(All
photographs by Brett Butterstein Photography)
Jennifer & Jason of Santa Monica, CA
Married 8/8/08 – Telluride, CO
THE DETAILS
How long to plan wedding: Proposal 11 months before, eloped immediately and actual “planning” 8 months… Although, it did not seem too hard.
Number of Guests: 60 pp
Wedding Location: Private home - Telluride
Wedding Theme: Mountain Romantic. The house is surrounded by colorful wild flowers, pine and long, tall aspen that create a “forest-like” feeling around the property. We used nature to create “areas” and some fabric to create a romantic feel.
Difficulties in planning: We chose 8/8/2008 while in Indonesia because it contained such auspicious numbers, in numerology adding back up to 8. Also, the number 8, put on its side is infinity… But after we set the date, we found out that the first week of August was notorious for bad weather in Telluride… RAIN! We had already decided on an outdoor wedding, so we just got more tents, a Plan B, and moved forward.
Biggest planning challenge: There are so many things that make Telluride special. From its awesome skiing/boarding in the winter, environmentally minded community and its gorgeous wildflower season in the summer. However, it is not the easiest place to get to. Planning an out-of-town wedding with 100% of our guests coming from somewhere else and 80% of them had never been to Telluride, was definitely a challenge. We solved that problem by making a very comprehensive website that covered accommodation ideas, airport information, driving directions, 10-day weather forecast link as well as fun stuff like our pictures from Indonesia where we decided to tie the knot.
The Wedding Attire: Bride wore a very simple dress by Carmela Sutera with a cathedral length veil with feathers made by a designer in Los Angeles. Groom wore organic fabric/dye trousers made in Ubud, Bali and Gucci dress shirt… No jacket, no tie… We told all our guests to wear what made them comfortable. If you wanted to wear stilettos and a mini, go ahead… If you wanted to wear a Hawaiian shirt with shorts and flip-flops, go ahead…
Groom’s mom wore a sundress with wedges and his dad wore jeans and a shirt that matched the grooms. Bride’s mom wore a knit skirt suit and her dad wore a suit. There were no rules on attire. I did not want a bridal or groomsman party. We wanted our nearest and dearest to be guests not minions.
The Décor: Our colors were copper and green. We wanted the colors to be a reflection of our surroundings… Nature. Our table toppers were copper with flowers and vine embroidering and instead of flower arrangements; we used glass candleholders, candles, moss and branches from the area with handmade butterflies attached to them.
The Flowers: We were so excited to plan a celebration of the union between two lives and two families. We were also celebrating our future together. Thinking about the future also entails thinking about the impact we have on the Earth. It was important to us to have a wedding that represents our sentiments on life. So, we have committed ourselves to having an eco-friendly wedding. A girl loves her flowers, but we love clean air more so we have opted for 95% of our flowers to be planted or potted. The only cut flowers were for the bouquets and boutonnieres. We chose orchids in different sizes and colors to make them pop. My bouquet also had some feathers in it!
The Menu: We wanted the food to be eclectic and delicious. We had two main food stations. One had Asian-Fusion like Seared Tuna, sushi rolls, Soba and Edamame Salad and Lemon-Grass Prawns. The other was Mountain BBQ. Elk and Chicken Fajitas and Buffalo Bratwurst.
The Favors: We opted for no gifts on both sides. Our guests’ presence was our present. We wanted to throw a great party and everyone enjoy.
The Cake: We used Telluride Truffle Company and they made us the most amazing cake! Non-traditional but we chose moist chocolate cake with Chambord and Rum Truffle Sauce layers and fresh raspberries. The outside was a mix of dark and white chocolate to create a wood-grained look. They also made chocolate aspen leaves that cascaded down the side. It was pure heaven!
SPECIAL TOUCHES
I used my mom’s necklace she wore when she was Miss Korea as my “old” in my bouquet. Jason wore a tiger jaw medallion he received from a shaman from Bali.
Instead of a Rehearsal Dinner on Thursday, we had a small Korean Ceremony. Pye-beck (pronounced “peh-beck”) is part of several customs in a traditional Korean Wedding. As a way paying homage to my Korean heritage, we opted for an abridged version that captured the spirit and honor of this age-old ritual. Because our wedding was on a Friday, we had a full carnage BBQ on Saturday where we ate, laughed, recapped and for many, said good-bye.
Best Thing about the Day:
Looking around and seeing everyone I love there having a good time!
Memorable Moments: Instead of having an officiant, we asked Jason’s father to preside over the ceremony. He invited our friends to say a few words or sing a song. Then my younger brother read a letter my mom had prepared for us and Jason’s father gave us some loving advice for the future. Finally, we exchanged the vows we wrote for each other. The whole ceremony was so heart-filled and genuine; there was not a dry eye anywhere.
What went Wrong: Many details did not go according to plan. The weather was unpredictable; I was told to expect rain all weekend. I woke up Thursday morning, before Pye-Beck (Korean Tea Ceremony), not feeling well, which did not let up until I got back to Santa Monica. Two weeks before the ceremony, the florist said the flowers we ordered were not coming, the day before, the order came in completely wrong and the day of, some flowers were missing. The candles for the centerpieces had gone missing along with our friends’ luggage. The Lee’s, who are notoriously late and the Talbert’s who are chronically punctual, were working together to actualize a wedding between their children. However, the sun decided to peek out right before the ceremony, the candles showed up 40 minutes before show time and in the end, it did not matter because the most important aspect of the ceremony was realized… The love we all share for each other.
Our Advice
Visualize what you want, make a budget, and sick to both. Weddings can get out of control if you let it. Remember a wedding is only one day. It does not define your marriage. It is the moments after that day that will make a life together.
Honeymoon Location: We did a pre-honeymoon to relax in Mexico. Isla Mujeres and Cancun. Honeymoon to happen our whole lives!
RECOMMENDED WEDDING PROS The first thing I noticed was how gentle he was. Wedding day is bustling with excitement, nervousness, and anticipation. Jason and I are both pretty independent spirits and protective of our space. He introduced himself with a smile, eased into our space and almost disappeared. Brett emailed us a slideshow right away and the negatives soon after. He was so professional during the event and his pictures came out amazing. When you go through the pictures, they tell a genuine story. The pictures are beautiful and real, not contrived Poses. The colors are so vibrant and alive... He has a true talent for capturing the person's essence, even though he may not know them. Tent & Party Rentals: Viking Rentals. They are the only ones in Telluride but they were amazing! Cat is my girl! Florist: Siempre Flores. There was some mix up in the order; most of it was not their fault. The few cut flowers we had were gorgeous! Guest Lodging: Mountain Lodge at Telluride. Gave great group rates! Took care of everyone! Invitations: Green Field Paper Company from San Diego. The invitations were gorgeous! The invitation were 100% compostable printed with eco-friendly soy ink. A product that is "compostable" is one that can be placed into a composition of decaying biodegradable materials, and eventually turns into a nutrient-rich material. The paper does not come from trees, rather other renewable sources. Not only compostable but they had wildflower seeds embedded within the paper so that after you have used the invitation, you may plant it in soil and watch the wildflowers grow! Wildflowers are world-renown in Telluride in the summer and our hope was that our guests could have a little keepsake growing when they were home. Cake: Telluride Truffle. Delicious and professional!
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