This Mountainside Colorado Wedding Was Inspired by New York City

The Stationery

The couple went with a modern, minimal invitation design with soft gray text, deckled edges, and an illustrated leaf design by Amy Zhang Creative. The finishing touch was a thin leather strap, which held the suite together.

The Location

Emily and Brad invited their guests to the St. Julien Hotel & Spa in Boulder for their wedding weekend, offering them mountain views and the convenience of being located downtown. Brad has roots in Wisconsin, and Emily hails from New York, so most of their guests traveled for the celebration and stayed at the hotel.

Big-Day Attire

After leaving her first wedding dress shopping experience empty handed, Emily decided to take advantage of an upcoming business trip to San Diego. She rented a car and drove to Carlsbad to try on dresses at BHLDN with a coworker in tow. "My coworker convinced me to try on this dress that I thought was too ornate for me," she says, "But as soon as I put it on, I couldn't believe how perfect it was!" The ivory ball gown featured intricate embellishments for texture; she paired her ensemble with a floating cathedral veil, also by BHLDN, for the ceremony. A bracelet and pair of earrings that once belonged to Emily's grandmother were the finishing touches.

Brad wore a Calvin Klein slim fit tuxedo, a black bowtie with white polka dots from Carrot & Gibbs, and black Calvin Klein shoes.

The Bridesmaids

Emily's bridesmaids consisted of her sisters, her cousin, Brad's sister, and her three closest friends. They were asked to choose any floor-length chiffon dress in the colorway "Storm" from Jenny Yoo

, so the group ended up wearing a mix of different necklines. "I wanted them each to pick a dress that they loved and felt comfortable in," Emily says.

The Groomsmen

The groomsmen, which included Brad's brother-in-law and six of his best friends, wore matching Calvin Klein suits and black bow ties.

The Best Dog

Buster, Emily and Brad's dog, joined the party as best man. According to the couple, the cute pup "was very proud of his bow tie!"

The First Look

After their welcome dinner at the Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art

, Emily and Brad spent the night apart, so they opted for a private first look before the ceremony. They found a pretty spot along the nearby Boulder Creek for the moment, which ended up being the most memorable one of the day for Emily. "I loved approaching Brad before he turned around and then his reaction to seeing me for the first time in my dress," she says.

The Ceremony Chuppuh

A full floral arch was created for the ceremony from locally-foraged foliage. The couple's planner, Amber of Banks & Leaf, says, "Conceptually, we wanted it to appear to be overgrown with fading greens, then embellished with a natural fade of autumnal florals to the top, ranging from soft creams, mustard, dusty pink, mauve, and oxblood."

Ceremony Details

Vases stood on crates at either end of the aisle, holding floral arrangements that matched the chuppuh.

Keep Cozy

Colorado weather is notoriously unpredictable, so the forecast kept changing in the days leading up to Emily and Brad's wedding. The day ended up being cloudy and cool, so they made sure to keep guests warm with textured blankets.

The Processional

Emily was accompanied by her father down the aisle, while a violinist and keyboardist played "Clair de Lune," a song that means a lot to Emily's family. "My mom had always played it on the piano when we were growing up and both of my sisters also walked down the aisle to it at their weddings," Emily says.

The Bouquet

Lale Floral designed Emily's bouquet from local Colorado roses, lisianthus, and chocolate cosmos layered among autumn leaves, berries, and vines.

The Interfaith Ceremony

The couple had a reform Jewish ceremony, and while their traditional vows were recited in English, their Rabbi customized the vows in Hebrew to reflect their interfaith marriage.

The Escort Cards

While the escort cards mimicked the simple invitation design, the display itself brought a New York vibe with copper shelving against a stark black backdrop.

Pretty Place Settings

Since their invitation suite was tied with a leather strap, Emily and Brad incorporated leather details into the big-day design with leather Stitch and Shutter menu pockets.

The Centerpieces

The centerpieces featured layers of flowers that incorporated the day's color palette of mustard, mauve, earthy neutrals, and burgundy with bold pops of autumnal pinks and orange.

The Table Numbers

The table numbers pulled design elements from the couple's invitation suite, including deckled edging and the same simple gray laurel leaf design.

The First Dance

The couple's first dance to "Waste" by Phish was easily Brad's favorite part of the day. "The band took the time to learn our song, which was outside of their typical genre, and nailed it," he says. Immediately following their first dance, guests joined them on the dance floor for the Horah.

The Cake

Emily and Brad wanted a modern confection that incorporated a natural texture, so they chose a tiered cake with touches of white and burgundy floral embellishments from Intricate Icings. Guests enjoyed vanilla cake with a chocolate mousse filling and chocolate fudge cake with a peanut butter mousse filling.

The Favors

The couple originally wanted to host a day-after brunch, but once they realized that most of their guests had booked early flights home, they decided to offer their loved ones brunch to-go. Mini cinnamon raisin scones and banana chocolate chip muffins, made by Liza Kofsky from Sugar Rush, were paired with orange juice and prosecco and placed in paper bags that were labeled "Brunch in Bed."

Sources

Photography, Sara Corona
Event coordination, Banks & Leaf
Venue and Catering, St. Julien Hotel & Spa
Flowers, Lale Florals
Stationery and Calligraphy, Amy Zhang
Bride's gown and accessories, BHLDN
Hair and makeup, Megan Cary Artistry
Bridesmaids' dresses, Jenny Yoo
Groom's tuxedo and accessories, Calvin Klein
Groomsmen's suits, Calvin Klein
Cake, Intricate Icings
Music, Wash Park Band
Linens, La Tavola Fine Linen
Rentals, Event Rents
Lighting, Amora Group
Leather menu sleeves, Stitch and Shutter
Favors, Sugar Rush