A Love Story to Remember - Ashleigh + Rick's Mountain Wedding
As the weather finally begins to cool and September rolls around, we find ourselves dreaming back to Ashleigh and Rick’s whimsical mountain wedding. Rick and Ashleigh locked eyes at the Driftwood Boat Bar on the Caribbean island of St. Marten as the sun set over the turquoise ocean waves. Rick had been vacationing from New York City with longtime friends while Ashleigh and her family had traveled from Colorado to celebrate a family member’s engagement. The electricity sparked as the conversation flowed like rum punch, but somehow they shared only a smile and a farewell as Ashleigh and her family moved on to their evening plans. But fate wasn't satisfied, and so over the next four days she brought them together three more times, serendipitously, at different places throughout the island.
After returning to the mainland, Ashleigh got the nerve to reach out to Rick, and rekindled the flirtation from the island. And as fate would have it, her boss scheduled her for a business trip to NYC three weeks later. They made plans to spend time together during her upcoming visit. In the weeks preceding her visit, like love struck school kids, they talked for hours every night on the phone, already falling in love by the time Ashleigh’s plane hit the tarmac at JFK. It was there at the airport, where Rick waited to greet Ashleigh that they shared their first kiss.
Rick proposed on Friday November 13th 2015 in the early evening hours in Paris, France. The couple spent a beautiful day walking the streets of Paris, popping into museums and enjoyed a late lunch in a picturesque Parisian café. As the sun began to set, they decided to walk towards the Eiffel tower to catch a glimpse of the lights. They arrived just as the beautiful structure lit up, marveling in the romance and magic of the moment they found themselves in. Before she knew what was happening he was down on one knee asking her to be his wife! Ashleigh said a tearful and excited “YES” to joining her life with his. It was a moment filled with love and hope as the couple shared excitement to celebrate and share their news. That same fateful night, about an hour and half later, the beautiful city of Paris suffered an unimaginable terrorist attack. The couple held their breath that night as they watched the news from their apartment and heard the sirens wailing outside their window. The couple spent their engagement night clinging to one another unsure of what was unfolding just outside their door, with a new understanding what it meant to protect and care for the person you love the most in the face of evil. Despite the profound heartache the world felt that night, the couple has found light in sharing their story with friends and family and not allowing darkness and evil to overtake what is pure and true in this world.... Love.
Taking place amongst the towering peaks of Arapahoe Basin Mountain at Black Mountain Lodge and nestled in the White River National Forest of Colorado, the lovely couple celebrated the beginning of their new life together. Typical of Colorado’s ever-changing and unpredictable weather, their early September wedding day greeted the couple with unseasonably cool temperatures, thundering storm clouds, and plenty of rain in the early morning hours. While we prepared for their wedding, come rain or shine, like some incredible fate, the fickle weather settled and rays of sunshine peeked through the dark clouds and painted a rainbow across the mountain sky.
As the dark clouds cleared from the sky and cleared our minds of worry for the wedding, the beautiful bride continued getting ready and looked stunning in her dress by designer Matthew Christopher from Little White Dress Bridal Shop, a custom designed veil by Love Veils, and an accent hairpiece by Twigs & Honey and hair by Matthew Morris Salon. The groom looked dashing in a custom designed suit from Andrisen Morton.
With a delicate wedding palette of antique gold, blush, and merlot, the romantic and elegant décor softened the rugged cliffs of the Rocky Mountains and created a fanciful backdrop for the ceremony. A team of A-List vendors all contributed to creating an unparalleled ambiance including show stopping stems of floral and décor by Statice Floral Design and a custom stationary package by Sweet Zion Paperie. The couple’s dreamlike day was captured by the exquisite images of Caroline Colvin Photography and videography by Garrity Productions.
Despite the ominous weather from earlier that morning, the skies remained cloudless allowing for guests to hop on chairlifts and be whisked up the mountain to the lodge where the couple joined their lives in marriage and danced the night away amongst the diamond-spattered sky.
All photos courtesy of Caroline Colvin Photography.
A special thanks to these additional vendors: