Cedaredge Colorado Weddings - Western Colorado Wedding Guide

(All photographs by Photography by Julie )

Jeanee & Kyle of Arizona
Married June 9, 2007
Cedaredge, Colorado

Kyle’s family is in Montana, my family is in Texas and we live in Arizona, so a destination wedding was a great solution. We knew we wanted to get married outdoors somewhere beautiful and so when my Aunt offered her home to us in Cedaredge, Colorado - it just worked out perfect!

THE DETAILS
How long to plan the wedding: 6 months.
Number of guests: 56.
Budget: $6,000
Venue: Family home in Cedaredge.

The Theme/Decor
We had an outdoor dusk wedding. We used apple green (using the theme of the surrounding community’s orchards) khaki, white and black as our colors which set nicely against Mother Nature. The reception was under a white tent lit with white paper lanterns. I was determined not to have a plastic white arch or a bunch of white tulle and bows in my wedding. We used as much of the natural décor as possible and played on the greenery and colors.

The Flowers
For the ceremony white lilies and apple tree branches in aluminum sap buckets sat at the end of each row. At the sign in table a giant vase filled with green apples, apple blossoms and curly willow branches. Reception centerpieces were green orchids and curly willow. The bridal party carried bouquets wrapped in my late grandmother’s handkerchiefs and brooches, they consisted of mini green hydrangea, stock, green hypericum berries, and mini green mums, bells of Ireland and stephanotis. The men wore stephanotis and hypericum berries. All floral arrangements and bouquets were designed and created by my florist aunt, Gaye Klump of Cedaredge. My flowers were one of my favorite things!!!

The Food
Continuing with the outdoor theme, dinner consisted of delicious BBQ chicken, beef, cowboy beans, coleslaw, potato salad and dinner rolls. The almond and raspberry cake was simple, beautiful and tasted out of this world. The groom’s cake was carrot cake (his favorite) and decorated like a referee jersey.

Difficulties in planning a Destination Wedding
Because of our schedules, we really had to do everything by phone and internet. I was only able to visit once over Spring Break when everything was snow-covered and difficult to visualize, so it was a leap of faith. My aunt who lives in Colorado really was a tremendous help coordinating with vendors and sampling caterers for us. We took the leap and everything turned out dreamy.

Biggest Planning Challenge
The distance and transporting everything for the wedding from AZ to CO. My father and brother-in-law built a rustic looking arch for the wedding and brought it from Montana.

Special Touches
We wrote the entire ceremony which was officiated over by my cousin.
Our nephew delivered a special reading “Falling in Love is like owning a dog” while holding our beloved miniature daschund Demie.
I made personalized water bottles and coloring books for the kids.
Our bouquets honored my grandmother.
We toasted the evening with apple martinis (continuing with the apple theme).
Sign-in was a wish tree.
Table cameras with scavenger hunts.

The Favors
Yummy scented miniature apple candles and green boxes of chocolate kisses. Buckets for the children filled with goodies and coloring books. Brown paper out-of-town bags with apples sponged on them awaited guests at their hotels.

Best thing about the Day
Everything! Everyone was so pleased with the relaxed ambience. It was really a family affair where everyone felt very comfortable and relaxed. I loved my flowers and my bridesmaids were absolutely beautiful.

What Went Wrong
While we were sitting up the wind was blowing and broke several vases, centerpieces. Luckily the wind subsided and the evening wedding went on without a hitch.

What would you do Different
I would have planned the flow of the reception better and maybe hired a DJ. We had a blast putting together our wedding music selection for our pod but a Master of Ceremonies would have helped. We were enjoying our company so much we forgot to toss the bouquet & garter!

The Rehearsal Dinner
All the out of town guests agree the Rehearsal get together was a big hit. We all had the best time and enjoyed a great meal including homemade goodies provided by the groom’s mother. We had an outdoor campfire and everyone enjoyed sitting around and reminiscing while eating a scrumptious array of cool salads, cold cuts, chips and dips, and the groom’s favorite homemade baked goods from his mom.

The Bridal Shower
The bridal shower was hosted by the bride’s mother’s friends. The theme was French luncheon (I teach French). Several different quiches, oh la la salad, a chocolate fruit fountain, lemon cello cocktails, cream puffs, chocolate Eiffel towers, and Tami Coe raspberry cake and sunny spring lemonade. Family, friends and colleagues attended the spring shower.

Our Advice
1. Internet, Internet, Internet. Research before you buy. I found many templates and DIY projects that saved me tons of money and made the wedding more personalized.
2. Having the wedding in a smaller community and using smaller businesses also saved money and added more personable attention. All the vendors I worked with were so pleasant and more than willing to go the extra mile to make my wedding day turn out to be the special day it was.
3. Don’t sweat the small stuff, because when the hour finally arrives nothing else matters.

HONEYMOON LOCATION
Paris, Provence and the French Riviera.

VENDORS INVOLVED
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