What a day! Kara and Paul’s wedding at Della Terra in Estes Park was one for the memory books. The weather was a little grumpy with us to start but, miraculously, about 30 minutes into the day all the rain and thunderstorms stopped! Hooray!! The day remained cool for the first official day of summer but Kara and Paul were happy to take it!

The thing I loved about Kara & Paul’s wedding was how they made it very personal to them. Kara made all the flowers (they’re truly amazing wooden flowers…yes, wooden!), as well as the centerpieces, and the decorations. On top of that, they had a self-solemnizing ceremony which means they married themselves! It’s a cool thing the state of Colorado allows you to do, which I think is awesome. Their ceremony and vows could not have been more personal and from the heart.

My favorite photos of the day come from their lavender toss as they recessed from their ceremony. The lavender buds smelled divine, however, according to Paul’s face they didn’t taste very good! Those candid moments gave me such a chuckle. Since he’d be beaming a huge smile after the ceremony, when the lavender was tossed he got a mouthful of it. (I’m not laughing AT you Paul, I swear! Just WITH you!) Such a fun memory!

The evening passed by in the blink of an eye as all of their friends were totally down to party and dance the night away. We capped the evening off with some fun night portraits. With all those pretty fairy lights at Della Terra, we couldn’t let the night’s beauty go to waste! Check out their photos below!

Vendor Role Call:

Cake: La Mo Mo Maes Bakery

Catering: Greens Point Catering

Harpist: Anela Lauren

DJ: Joe with Gotta Dance DJs

Videography: Royal Oak Films

When Ashley first contacted me to shoot photos of her and Eric’s self affirmation ceremony I was super excited. Self affirmation ceremonies are a little like unicorns in the wedding industry. It’s this fantastic idea that’s wholly romantic yet very elusive and rarely seen. I love the idea of two people coming together with literally nothing else mattering but their vows to each other. No fuss. No huge expense. Just very personal and meaningful.

Given the levity of self affirmation ceremonies, the honor of photographing them isn’t lost on me. As the singular witness to this beautiful moment, the task to capture it faithfully and beautifully falls soley on me. There’s no guest stories and memories of the day, just Ashley & Eric’s experience and my photos. I had an awesome time with these two hiking Tenderfoot Mountain in Dillon, Colorado to the spot they chose for this occasion. We journeyed through aspen groves and under towering lodgepole pines to get to the overlook with breathtaking 180 degree views from Keystone mountain, to the Tenmile Range, to Buffalo Mountain in Silverthorne.

Check out their photos below and leave them some love in the comments!

Kara and Paul's Della Terra Mountain Chateau Wedding in Estes Park

Ashley & Eric's Self Solemnizing Ceremony on Lake Dillon