When my husband and I got engaged in June we knew we did not want to wait for a warm New England summer to roll around again before we got married. We love nature and we loved the ideas of making the outdoors part of our day. The immediate thought was a late Autumn wedding in Block Island. While considering the idea- the stories of Late Fall weddings where stormy seas cancelled ferries and and the fact that many our favorite places were already booked or out of our price range- caused the Block Island dream to fizzle. We crossed that destination off our list.
In late June, on a road trip after our friends wedding in Colorado a new idea was sparked. Somewhere on a steep switchback road through Berthoud Pass or on a long open stretch beyond Winter Park we fell in love with the idea of a Colorado Ranch wedding in Spring Time. Devils Thumb Ranch made us lose our breath (perhaps the altitude?) We envisioned a weekend getaway made for movies-an intimate group of friends and family- horsebackriding and hikes, bonding conversations by the fire pit, bluegrass barbeque for our rehearsal dinner. One look at the enormous central fireplace, vaulted ceilings and panoramic view of the Continental Divide and we were smitten. Post and beam barn meets rough hewn Ralph Lauren decor. We were definitely on a Rocky Mountain High and I think Mike channeled a bit of Robert Redford for a few days. He had a swagger to his step until we got home. But the reality sunk in at sea level - a Colorado wedding at such a high altitude (9000 ft) would mean some very important older relatives would not be able to join in our wildflower and evergreen dream.
We kept looking. What evolved could not have been more perfect. My parents beach club (Very bermuda-esque...think Georgian style Mansion in coral!) on a Barrier Island near Vero Beach. We warmed up to the idea slowly but once we got the full picture of a wedding in the tropics- I became a little obsessed. This very New England duo (okay -so it was mainly me) all of a sudden embraced everything tropical. Visions of Mango Margheritas and Vodka Basil Lemonade and steel drums danced in my head. The inspiration board above gives you a flavor. In this quiet community surrounded by the mangroves of the Intercoastal to the west and the ocean to the east-we let the blues and tans of sand and sky dominate. Two colors gave it a pop-mango and coral to be specific. (I could never get Mike to use the "right" names for the colors- orange and pink- no matter how often I described the nuances!) The day was perfect- breezy, 70s and big puffy cumulus clouds on cue in early November. Beach ceremony at sunset and our celebration just up the dune steps to the Club and pool. A slice of tropical paradise at last.
|erica|
Photo credits left to right/Top down
www.brookemayo.com
www.whatistimco.com
www.marybasnight.com
www.amydeyoung.com
www.pauljohnsonphotography.com
www.tullebride.com
www.simplesong.typepad.com
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