spruce mountain colorado wedding | greg + rachel
this wedding is the perfect glimpse into I would call a perfect country chic wedding.what makes a perfect country chic wedding?well, let me describe the day a little for you...the sun was shining off the blue mountains in the distance as elizabeth and I pulled up to the ever gorgeous spruce mountain.hundreds of acres of ranch land shown brightly in the sun and welcomed usas we drove up the winding drive to the ponderosa room.the large impressive wood timber building that housed the reception andgetting ready area was buzzing with happy wedding preparations.florals by were being arranged Rose and set out, guitars and drums were being sound checked by the Narrow Gauge band,and bbq by the barbecue girls was bbq-ing and filling the air with intoxicating aromas.upstairs, up a large wooden staircase, past the stone hearth fireplace,the girls could be heard happily laughing as their hair and faces were being dolled up upstairs.downstairs, on the large over sized leather couches and easy chairs, the guys could be foundfinishing up fastening giant rodeo belt buckles, polishing cowboy boots + dusting off cowboy hats...jeans were freshly pressed and white shirts were well starched and buttoned up over weathered strong necks.I laughed as the grooms dad smiled and told elizabeth and I to "make ourselves useful and help turn down his starched collar".in that one request, we smiled and were immediately invited to not just photograph the day,but to be a part of the whole families day.out back, through the floor to ceiling glass doors, past the spruce pine trees the swayed in the breeze,guitar music could be heard as the guests found their spot on the chairs arranged for them.the sunflower floral arrangements shone happily down the aisle, waiting for the bride.a simple piano arrangement of can you feel the love tonight began to beautifully play and then the procession began.parents, the bridal party,and then the adorable nieces and nephew flower girl/ring bearer that held the burlap sign "here come the bride",and then finally rachel and her overwhelmed with emotion dad walked down the grassy aisle.her dad's weathered face by years of ranching and being outside,was the perfect mix of adoration for his daughter, tears at letting her go and happiness at her finding her love.in the distance you could see greg's face immediately relax at finally seeing racheland a huge smile spread across his face as she walked towards him.something else that I noticed and smiled at was the lack of cell phones + ipads + cameras that usually fill the aisle.instead it was happy faces, tear-filled eyed faces that the bride + her fathergot to smile at and interact with as she walked down the aisle.everyone in attendance was present and attentive to their loved ones who were saying I do...it was unique and beautiful to get to witness.we continued after the ceremony, smiling and laughing as family gathered for family portraits and bridal portraits.after, we were left with just greg + rachel.this time is always my favorite...it's the time where it's just the two of them...no one else is around and elizabeth and I get to just photograph them loving each other.we would encourage them to lean in to each other, to kiss each other, to laugh with each other,and the result was perfect photographically...sun lit romance that was sweet and beautiful to watch. :)after we finished photographing them,we all headed over to the reception where lawn games of roping the steer,custom-made corn hole and cocktails were being poured.it was time to have some fun.toasts were toasted and dinner was prayed over and served.and then the dancing began.this part makes me smile because it wasn't "typical" wedding dancing.there was no wobble. there was no cupid shuffle.these people knew how to dance and country dance well!boots stomped, dresses twirled and the authentic country band played songs well into the night keeping the party rocking.yep, this was the perfect country chic wedding and was SO fun to get to photograph.congratulations again, greg + rachel!kreatid photography + design | elizabeth ann photographyvenue | Spruce Mountain Eventscaterer | Buffalo Galscakes | Rose Beyerflorist | Cathy Thurlby Designhair + makeup | Kassi Rankinwedding coordinator | Tyler Barkerbridal gown | Danelle's Bridal Boutiquebridesmaids gowns | Davids Bridalcountry band | Narrow Gauge