Sarah and Zach were married on a beautiful summer day at the Cherokee Ranch and Castle in Colorado. The day began with Sarah and her bridesmaids at a nearby hotel.

The couple shared a first look on the castle’s terrace facing the expansive mountain views.

Sarah shares, “Everything went fairly smoothly the morning of the wedding which was a relief. We were thrilled to get some light rain to clear up the smoke and smog that hung over Denver most of the week. This allowed our guests to enjoy the spectacular views that ranged from Pikes Peak up to the Flatirons in Boulder. We loved our venue because it is a beautiful property both inside and out. The Cherokee Ranch and Castle also has an amazing art collection that reminded us of one of our first dates where we bonded over the art history classes we had taken. We really wanted to showcase the full property by having the wedding in the courtyard, tours through the house during the cocktail hour, and then the reception in the tent where the pool once was.

We were so lucky to have our wedding surrounded by all our friends and family. With COVID, we knew we might change plans so the fact that most of our guests were able to attend and celebrate with us was a blessing. Some special moments were hummingbirds flying by the chuppah at the start of the ceremony, the mother/son and father/daughter dances, and when I dropped the cake during the cake cutting. We loved ending the night dancing and singing along to Don’t Stop Believing.”

Sarah and Zach picked the song Sound and Color by Alabama Shakes for their first dance. Sarah and her dad danced to What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong and Zach and his mom danced to an acoustic version of Simple Man.

Congratulations Sarah and Zach!


Special thanks to the whole team:

Venue: Cherokee Ranch and Castle
Coordinator: Blue Linden Weddings, Wanda Bonner
Officiant: Cantor Elizabeth Sacks, Temple Emmanuel
Caterer: Footers
Cake: Ruby Jean Patisserie
DJ/Band: Elite DJ
Florist: Prive Events and Florals
Invitations: Minted
Makeup: Nicole Toledo
Hair: Hayley Styles
Rings: Bulow Jewelers
Bride’s Dress: Martina Liana at The Bridal Collection
Bride’s Shoes: Keds x Kate Spade
Bridesmaid Dresses: Dear Cleo
Groom’s Suit: Indochino, tie: Hugo Boss
Groomsmen Suits: Indochino, ties: Nautica
Seating Chart Display: Katie Marchi
Photographer: Jessica Schmitt Photography

Whitney and Dillon planned an intimate, relaxed day to share with their closest friends. The day began at their air B&B in Brighton with games and drinks and lots of laughs and then they took a limo into the city to have dinner at the Four Seasons and share vows and toasts. 

Whitney shares, “Since my family is from California and his family is from Wisconsin, Colorado was the perfect distance between. By the time we finally got around to actually setting a wedding date, we had already been together for nearly ten years. We had owned a business, bought a home, and had two children together. We had always talked about how we didn’t want to spend thousands of dollars and cram our celebration into just one day. So, we decided to rent a home large enough to house our wedding party and be able to celebrate for an entire week!

We planned to spend our ten-year anniversary together in the Rocky Mountains, where we had our own private photo shoot with Jess (check out the Bear Lake photo session here). Then we met everyone the following day to enjoy our week. Since it wasn’t your typical wedding with an extensive guest list, we were able to rent a private room at at the Four Seasons, Edge Restaurant, in Denver. The day was spent casually getting ready, with lots of mimosas and laughter. There was no schedule to adhere to, no rushing around gathering guests or décor. We were able to simply enjoy our time with our closest friends and family. We had a private limo drive us to dinner and had an incredible time having our photos taken at Union Station in Denver.”

Union Station was so close to the Four Seasons that it made a perfect stop, before dinner, for some photos.

The dinner began with special vows, drinks and toasts. The menu was exceptional including Wagyu Beef, Palisade Peach Gazpacho and Filet Mignon.

Cheers to you, Whitney and Dillon!

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Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park is a magical place. Driving through Estes Park gives a glimpse of the scenic beauty, but once you drive through the Bear Lake corridor, and walk out onto the lake, the view takes your breath away. The alpine lake sits beneath the sheer flanks of Hallett Peak and the Continental Divide, the air is fresh and the water is sparkling–it’s the perfect place to celebrate a wedding!

Bear Lake, colorado wedding, RMNP, estes, wedding photographer
Bear Lake, colorado wedding, RMNP, estes, wedding photographer
Bear Lake, colorado wedding, RMNP, estes, wedding photographer
Bear Lake, colorado wedding, RMNP, estes, wedding photographer

Whitney shares, “Ten years ago we met on a camping trip in the mountains of Northern California through my best friend, Jessica. Our life together has been incredible and unorthodox in the last decade. We lived in California for three years before deciding to move halfway across the country to live in Wisconsin. In 2017, we bought our first home together. Our business was still new and fresh and I was dedicating a lot of time to work so Dillon was in charge on moving day. I had been at work for nearly twelve hours and was exhausted, so we ordered pizza.

