I just love how my career has allowed me to experience many different cultures and celebrations. I had photographed a few Indian weddings before, but never had I had the privilege of covering one of the Singh faith. It’s amazing how different religions have similar elements and then again how different they can also be. Sahiba & Yash had to also downsize their event due to Covid, so they planned a weekday wedding at their temple with a beautiful garden brunch at the Denver Botanic Gardens. It was simple and elegant. Since a lot of their overseas friends and family could not attend we also did a video with a full download of their ceremony the next day so that they could do a viewing party with everyone. Enjoy this intimate Colorado wedding!
Vendors who made this day possible:
Ceremony Site – Colorado Singh Sabha
Reception Venue – Denver Botanic Gardens
Florist & Calligraphy – Paper in Blume
Caterer- Serendipity Catering
Photography & Video – Crystaline Photography & Video
I would call 2020 the year of the elopement… so many couples that wanted to have a big wedding, but couldn’t due to the pandemic decided to get married anyways because love doesn’t’ stop even for a virus. Bob & Donna were one such couple when we chatted about their wedding plans they told me how they couldn’t host a large event in their home state so they had decided on eloping at a vineyard in California. Then due to the horrible wildfires in California they decided to move their location to Colorado. At the time we were looking at going more up into the mountains here to give them that quintessential Colorado mountain look, but then the wildfires here took off as well! Ugh! I worked with them to find a spot close to their hotel in Boulder that wasn’t in any fire danger and the rest we say is history. The couple brought their motorcycle out here with them so that they could also do some amazing day trips up in the mountains while they enjoyed their honeymoon.
Getting ready at the historic Hotel Bolderado makes for some amazing photos… and guess what? They got an upgrade form the hotel to the bridal suite when they told them they were here for an elopement plus some extra help with planning from the hotel’s concierge service. Amazing! I love it when companies go above and beyond for their clients. We took some awesome photos in this grand hotel and with their motorcycle out in front of the hotel before I shuttled them up to Chautauqua Park and then on to Lost Gulch to share their vows to each other on a mountain top!
I loved getting to spend the afternoon with such a great couple that just wanted to make it official in an amazing location! Elopements are something that we offer special rates for when booked 1-2 months out and on a date we still have open on our calendar. Typically, they are just the couple and/or just a very limited number of guests like 10-20. If you are wanting to tie the knot without all the fuss give us a call and I can even give some suggestions on places that work well for this scenario!
Hotel Accommodations & Meal After the Ceremony : Hotel Bolderado
Baker: Das Meyer
Photo Sites: Chautauqua Park & Lost Gulch
Photography: Crystaline Photography & Video
Another summer event that was effected by the Covid Pandemic…. Taryne and Fred had to downsize their event to just 50 of their closest friends and family to celebrate their nuptials this past August. And while it wasn’t as large as previously planned it was still quite the party! One of the unique things about this couple was that they are starting their lives together at the end of their working careers. Fred just recently retired and I believe Taryne is or will be retiring soon. From all the speeches given that night it sounds like they are the perfect match for each other and will be enjoying lots of travel and adventures together in the years to come. It was a pleasure capturing the love and commitment that they both have for each other. Enjoy the highlight video and some of my favorite photos below.
Vendors who made this day possible:
Venue & Caterer: Wedgewood at Brittany Hill
Officiant: Amazing Weddings & Ceremonies
Disc Jockey: Digital DJ
Photography & Video : Crystaline Photography and Video
Will they or won’t they was the theme for this wedding…. Not because the bride had cold feet, but due to that pesky Corona Virus. Katie & Ben were supposed to tie the knot back in May during the heart of the pandemic lock down and so they postponed until December and then a date opened up in July and everything was moved up again! I don’t blame them for wanting to still host a Summer event especially when they picked such an amazing venue with a gorgeous outside view! We’ve been so lucky that we were able to accommodate every couple’s wishes this year… the year of all years! It did end up being a perfect day. The weather was amazing all the important people made it! We’re so happy to be able to be a part of your amazing day. Enjoy some of my favorite photographs from the day below!
Vendors Who Made This Day Possible:
Venue: Willow Ridge Manor
Caterer – Occasions Catering
Disc Jockey: Digital DJ
Photography & Video: Crystaline Photography & Video
My first wedding in July was a great one and a long one! My photography services covered twelve hours! Starting at the couple’s home to document the getting ready process of the bride, then the catholic ceremony at Queen of Peace Church in Aurora. Followed up by formal photos at the church and at Red Rocks Amphitheater in Morrison, Colorado. Ending with more portraits and reception coverage at Willow Ridge Manor. Even though it was a long day it was an amazing day with really great people that were just a joy to work with which always makes my job easier and puts me in a creative state of mind! John and Elena also were dealing with pandemic concerns as are all of our 2020 couples. Their large event condensed down to just 100 guests that all had to social distance during the ceremony and reception. But even with all of that they still had an amazing event filled with love and joy! It was great getting to photograph a wedding at Queen of Peace after it being quite a few years since I covered my first event there. One of the very first weddings I ever photographed after I started my business was at this location and made me reflect on how much I have seen and how much my skills have grown over the twenty years of being in business. It’s truly humbling to still be doing this career after so much time. Check out some of my favorite images from this event below.
Vendors who made this day possible:
Ceremony Site – Queen of Peace Catholic Church
Reception Venue – Willow Ridge Manor
Caterer – Occasions Catering
Disc Jockey – Digital DJ
Photographer – Crystaline Photography & Video
Enjoy Fred & Taryne’s wedding ceremony at Wedgewood’s Brittany Hill.
