(All photographs by IlluminArts Photography )
Gretchen & Anton Ushakov
Married July 2004
Telluride, Colorado
This is the famous couple that graces the cover of the Spring 2005 issue of the Wedding Guide. Here is their wedding day story...
The Location
I grew up in western Colorado and wanted to share the beauty of
the area with Anton and his family. Since we met in Colorado, we
thought returning to the place where we met would be great. We decided
on Gorrono Ranch in Telluride because of its majestic mountain location.
The Plan
1. I asked myself - what would people remember most. We didn’t
spend money on the things people would not remember.
2. Get Organized. I have attended other weddings where the brides were being pestered by everyone because the attendees had so many questions. I wanted to relax on my day!
I created a detailed schedule for each individual wedding party member as well as for all the family members covering every minute of the day. Although everyone kidded me about it during the toasts, I was not pestered once and a few people said I was the most relaxed bride they’d ever seen!
Planning Time frame
Nine months (November - July).
Challenges of Planning from a Distance (the couple resides in San Francisco)
Since I plan events as part of my job, I was very comfortable taking
on the task from afar. I used the Internet extensively, especially
the Colorado Weddings Magazine website to research locations
and vendors. You can do so much of your wedding planning online
these days. When speaking with vendors on the phone, I was very
meticulous making sure to describe exactly what I wanted. There
are a few vendors you should meet in person since you will be working
closely with them; your officiate and the photographer. We took
one trip to scout the locations we had narrowed down. It was November
and Gorrono Ranch was buried in snow. We took snowmobiles up to
the site and visualized how beautiful it would be in the summer
- we were right.
The Invitations
Both the invitations and the place cards had a watercolor painting
of the Sneffels Mountains, the mountain range I looked at growing
up as a child.
The Décor
Minimal. The mountain backdrop for the ceremony was breathtaking;
we only added two pedestals of flowers at the end of our aisle and
several bows in our colors around the deck where we held the ceremony.
Our colors were maroon, light green, peach and off-white. For the
reception, we placed 60 candles in the rafters over the dance floor
along with glass beads and more candles adorning the tables. We
also used twinkle lights under the tables to give the effect that
the tables were glowing.
The Flowers
I worked with Judi Folga of Willowcreek Floral; she took the time
to spend an entire day with me putting different floral combinations
together until we found the perfect look.
The Cake
I wanted a cake with lemon and raspberry layers but Anton insisted
on a his favorite, a torte cake. However, because we wanted a tall
cake, torte cake for all three layers would have collapsed. So,
we compromised and did a torte on the very top of the cake followed
by lemon and raspberry layers. We ate the torte top on our honeymoon—delicious
after a day on the beach!
The Favors
We had personalized CD’s with our logo on the front including
photos.
Special Touches
Instead of floral centerpieces for the tables, we used photo trees/stands.
We printed pictures of us, our families and the people we grew up
with. Everyone was walking from table to table and it was a great
conversation starter. We included photo’s from those that
had passed away as well. My Dad commented that we made everyone
feel a part of the day with all the photo memories.
Rehearsal Dinner
We decide to forgo the traditional dinner and had a picnic in Ouray
Park followed by a long soak in the Ouray Hot Springs Pool. Everyone
loved it!
Biggest Challenge
We had 90 guests that flew in from all around the globe. Transportation
was an issue. We had to coordinate vans and the gondola making sure
everyone knew where to be and at what time. Everything went well;
we started on time and no one was left behind.
What would you do different?
Never limit the guest list. There were so many people we wished
had been there to share in the day with us. Cut back on something
else!
Gretchen's Advice
1. Find the right guy (or girl!).
2. Start planning early.
3. Get the dress first, it takes forever to ship!
4. Pick your vendors wisely, do not go by price.
Honeymoon Location: Barbados
RECOMMENDED WEDDING PROS Venue: Gorrono Ranch. They were awesome to work with and the food was FANTASTIC! Florist: Willowcreek Floral. Judi is a wonderful person to work with and has a great eye for flowers. Whatever you do, keep your mind open when working with her – she comes up with fantastic creations! Photographer: IlluminArts Photography, Drew and Amy were fantastic – they seemed like part of the party! DJ: Aiko Aiko Sound – very fun!
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