Gorgeous couple. Adorable ring bearer. Serious Etsy love. Chevron. Succulents. Mountain setting. Oh my goodness, you are going to love this wedding! I instantly loved their color scheme, the billy balls and chevron napkins and pillows. The simplistic yet elegant details of this wedding mesh beautifully with the natural Colorado setting. 

Lauri Davis and Jeff O’Brien were married on September 3, 2011 during Labor Day weekend. It’s a beautiful time of year in Colorado with warm days and cool nights, and the couple wanted to celebrate it during a holiday weekend so 48  of their family and close friends could stay longer to celebrate with them. They said “I do” in a picturesque mountain setting on a manicured driving range at Red Sky Ranch {Jeff is a hang glider pilot on the US team, and his local launch was in direct view across the canyon}. Dinner and dancing followed on a covered patio at Summer Thyme Restaurant at Red Sky Ranch Guest Clubhouse in Wolcott, Colorado.

Lauri’s inspiration: Jeff and I love mid-century modern everything…we love the architecture of that time, we love the furniture styling and we love funky artwork that’s graffiti-like. When it came time to plan our wedding, we knew we would want to incorporate our style of modernism, simplicity and elegance.

We had both been married before and since we’re in our mid-30’s we knew we did not need a huge wedding. We wanted it to be a tight affair with family, the closest childhood friends, and our local crew. A manageable group we could spend focused time with and enjoy personal interaction. Jeff’s best friend married Lauri and Jeff, and her brother stood as her man of honor and Jeff’s sister as his best woman. Unconventional, yet meaningful.

When it came time to find a dress, I knew I wanted a Nicole Miller dress. Nicole Miller dresses flow simply, fit perfectly and can be used for outdoor or indoor weddings. They also don’t break the bank! Since Jeff and I are non-traditional, he wanted to enjoy the dress shopping process with me. Jeff had a blast and the first dress I tried on we ended up loving the most! It had art-deco styling / slimming with great texture pleats and a simple short train. I accessorized my dress with diamond stud earrings and three jeweled pins for my hair. Since we live two hours from Denver, we would go together to dress fittings and make it a date night while in the city. Jeff enjoyed seeing me in my dress multiple times and was even the one who learned how to bustle it on the wedding day. It was hilarious!

The ceremony in Lauri’s words…Keeping with an intimate sentiment, we positioned our guest’s chairs closely in a half circle around us. The center aisle was tight, allowing us to reach out and grab the hands of friends during the procession. We had ambient acoustic guitar music before and after the ceremony. We wrote our ceremony and vows and incorporated our memorized “mantra” or “prayer” we say to one another spontaneously at bed time some evenings.

It was important to incorporate my three and a half year old son into the ceremony. He wore a suit that matched Jeff’s and walked me down the aisle with my Father. It was ineffably cute and meant the world to me.

Red Sky Ranch displays gorgeous flowers during the summertime so I knew I wouldn’t have to worry about dressing up the venue with more flowers. It’s a high desert climate therefore succulents grow wild and plenty. I thought it would be awesome to do succulents in my centerpieces and bridal bouquet to pick up on the natural setting that surrounded us. I searched to find a wedding motif on the internet with the same color sequence I had in mind along with incorporating modernism, a mid-century location and succulents! I thought it was perfect. I took a few borrowed ideas and incorporated them into my big day.

I loved the simple centerpieces with grey colored concrete vessels and incorporating the succulents and yellow billy balls into the displays. I found grey vessels on Etsy.com and the white vases from Ikea. The florist fabricated beautiful replicas of what I’d found and the floral details were stunning. Pink Monkey made yellow chevron patterned dinner napkins to make the floral accents pop! The yellow chevron was also in my invitation suite. We continued the yellow chevron theme with pillows that were placed on the lounge couches. It was eye-catching to have matching elements around the room.

Pink Monkey brought in white couches with ottomans, candles, lights, white high top tables, custom-made pillows and cool accents to make their space reception cool and relaxed.

Continuing with the non-traditional, Lauri and Jeff had a local cupcake creationist deliver dozens of different flavored custom cupcakes. Lauri said she struggled to find the right way to display the desserts, then found vintage raised cake plates on Etsy and ordered about ten different size plates all different heights which added a lot of dimension and a bit of vintage flair to the presentation.

The food was exceptionally savory…for dinner guests were served a candied walnut blue cheese salad and had a choice of seared halibut over lobster hash or a sirloin steak with potatoes for their entrée. The Food and Beverage team surprised us with late night mini burgers to keep the dancing fueled, and the DJ kept the floor filled by playing a detailed list of a couple hundred of our favorite songs. Music was a key component for us, so we made sure the DJ had intimate knowledge of our taste in tunes.

Our first dance was to a Latin salsa song that is sultry and romantic. We decided a few months prior that we’d take salsa lessons and surprise our guests with a close, choreographed dance to a passionate, untraditional song. We practiced often and every night for the last week up until the wedding day! When it came time for the first dance, we just laughed and had fun. Our parents said this was the highlight of the wedding night.

The couple chartered voluntary van rides for their guests on their way home, which encouraged a festive reception without the danger of driving home after one too many.

VENDOR LOVE
Transportation: Colorado Mountain Express, Vail, CO
Invitations & Menus: Pink Lily Press on Etsy
Succulent Favors: Succulent Designs on Etsy
Grey Vessels for the centerpieces: Atstuart on Etsy
White bud vases: Ikea
Table Numbers: Tough and Twisted on Etsy
Vintage Cake Plates: Modern Homes, Etsy & E.Isabella Designs, Etsy
Cupcakes: Batter, Vail, CO
Cookies: Vail Gourmet Cookie Company, Vail, CO
DJ: Pure Energy Events, Denver, CO
Ceremony Music: Kaitlyn Dawn & Bob Masters,Vail, CO
Day of Coordinator/Planner: Realize Planning, Deana Mitchell
Flowers: Vintage Magnolia
Photographer: Stephen Sanderson Photography
Catering: Red Sky Ranch, Wolcott, CO
Linens & Votive Candles: Alpine Party Rentals, Vail, CO
Lighting, Couches, High Top tables, custom pillows and napkins:  Pink Monkey, Vail, CO
Wedding Dress: Nicole Miller from Anna Be, Denver, CO
Make-Up: Laura Anzalone, Glo Makeup
Hair: Inga Cox, Vail, CO
Groom’s attire: Hugo Boss / Son’s attire: Cookies Kids

{images via Stephen Sanderson Photography and Kerry Roach}