When the door bell rang, I answered to find that Dillon had secretly flown my best friend out from California to surprise me! The next morning, Jessica wanted to take our picture in front of our new home (in the middle of January…in Wisconsin). He wasn’t paying attention to the camera and kept saying how much he loved me and I kept telling him to take the picture until he finally said, “Whitney! Pay attention!” I looked at him and he had his grandmother’s wedding ring in his hand. I was completely shocked and surprised by the entire weekend.”

Bear Lake, colorado wedding, RMNP, estes, wedding photographer
colorado wedding, RMNP, estes, wedding photographer
RMNP, estes, wedding photographer
Bear Lake, colorado wedding, RMNP, estes, wedding photographer
Bear Lake, colorado wedding, RMNP, estes, wedding photographer
Bear Lake, colorado wedding, RMNP, estes, wedding photographer
Bear Lake, colorado wedding, RMNP, estes, wedding photographer
Bear Lake, colorado wedding, RMNP, estes, wedding photographer
Bear Lake elopement, colorado wedding, RMNP, estes, wedding photographer
Bear Lake, colorado wedding, RMNP, estes, wedding photographer
Bear Lake, colorado wedding, RMNP, estes, wedding photographer
Bear Lake, colorado wedding, RMNP, estes, wedding photographer

Bear Lake, colorado wedding, RMNP, estes, wedding photographer
Bear Lake, colorado wedding, RMNP, estes, wedding photographer
Bear Lake, colorado wedding, RMNP, estes, wedding photographer
Bear Lake, colorado wedding, RMNP, estes, wedding photographer

Whitney and Dillon, thank you for being up for anything!

They scaled boulders, hiked up the side of a mountain, and walked through the forest and just kept smiling! And it was totally worth it.

Bear Lake, colorado wedding, RMNP, estes, wedding photographer
Bear Lake, colorado wedding, RMNP, estes, wedding photographer
Bear Lake, colorado wedding, RMNP, estes, wedding photographer

Congratulations Whitney and Dillon!

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I met Dana and Garret and their sweet pups, Hazel and Harper at Table Mountain. 

Just North of downtown Golden, along the eastern flank of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, sits Table Mountain. Lava flows formed the mountain about 60 million years ago. The trails offer beautiful views and wildflowers and it’s a great place to bring your dog (on it’s leash, of course!).

Congratulations Dana and Garret!

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I met Leenae and Chad at Red Rocks for their engagement session. The wildflowers were all in bloom and we had a beautiful evening to celebrate!

Leenae shares, “Chad and I went on our first date in March of 2015, but didn’t officially start dating until July of 2016. At the time of our first date, I was traveling quite a bit for work and thought a relationship may be difficult to manage so I decided to stop seeing Chad. A year after our first date, I reached back out to him because I felt like he was someone I cut loose too soon. Chad then told me he was too busy and traveling too much for a girlfriend. It took him a few months, but he eventually came back around and we began seeing each other more regularly.  

We steadily dated for 4.5 years before Chad proposed. We planned a trip to Arizona with his friends in March of 2020 and planned to leave immediately after our workdays. Throughout the day, I packed my bags in between meetings to make sure I was ready to go at 5 pm. At noon, I noticed that Chad had only packed his frisbee golf set. As we were approaching 5 pm, Chad had asked me to help him organize his suitcase since he wasn’t able to do it throughout the day. While I agreed to help, I was extremely frustrated with him. Tucked away in our luggage, was a ring box that I initially missed. Once I discovered it, Chad had asked me to marry him and he had secretly set up a camera to capture the moment (although apparently I was standing in the wrong spot, so the quality of the video wasn’t great). With the quick turnaround for the airport, we called our friends and families on the road. Needless to say, the proposal was everything I had wished for: a moment that I’d least expected, in an intimate setting that is our private memory to share, in the first home we had shared as a couple.  

With both of us being Colorado natives, we wanted to take full advantage of all the scenery Colorado has to offer. Our wedding ceremony will take place in Evergreen to enjoy the front range with the reception being in Golden, where Chad went to school. In August, we are moving to Chad’s hometown, Brush, to be closer to his family. We’re currently in the process of renovating an old farm house that has been in Chad’s family for nearly 100 years. In order to move this city girl to a farm town, we’ve compromised to raise Pygmy goats and eventually (hopefully) alpacas and pigs.”

Congratulation Leenae and Chad!

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