(All photographs by IlluminArts Photography)
Christina & Walker
Married October 6, 2007
Durango, Colorado
Our 160 guests boarded the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge train at the depot on Main Avenue and enjoyed time with friends and family as they journeyed alongside the river and cliff bands to our ceremony site nestled at the base of the La Plata Mountains. We had such a great weekend and it seemed we laughed the entire time.
SPECIAL TOUCHES
Walker’s mother gave me a locket the night before the wedding to place a photo of my mom, who had passed away 3 years ago. I carried it wrapped around my bouquet, close to my heart.
My bridesmaids selected a black dress of their choice; they each wore a different Tiffany’s pendant, a gift I selected specifically to match each girl’s style and personality.
The groomsmen wore a black suit of their choice accessorized with Hugo Boss ties, a gift from Walker.
We wrote our own vows and incorporated a Navajo tradition into the ceremony (drinking from a double spouted vase & eating cornmeal together) to honor Walker’s Grandmother who grew up on the Navajo Reservation in Newcomb, NM.
Our favorite weekend pastime is to camp out and drink a glass of wine by the fire. We designed labels with a photo of us at our favorite camp spot & bottled our own “Campfire Cabernet” for guests to take home.
Gift bags were given to out-of-town guests complete with a guide to Durango, Honeyville honey, Rocky Mountain Chocolate, and Biota water, bottled in Ouray.
Our Signature cocktail was pomogranite mojitos.
We displayed photographs honoring our grandparents on their wedding day. I also displayed a wedding day picture of my mom.
Each guest was given a small box at their place setting containing a small blue ceramic scarab that my father and I collected on a trip to Egypt. Recorded as long ago as 3,000 B.C., this small magical object was believed imbued with particular protective powers that warded off evil and provided good things for the owner of this life & for the next. I fashioned them as little magnets to wish our guests only the best!
One of my bridesmaids and her boyfriend made paper roses and wine cork names cards.
We served our favorite cake, Carrot cake, accented with chocolate truffles for those needing a chocolate fix.
For our guestbook we had our friends take Polaroid pictures of all the guests while they rode up on the train, then each guest had time on the train or at the reception to write us a special note by their picture. That is something I will always treasure!
Memorable Moment
The best and most wonderful thing about the day was to look around and see all these fabulous friends and family from all phases in our lives together in one place. It is a fantastic feeling and we both felt so loved.
What would we do Different
Not a thing! We had such a great weekend and it seemed we laughed the entire time with all our friends. I was fortunate enough to have most of the week before the wedding off work, so I was able to relax, organize final details and share time before the wedding with those who traveled from far away. The only intense part was the weather – it may have gone on record as the coldest day in October - but at least it gave everyone something to remember.
Our Advice
Make lists and start early. Visualize how you want the day to flow and write down all the details needed to make it happen…then be flexible.
Weddings can be stressful, but ours was something I fully enjoyed planning, and it brought me closer to my incredible bridesmaids and fabulous new mother-in-law. Also, look at your style as a couple and reflect it. We took time to put together details for our much-appreciated guests. You don’t need to spend a lot to do so, and I think the little touches made the event special for everyone.
Lastly, no matter what is going on, step back and take in this time in your life. The meaning can get lost easily, so have fun with it and realize that when something isn’t going exactly as planned, it’s much less stressful to roll with it than to get worked up about a detail that will seem insignificant in hindsight.
Honeymoon Locale: A two week holiday road-trip all over California, including everything from camping out under the desert skies of Joshua Tree to Christmas in a lodge at Yosemite. We’ll do a grand finale in April when we’ll celebrate my best friend’s wedding in Hawaii.
RECOMMENDED WEDDING PROS Photographer: IlluminArts Photography. Two thumbs up and a high five! Drew is an amazing photographer! Caterer: Alison Dance from Cyprus Café. We had an outstanding buffet of all our favorites! DJ: Twelfth Night DJ. Rolando went above and beyond to help make it a special day. Florist: Schluter Floral for boutonnieres and corsages. |
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All photographs by IlluminArts
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