Kiersten + Weston | Vail Wedding Photographer | Colorado Mountain Wedding

I have known Kiersten and her family for years. Her sister is a friend, and fellow Colorado photographer. Kiersten even does some photography too! I was so honored to be her and Weston’s Vail wedding photographer last summer. They held their wedding ceremony at the “wedding island” as it’s referred to, at Vail Golf Club. This was my second wedding at the wedding island, and I hope not my last 🙂 It’s such a great location! Stunning mountain views, the small lake and bridge, and mature trees provide a lot of variety for your Vail wedding portraits. They must have got a lot of moisture there too last year, because everything was so vibrant and lush.

Some of my favorite parts of Kiersten and Weston’s wedding day included Kiersten’s whole gorgeous bridal look! Also, the ring bearers driving down the aisle in a power wheel. Incorporating their sweet fur baby into their day, and also feeding each other yummy ice cream, in place of cake. The dance floor was also a complete blast, and their wedding toasts (or maybe even wedding roast in one case) were totally hilarious! So stinking sweet when Kiersten’s niece and nephew made surprise toasts to their auntie and new uncle <3 Everyone’s hearts melted!

My least favorite part of the day was the rain. It had everyone very nervous…especially Kiersten! The outdoor ceremony with mountains in the background was an absolute must. It was literally raining cats and dogs all morning. We were stressing! Fortunately, mother nature played nice and things cleared up in time for the ceremony, and held off through all of our outdoor wedding portraits. Phew! The rest of the day went on without a hitch. And what an amazing day it was!

Haha…these two were hilarious! The cutest ring security I ever did see 🙂

This is one of my favorites from this memorable day as their Vail wedding photographer!

Kiersten and Weston were kind enough to fill out my post-wedding questionnaire. I hope these answers provide a little assistance for any couples planning their own big day 🙂

What was your most anticipated part of the day? 
Kiersten: My most anticipated part of our big day was walking down the aisle and seeing not only my soon to be husband, but all the people we cherish the most there to celebrate with us.
Weston: Seeing Kiersten walk down the aisle.

Did anything unexpected happen? What was the outcome?
Kiersten: They say when it rains it pours! And that it did! Throughout most of the morning it rained so hard that my sister asked me if it was snowing at one point! Also, our nephews were supposed to drive a little battery-powered car down the aisle to the song “Bad Boys”. Keep in mind they were both 5 years old at the time. Let’s just say, they decided to take a detour and needed a little help getting back on course from family and friends! The outcome of it all? The rain stopped right before I walked down the aisle and we all had a big laugh when the boys decided to take the car for a joy ride instead of sticking to the plan!
Weston: The rain was very unexpected.

What ended up being your favorite part of the day?

Kiersten: My favorite part of the day… that is so hard but if I have to choose, my favorite unplanned moment was when our dog (who was in the wedding) was supposed to be getting taken back to the hotel got out of his leash. He was at the top of a hill in the cul de sac with family and as they were trying to get him in the van he wriggled loose. He then proceeded to ignore anyone calling his name and ran as fast as he could back down the hill and onto the Wedding Island to be with us while we took our wedding photos! I’m pretty sure our hearts exploded! My favorite planned moment was hearing Weston’s vows for the first time. It was a really special moment with a lot of emotion.
Weston: Seeing Kiersten walk down the aisle was quite special, but also seeing all our friends and family have fun together.

What advice would you give to future couples for their wedding?

Kiersten: Just roll with it on your big day! It all becomes a part of your story and the way this chapter always ends (no matter what happened along the way) is with two people in love and so many unwritten pages ahead of you.
Weston: Be ready to adapt to some changes from the ideal, original plan and you’ll be in good shape.

Were you nervous? How did you squash the nerves?
Kiersten: I was not very nervous! We had a two year engagement so I was ready to tie the knot!
Weston: I wasn’t very nervous either. I was more stressed because of the rain! Talking to my groomsmen and just having fun helped me relax.

What was the biggest surprise on your wedding day?
Kiersten: My 5 year old nephew and 7 year old niece surprised us with a speech at our reception! It was so cute and thoughtful! Weston: How fast the day went!

What inspired your wedding decor? Did you have a theme in mind?
I of course used Pinterest to help me sort out ideas! My theme was mountain simplicity. I wanted it to look rustic and effortless and let the mountain atmosphere speak for itself.

Tell me about some of your favorite wedding details and how you came up with them!

One of our favorite wedding details was the ice cream bar! We both are not ones to drool over cake, but if you give us ice cream it better be in a tub! We thought this would add a unique touch and Magill’s made it possible!

How did you feel at the end of the day? 
Kiersten: At the end of the day I could not believe it was over. You anticipate that day for so long and then it is over in the blink of an eye. I felt so much love and happiness at the end of it all.
Weston: It was such a whirlwind of a day that we were exhausted, but filled with joy.

What are you most looking forward to as a married couple?
Kiersten: I am really looking forward to us expanding our family and seeing where life takes us!
Weston: I can’t wait to have two to three times as many children as Kiersten is planning on. (That part made me smile Weston lol!)

What did you like most about working with Plum Pretty Photography?
Melissa and her second shooter were absolutely amazing. They made us comfortable throughout the whole process and went above and beyond when they did not have to. We were going to have to call an Uber to get to our reception site because our scheduled transportation had taken the guests and we stayed back to take photos on the island. Without hesitation, Melissa and her second shooter coordinated to personally drive us to the Donovan Pavilion. We can’t thank them enough for not only taking the BEST photos, but for exceeding our expectations in every way! (Ahhh…you guys are so sweet. Sincerely, thank you!)

Why did you pick the venues that you chose?

We wanted a venue that spoke to the beauty of the mountains. I feel like getting married at the Wedding Island with the mountains in the background made that dream a reality. The Donovan Pavilion was also so rustic and beautiful. Their coordinator was so easy to work with and she made our decision effortless. Weston’s parents also got married in Vail over 40 years ago so that was so special!

Which part of your wedding did you want to WOW your guests?
The ceremony. We really added a lot of personal touches with writing our own vows, having our dog be a groomsman and having our nephews drive down the aisle. We wanted it to be fun and for people to know right away whose wedding they were at!

What was the biggest challenge you faced in planning your wedding?
Our initial venue fell through so that was hard. Since we had it booked for a year we went into panic mode. We drove hundreds of miles throughout the mountains looking at different venue options. We could not be happier with the ones we chose though!

Did you go on a honeymoon? If so, tell me about it!

The plan was to go on a honeymoon the summer after our wedding. Due to the coronavirus we will be having a staycation. Our dog could not be happier!

Thank you so much Kiersten and Weston! I had the best time working with you guys, and all your loved ones. Wishing you a lifetime of wedded bliss and joy 🙂 Sorry that your honeymoon isn’t happening as planned…I totally feel for you! We are 95% sure we will have to reschedule our 10-year-anniversary Greece trip this July. I am so bummed, I have been dreaming about this for years!

To see even more Vail Golf Club gorgeousness, check out Brittney and Cory’s summer wedding portraits HERE!

 

 

 

 

Kiersten & Weston’s wedding day dream team:
Photographer: Plum Pretty Photography
Ceremony venue: Vail Golf Club
Reception venue: Donovan Pavilion
Caterer: Gourmet Cowboy
DJ: DJ Connection
Hair & make-up: Racquel Chacon
Officiant: Buck Allen