The Wedding

Hi All!

I could write an entire book on our wedding. We were so blessed to have the wedding of our dreams in beautiful Colorado. I promise to go into further detail about various aspects of the wedding at some point, but for now I am just going to do a brief overview!

Thursday Night Get Together

On Thursday night we invited everyone who was in town to come to the Hotel Jerome for a casual meet up and a few drinks. It was SO FUN!

Mark & Melissa

The Parentals

(Steve, Kristen, Donna, Milo)

Melissa's Godparents

Kevin & Susanne Avondet

Some of the beloved friends!

Brooke, Alexandra, Kendall, Elizabeth, Whitney, Anne, Kate and Melissa

The Rehearsal Dinner

Our rehearsal dinner was so fun! It was a casual BBQ at Snowmass Valley Ranch which was the house/ranch where the rehearsal dinner and wedding took place. It was G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S. The food was fantastic, catered by the Hickory House in Aspen. If you have never been there before you should add it to your bucket list - it is amazing.

The Wedding Party

The Bridal Luncheon

Two beloved ladies in my life, Joan Katz and Debbie Kalas, hosted a wonderful bridal luncheon in my honor. It was a very special time and the food was fantastic. It was so special to be surrounded by all of the women in my life + Mr. Mom.

Debbie, Owner of the Restaurant, Me, Joan

Getting Ready

Getting ready was so much fun. By mid afternoon I was in a complete daze and it is all sort of a blur to me now but I was so lucky to have all the special ladies in my life surrounding me!

Mark spent the day with his buddies and family playing whiffle ball and just hanging out (there might have been some drinking involved and there was one EPIC footrace) and then got dressed at the Jerome Hotel.

The Ceremony

My uncle Todd Smith married us - I can't even put into words how magical the ceremony was. It was everything I have ever dreamed of and I will always cherish those minutes in which I became my best friend's wife. I have never felt so much love in my life as I did saying my vows with all of my friends and family around me in such a beautiful setting.

The Reception

SO MUCH FUN. Words cannot even describe it!

I know this is a brief overview there is SO much more to show and tell - if there is anything you are specifically interested in, let me know!

xoxox

#1 Wedding Planning Tip

Hi All!

It has been a looooonnnnnnngggggggg time since I last posted and I apologize! A lot has been going on but that is no excuse.

I am currently writing from my hotel room in Denver, Colorado - also known as wedding land. Mark and I flew in this morning to meet with our fantastic wedding planner Debbie of Save the Date Events to finalize catering, cake, rentals, and sort out a few other things.

I have sooo many wedding posts in my head to post to the blog and I am going to make a serious effort to capture them while it is all actually happening. Wedding planning is definitely a fun process but is also like having another full time job - even with a wedding planner! (Enjoy the funky pictures - keep reading for an explanation...)

My number one piece of advice - which is also my number one suggestion for decorating, art acquisition, or wardrobe styling - is pull pictures, pull pictures, pull pictures.

What I mean by this is anytime you see something inspirational whether it be in person, online, or in a publication of some sort, capture a picture and store it on your computer in digital "files". With iphones, blackberries, etc. it is so easy to just snap a quick picture of something you like while you are flipping through magazines in the nail salon (saving you the time and money of buying your own copy), or even of a stranger walking down the street (although you should be cautious not to look like a stalker/wierdo).

Even if the thing that catches your eye seems completely off-base or out of character for you, grab it anyways. I always suggest going with your gut instincts - you never know how that strange picture might inspire or fit for you later. It caught your eye for a reason so just go with it! Over time patterns will emerge in what you pull that will help you find a direction when you are trying to make tough decisions (i.e. do you like the look of fondant cakes or soft buttercream icing? Plain or detailed?)

Digital files work better for me than actual magazine pages because they are easier to transport, organize, and you don't have to worry about misplacing them. My library of inspirational pictures is the best tool I have in wedding planning. Anytime I need motivation or creative ideas I just take a quick gander at my photo library and wall!

PS: All of the photos I have included in this post are from my primary inspiration album - a fun sneak peak at the direction we are heading for our wedding!!! enjoy!!!

xoxoxo Melissa