Gemini Event Planning, with florals by This celebration may have a rustic zip code but tucked inside is the prettiest of ballroom weddings planned by black tie celebrationRitz Carlton Bachelor Gulch. at the Rebecca YaleVail Vintage Magnolia and stunning images by . It's a wedding week filled with everything from a bridesmaids' hike to a 4th of July bbq and a knock-out
From the Photographer...Lindsay and Steve were married at the Ritz Carlton in Bachelor Gulch, CO over July 4th weekend in a 5-day celebration in the mountains. The bride's parents have had a vacation home in Bachelor Gulch for years and knew instantly that the wedding would take place in their "happy place" with other events including a welcome dinner, bridesmaids hike and July 4th BBQ all taking place in the Beaver Creek area. Each guest was welcomed to the Ritz with a personalized hiking backpack with the wedding's hashtag "Red White and Berg" printed on it and full of local goodies from the area including the bride and groom's favorite candy, red and blue sunglasses, trail maps and a program of the wedding weekend details. The weekend's events ranged from casual to cocktail, but the wedding itself, set on the skier bridge and in the Ritz's ballroom was black tie. The couple wanted to bring in an unexpected floral combination using more formal orchids with mass amounts of loose greenery to bring the outdoors in and create a romantic woodsy aesthetic. They kept their wedding invitation simple in tones of white and silver with a simple line drawing of the mountains and the bride's mother found vintage map of the area to use as the backdrop for the schedule of events which was all bound together with a piece of leather. Escort cards continued the clean white and grey aesthetic and were placed inside hand calligraphed envelopes outside the reception.
The bride wore a classic Monique Lhuillier ballgown, which she loved for the drama with the background of the mountains and paired it with delicate lace louboutin shoes and a sapphire and diamond bracelet leant to her by her uncle. Her uncle is a jewelry designer and created the couple's beautiful wedding bands, surprising her with an extra as a wedding gift. The bride also donned a seed pearl crown worn by both her mother and grandmother with her veil for the ceremony. The bride also payed homage to her mother and mother-in-law by wearing a re-worked version of her mother's dress to the welcome dinner, which was re-tooled by her mother in law, and used a left over piece of lace from the dress to wrap around the stems of her bridal bouquet. The bride and groom exchanged gifts before their first look and the groom surprised her with a locket featuring a photo from their engagement session on the bottom and then a selection of cutout images of her favorite foods and favorite people that she could sub in and out in the other opening. The bride's mother, also in a Monique Lhuillier gown, helped the bride into her dress before doing a first look with her father on the balcony overlooking the mountains. After the bride and groom's emotional first look on the property they ventured out to an overlook near the bride's parents house for a few moments alone and portraits with the incredible mountain backdrop.
The ceremony took place under a lush floral chuppah on the skier bridge next to the resort, overlooking the mountains. The bride and groom broke with tradition and elected to have a male and female usher to honor two of their dearest friends. The forecast was clear for the day, but minutes before the bride was to walk down the aisle the skies opened up and poured rain for about 2 minutes sending all the guests running back inside, but luckily it was just a quick rainstorm and everyone was able to return back outside for the ceremony. However during the ceremony the skies decided to sprinkle again and some dramatic wind made for some fun moments with the bride's veil. In Jewish tradition the groom broke a glass at the end of the ceremony, but instead of smashing it, it rolled away twice, creating a great comedic moment, which the bride and groom embraced. The bride and groom wanted to keep the mood of the ceremony light and playful like them and had their wedding party walk down the aisle to two of their favorite musicals- Hamilton and Phantom of the Opera.
Vail Vintage Magnolia transformed the ballroom with a mix of high and low centerpieces, a large chandelier installation over the head table and lush greenery hanging from the chandeliers. The couple wanted the ballroom to be unrecognizable, but also wanted guests to still be able to talk to each other over the tale so created installations at two levels to not block any conversation. The couple were welcomed onto the dance floor for their first dance to Beyonce's Crazy in Love, which set the tone for the amazing dance party that was the rest of the evening. After they cut the cake the bride changed into a tasseled short party dress to dance the night away in. The next day instead of a Sunday brunch they let guests recover at their own pace around the resort and then invited everyone over to the bride's parents house for a 4th of July BBQ complete with red white and blue candy bar and the bride and groom surprised the bride's parents with a custom "Bergs of Prey" official Beaver Creek trail sign installed outside their house as a thank you for the wonderful weekend. The weekend came to a close with a fireworks celebration back on the bridge where the couple said their I Do's.
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Photographer: Rebecca Yale Photography | Planner: Gemini Event Planning | Floral Design: Vail Vintage Magnolia | Invitations: Bella Figura | Bride's Shoes: Christian Louboutin | Makeup: Makeup Therapy | Calligrapher: The Blooming Quill | Band: Elan Artists | Venue: Ritz Carlton Bachelor Gulch | Bride's Dress: Monique Lhuillier | Lighting and Decor: Pink Monkey Solutions | Ring Box: The Mrs. Box