Here is the full wedding ceremony from Nicholas & Maria’s happy day in July! Enjoy!
Weddings are finally beginning to happen this Summer! Yeah! This was the one and only event we were able to cover in June. I knew it was going to happen no matter what because Dawn and Jerimy had plans to move the week after the event. Luckily, most of their friends and family are here in Colorado! It ended up being a really lovely day with about 50 or so guests and lots of love! The couple chose Crystal Rose on lookout mountain. I have found this venue to be one of the more affordable venues near Denver, but just a little ways up into the moutains. It has both an off in the distance city view and mountain landscapes and most of their packages include a lot of things like catering, tables and chairs as well as a DJ. Check out some of my favorite photos from this awesome event below!
An overcast day can be awesome for photography as long as to doesn’t rain! It’s a bit cooler for guests and keeps faces from getting really bad shadows on them. So we lucked out all the way around with Dawn & Jerimy’s event! What an amazing day!
Vendors who made this day possible:
Venue, Caterer & DJ – Crystal Rose
Photographer: Crystaline Photography & Video
This couple wanted to have a wedding that was not like anything anyone else they knew had done! So they planned a destination wedding in the mountains of Colorado from their home in Tennessee. Friends and family that were willing to make the journey were treated to a beautiful morning event complete with brunch after their short outdoor ceremony. The plan was to make it a wonderful ski weekend! So as soon as the ceremony was over they headed for the slopes in Keystone for evening skiing. Destination weddings are becoming a huge draw here in Colorado for those looking for amazing views and something different. It takes a lot of trust on the part of the couple to book vendors strictly off their websites and skype meetings! Luckily, Colorado has a lot of amazing vendors willing to put their best effort forward to satisfy their clients.
Planning a Winter event is also not without it’s difficulties…. we booked a room for the night before the event in Silverthorne because Winter conditions can often shut down the roads in and out of these ski mountain towns. It’s highly recommended that couples do a back-up plan for a Winter event or for all of their guests to arrive early by even a day or two to alleviate any of these headaches. This day was also one of the coldest days so far this Winter! I was worried about my camera not working under such conditions and so was Mike, my husband and DJ for their event. He was worried about his gear seizing up due to the temperatures. Luckily, the ceremony was short that we didn’t run into many difficulties. Our batteries drained quicker, but luckily we come prepared with a lot of extra back-ups!
This truly was a beautiful wedding with unique touches from the couple! My favorite part was their “Grand Exit” They opted to change into their retro looking ski gear and run through smoke bombs! While it made for really cool photos, hindsight I think we should’ve spread out the guests more on a path or in a field rather than on the bridge. Guests were a little too close and the smoke so thick that it was not only hard to see the couple through it, but also a bit hard for guests to breathe. Since this was a first for me… it will just be something to consider when planning more smoke bomb photos!
Vendors who made this day possible:
Venue: Silverthorne Pavilion
Hair & Make-Up: Rollers & Rouge
Caterer: A Perfect Bite
Donuts: LaMAr’s Donuts
Disc Jockey: Digital DJ
Photography: Crystaline Photography & Video
It’s not often that a photographer gets to photograph a family member’s wedding (unless of course they have a huge family!). I was honored with the privilege of being able to capture my brother’s intimate backyard wedding to his sweetheart, Heather this past September. With a strict budget and a can do attitude they were able to put together a beautiful backyard BBQ at Heather’s parent’s home in Evans, Colorado. It was the perfect day with the perfect weather! Heather even included a bouncy castle to keep the many children in attendance entertained all day! I didn’t see much of my two boys because they were playing with their cousins all day! They also lucked out to have a sister and brother-in-law in the wedding industry that made sure their photo, video and DJ needs were met. My brother and his groomsmen also smoked all of the meat for this affair while other family members helped with side dishes. It was truly a community effort to send these two off on their life together.
It again just goes to show you that a wedding can be anything you want it to be. While I love beautiful ballrooms or majestic mountains as well, sometimes a simple event with family and close friends can be just as rewarding as an elaborate party.
Here are some tips for the “Do It Yourself” wedding planners:
1.) First set a budget and list items needed in the order of most importance to you. And plan on spending more for the things that are most important to you.
2.) If you are doing an event at a private home take into consideration add-on items needed to host an event that would otherwise be provided by a wedding venue such as: tents, tables, chairs, porta potties, serving items such as chaffing pans, etc. Sometimes these items can add-up quite quickly and it’s almost just as expensive to host your event at a venue that provides all of it. If you have ample resources and can keep under budget with an event on private property by all means take the leap!
3.) Consider how much of it you want to do yourself and how much help you will need from friends and family. Sometimes it’s less of a hassle to hire a caterer unless you have a lot of family members who want to help. Don’t just assume that people will just pitch in. It makes sense to sit down and chat with everyone involved to hand out duties and figure out what areas people are willing to help with. You want to avoid resentment from those who end up having to pick up the slack in areas that weren’t covered by coming up with a list of needs early on.
4.) And have fun! Make sure to give yourself a lot of time to plan and put together all of your DIY items. Weddings can be stressful, but they don’t have to be. Most weddings are planned out a year or more in advance to allow a lot of time to get things just right and also spread out the expenses. But if you are itching to get hitched you also may be able to find a lot of savings out there for hosting events at venues with dates still available 1-2 months out from the big day. If you go that route be prepared to make quick decisions on everything from the dress down to the flowers.
Congrats again Heather & Cad! Here’s to a Happy and Successful Marriage!
Vendors who Made this Day Possible:
Disc Jockey: Digital DJ
Photography & Video: Crystaline Photography and Video