Christa & Greg
Married July 27, 2003
Ouray, Colorado
“The wedding was so much fun, we had a blast!” exclaimed Christa.
Since almost all of their 100 guests had to travel to Colorado, Christa & Greg decided to have a Destination Wedding. Says Christa, "They all had to travel here anyway, so we choose a unique mountain location that was special to us."
The Location
Ouray, Colorado. Founded in 1876 by prospectors looking for
gold and silver in the surrounding mountain, the entire town of
Ouray is listed on the National Register of Historic Districts.
Today Ouray looks like it did 100 years ago with many of the original
buildings still standing. Says Christa, "We wanted to
share this special place with our friends and family."
It worked out wonderful as most guests turned the wedding into a 1-2 week vacation. Some arrived the week prior while others stayed the week following. Many of their guests set-up camp and explored the surrounding San Juan Mountains. "With endless trails leading to ghost towns and mining relics combined with the areas beautiful scenery, our friends and family loved our decision to marry in Ouray!" stated Christa.
Theme
A mountain theme wedding rich in history.
Timeframe
Christa planned the entire wedding in under 4 months.
An amazing feat since she had first planned the wedding in an entirely
different location!
Rehearsal Dinner
Bachelor-Syracuse Mine, Ouray. Everyone suited up in a
yellow rain suit and hard hat, climbed into the mine train and rode
3500 feet into the 100 year old mine. After the tour a catered BBQ
dinner was served.
The Ceremony
St. Johns Episcopal Church. The church is 100 years
old with thick stone walls and ornate stained glass. "The
church set the tone for our wedding .. just imagine the memories
held in this church," exclaimed Christa.
The Reception
Ouray Community Center
The Flowers
Christa choose lots of roses in off-white, white and light lavender.
Throughout each bouquet, corsage, and boutonniere were blue spruce
boughs and aspen branches. The centerpieces had the same color roses
with more mountain greenery, and each arrangement held 3 tapered
candles.
The Favors
Continuing with the mountain theme, Christa choose Blue Spruce seedlings.
The Food
Dinner was Prime Rib with potatoes, bread and
a salad. Says Christa, "We were fortunate to find a talented
chef that was truly passionate about food."
The Cake
Christa choose chocolate for the wedding cake while Greg
choose a vanilla nut grooms cake with strawberry crème cheese
filling. However, Greg was worried that in the hustle and bustle
of the reception, he would not get a bite of his own cake, so after
much deliberation, it was decided that the wedding cake would be
'his' cake, while Christa did her chocolate for the groom's cake.
Christa laughed when she re-told the story, "It was the only
decision that he had to make, but he is very passionate about food,
so it turned out to be a harder decision than I originally thought!"
Special
Touches
Christa’s dad, a pastor, performed most of the ceremony,
Father Bruce Laird of St. John's performed the rest. "It was
such a heartfelt ceremony, I tied together the Protestant and Episcopalian
versions of a wedding, and it turned out to be very meaningful.
It also caught the attention of the guests, as it wasn't the same
vows everyone usually hears" says Christa.
A special floral arrangement was created in memory of Greg's mother who passed away in 1999. The dedication arrangement was placed at the front of the church. "We kept an empty seat for her, and Greg, his brother, and I all placed roses on it when we came down the aisle. We felt that she was there watching, and it was a meaningful way to honor her and the part that she played in our lives."
Christa & Greg choose music for the ceremony
that had special meaning to their relationship. As Christa explained,
"We choose music that spoke to us, none of it was traditional
wedding music. There was George Winston, Enya, and Snuffy Walden.
There was one beautiful instrumental song that was a favorite of
ours. One day when we were listening to it, Greg said that he could
see our whole lives played out in the picture this song painted.
The passing of time, the stages of our lives, and us growing old
together. So we made that song a focal point of the ceremony, and
I walked down the aisle to it." The song's title is "Golden
Meadows" by Kevin Woo.
Fun stuff
Christa created a game to keep everyone entertained while they were
taking photos. She designed questions based upon love stories thru
history and in the movies. The questions were placed
in the centerpiece arrangements. The winner was the first
to go through the buffet. Says Christa, "I thought it
was going to be corny but as it turned out, it really kept the guests
entertained and everyone applauded the winner as he went through
the buffet line."
Each member of the wedding party received a special introduction at the reception, and they pranced into the festivities to the Austin Powers theme song.
What went wrong
The day before the wedding the couples vehicle broke
down on Imogene Pass, one of the area’s popular 4-wheel drive
trails. The vehicle was irreparable, leaving the couple without
transportation to their honeymoon destination. Fortunately, a friend
drove a red-eye all night to deliver another vehicle to the couple,
and he roared into the church's parking lot moments before Christa
walked down the aisle.
Some of the candles in the table centerpiece arrangements caught on fire. "It made for a good laugh and the guests were quick to extinguish the flames", added Christa.
What
would you do different?
Says Christa, "I made the mistake of making all the favors
myself to save money. It was so time consuming I would have much
rather paid someone!"
Advice
"It’s not as hard as everyone makes it out to be, says
Christa. "Get a wedding organizer, follow the checklists and
just relax."
Christa recommends the Easy Wedding Planner.
Honeymoon Location: Blue Lake
Ranch, Durango, Colorado
Exclaimed Christa, "We had a fabulous honeymoon, Greg surprised
me with an upgraded private cottage that was just romantic!"
RECOMMENDED WEDDING PROS Venue: Ouray Community Center Videographer: Foxhaven
Video, Grand Junction |
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