to sit for a second while talking to some friends and the nearest place to do so was the bar. So I hoped up, grabbed a drink, and next thing you know, the photographers came running. It was completely unplanned, but a perfect moment. Not pictured is somewhere in the crowd Lauren saying, “Has anyone seen my wife?” To which a friend replied, “I think she’s on the bar”.
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Who needsa getaway car when you can have a getaway gondola?? Truly, what way to end the most incredible night of our lives. This gondola picture was one of the many reasons why I wanted to get married at the top of a mountain. Not only do I love this picture but it was the most euphoric feeling of my life. We just spent the evening on top of the world an to end the night in a private gondola ride with my wife? 10 out of 10 recommend.
