Sarah and Sam, where do I even begin? There was a girl who grew up in Hawaii with twin sisters and let her hair grow long and walked barefoot. There was a boy who grew up in Australia with several brothers and learned to swim and bike and run. They both ended up in Colorado, they fell in love, and they planned this epic wedding. Not only did they plan it, but they hosted it during peak triathlon season (for Sam) and in the middle of nursing school (for Sarah). If that doesn't make them seem superhuman, I don't know what would!
I don't believe I'm exaggerating when I say that all of their friends and family imagined a perfectly sunny day for these two. It would have been nothing less than they deserved. What nature delivered was a rainy day with one clear moment at 4pm for their ceremony. The weather was surprising for a Friday afternoon in June, but in characteristic fashion they danced and laughed their way through the day regardless of the weather. Sam's contagious good mood and Sarah's bright smile uplifted the entire room.
Sarah got ready with her bridesmaids in the cutest cottage. The bridesmaid's white dresses hung in the living room beside the mimosa bar and the gorgeous florals from Sarah's friends at Fiori Flowers. marrying an Aussie, it only made sense that Sarah would find a dress from Australian label Grace Loves Lace. Sam got ready in a yurt with his family, sharing some rare tri-season beers and perfecting the length on each other's floral neck ties.
Sarah and Sam had intended to do a first look. With the bulk of their guests traveling to Colorado from the American south and from Australia, they knew that they wanted to spend as much time as possible with their family and friends who had covered such great distances to be with them. Doing a first look would have meant that they could do most of the pictures before the ceremony and then spend almost all of cocktail hour mingling with their guests. Unfortunately, the rain wouldn't allow us to do the first look. The planner waited until the last possible moment to make a call on whether we would move the ceremony indoors. This gamble paid off as the hour approached and the clouds withheld their rain just long enough for the ceremony! This was the first of many, many silver linings on a day that had a lot of pivoting and plan changes.
Without having time to do portraits of the family, wedding party, and bride & groom beforehand, we knew we needed to stay as organized as possible to get everything done during cocktail hour! The photos were important, but so was spending time at cocktail hour with guests. Luckily the family photos moved along swiftly. We gathered the wedding party for photos and they all started singing an Australian drinking song. I was laughing so hard I could barely take pictures! As Sarah and Sam moved off on their own for romantic portraits, a pair of kayakers floated by on the river and yelled "Yeah! Take her to pound town!" It was so unexpected that we couldn't help but burst out laughing.
The rest of the evening went off without a hitch. A gorgeous buffet dinner followed by toasts - heartfelt from Sarah's grandfather and twin sisters, a traditional roasting of the groom by the best man - and cake cutting led to the dance floor finally being opened. The Diamond Empire Band rocked everyone's socks literally off. Kids and grown-ups danced as hard as they could, air guitars and drinks flying, and by the end of the night the newlyweds were on stage being cheered by their guests. Sarah and Sam, congratulations again. What a great day to be able to relive in these pictures. <3
VENDORS
Venue | Planet Bluegrass
Wedding Planner | Stefanie at Front Range Catering Company
Caterer | Front Range Catering Company
Baker | Front Range Catering Company
Florist | Fiori Flowers
Bride's Attire | Grace Love's Lace
Hair & Make-Up | Wedlocks
Groom's Attire | Joseph Abboud
Rings | Michael Hill & Shane Co.
Band | Diamond Empire Band
Lead Photographer | Dylan Crossley Photo
Second Photographer | Sarah Fosco
