All
photographs by Illuminarts Photography
Jahnavi & Scott Brenner of Cincinnati, Ohio
Married May 27, 2007 -
Telluride, Colorado
We wanted our wedding to be an intimate, fun, casual celebration with friends and family. We also wanted to have a memorable time celebrating the beginning of our marriage. We chose Telluride for the great recreational activities, beautiful scenery, casual atmosphere, and wonderful dining.
THE DETAILS
Number of Guests: 90
Venue: Gorrono Ranch
The Planning
We wanted something less traditional and to have the ceremony & reception at one location. We did not have a lot of expectations and we were very flexible in what we imagined. We knew that we wanted to spend our money on the three most important things to us: food, drinks, and music.
Special Touches
1. Scott & I personally greeted all our guests as they arrived at the ceremony. It really helped people feel like they were at a social event rather than the traditional wedding. We also had cocktails and a hors d’oeuvres open before we started the ceremony.
2. We wrote our own vows.
3. Scott’s best friend became ordained online and married us. It was so nice to have a friend marry us rather than a stranger.
4. We had Welcome Tote Bags for all our guests that contained lip balm, granola, playing cards, water, and the weekend schedule of events, maps of Telluride and nearby hiking/biking trails.
5. The night before our wedding, we had a progressive dinner for all our guests in three cabins at the Mountain Lodge at Telluride (where all our guests stayed). The first cabin had appetizers, the second a buffet dinner and the third cabin contained desserts. This allowed our guests to mingle at their leisure and get to know people before the wedding.
6. The morning of the wedding, we had breakfast together and a relaxing massage at the Spa.
7. We had our photos taken before the ceremony which allowed us to enjoy cocktails with our guests.
8. We took a group photo with everyone at the wedding. We plan to send a copy to all our guests.
9. Instead of the traditional wedding cake, we had a dessert bar: bananas foster, fruit tarts, and chocolate covered strawberries.
10. We “marketed” Telluride to our guests well in advance of the wedding to encourage them to attend. We created a website to keep our guests informed of the wedding plans, provide travel information and things to do in Telluride. Many people made a vacation of the trip—which is exactly what we wanted them to do!
Best thing about the Day
The toasts. We did not have a wedding party so the microphone was passed among family and friends.
What would you do different
- Memorized our vows.
- We wished we would have started earlier in the day. Everything went by so fast.
- We wish our guests would have come a few days earlier so we could have spent more time with them.
Our Advice
1. Find vendors you trust and who know the setting. We put a lot of trust in our vendors. Having faith in our vendors and trusting their judgment made it easier for them to do their job. And they all did a great job.
2. Don’t try to plan every detail. Find 1-2 things that you really want to be perfect and focus on them. Then leave everything else to the vendors you hire.
3. Do not stress or worry about all the details just go with the flow.
RECOMMENDED WEDDING PROS Photographer: Illuminarts Photography. Drew & Amy were so calm and professional. We love our photos. Venue: Gorrono Ranch. We picked it site unseen, based on a recommendation of a friend that attended a wedding there. We never had a tasting and just trusted Gorrono Ranch to provide us with great food and they did. Honeymoon Locale: Italy next Spring. |
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The Photo
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All photographs by Illuminarts Photography
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