(All
photographs by Red Scarf Shots)
Valery & Kevin of Las Vegas, NV
Married 4/26/07 - Durango, CO
THE DETAILS
How long to plan wedding: Just over a year.
Budget: $5000
Number of Guests: 35
Ceremony Location: Fort Lewis Chapel (at the College)
Reception Location: Family home in Durango, Colorado
Wedding Theme: Classic red, black, and ivory, with red tulips for my bouquet! Exquisite!
The Wedding Attire: For the men- Black tuxedo’s. My husband wore a red paisley vest and tie with his. Even his shirt was red. We were very pleased!
The Décor: 5 round tables with ivory table cloths & vases filled part way with water and red & ivory glass pebbles & red floating rose candles.
The Flowers: My bouquet was supposed to be dark red peonies but it fell through at the last minute. My florist, Cindy, who owns Wildwood’s Fine Flowers, saved my day by creating an amazing bouquet of one dozen fresh red tulips! It was even my husband’s favorite flower!
The Menu: A mouthwatering warm crab dip & baguettes from Norton’s Catering. (I waited too long to order so he was already overbooked because of the graduation parties going on at that time, but he made time to make the dish for my wedding. I couldn’t believe it.
My husband took off his tuxedo jacket and got busy in the kitchen making his specialty dish- a shrimp alfredo with basil, rosemary, oregano….you name it, it was in there! Yum!! My husband’s grandmother created a wonderful salad with lots of trimmings, including figs and homemade candied pecans. For drinks we had mango iced tea with lemon wedges, coffee, and just about every flavor of Jones sodas for the kids!
The Favors: About half of the favors were red and silver Hershey’s kisses inside red mesh pull-string favor bags. The other half was red and ivory M&M’s. I also had a tall vase with red heart-shaped lollipops with long red and black ribbons tied to them.
The Cake: The best part of the wedding!!! If I knew the cake was going to be that delicious I would have added another layer to have just for ourselves. (I couldn’t help but give everyone large pieces so there was almost none left!) The cake was a very light ivory 3-tiered round cake, decorated with tiny dots along the edges and the most amazing huge red roses I’ve ever seen. Heather, at Cake Café, is not only creative and talented; she is very personable, too.
SPECIAL TOUCHES
I wouldn’t say “I” personalized it as much as I would say my cake baker, photographer and florist, learning what was on my heart after talking only a few times, made every detail even more beautiful than I asked for or expected. My husband even surprised me by making delicious chocolate covered strawberries for our reception!
Best Thing about the Day:
Definitely the horse and carriage ride provided by Prairiefire Percherons. The owners, Dave and Tracy, arrived at the Chapel early and waited very patiently as we took photos with McCarson on the Chapel grounds. Then Dave guided his beautiful white horse down the winding road from the Chapel as we rode through town to the reception at my mother-in-laws house. I can’t describe how amazing the entire ride was. I just know I felt like a queen from the time my husband took my hand as he helped me into the carriage, until the time I leaned down into his arms when we arrived at his mother’s house. I was amazed that there were so many people waving and yelling “Congratulations!” to us. The sweetest moment was when I saw a little child waving to us from an upstairs bedroom window.
Memorable Moments:
Dancing with my husband (neither of us ever dance!), the horse & carriage ride, being walked down the isle by my oldest brother, Philip. I don’t know which was harder; letting go of his arm, or watching him cry as he gave his blessing to Kevin and me. Taking pictures with some of Kevin’s family members after meeting for the very first time that day. Finding a note on our door at our honeymoon suite from the owner, David, welcoming us.
At the ceremony we asked if anyone would like to give any advice or say anything at all. Kevin’s grandpa George said that we should put our disagreements under our pillow at night, and they’re usually gone by morning!
What went Wrong:
The flowers were really the only thing that had to be changed, but the bouquet Cindy created purely blew me away. She tied a tiny, silver-framed picture of my mother, who passed away not too long ago, to the beautiful ivory ribbon on my bouquet.
What would you do Different:
Take more pictures with family, and stay longer!
OUR ADVICE
1. Take more time to plan your wedding than you think you need. I changed my mind on some things at least 3 times! Ladies—push yourselves to lose a few pounds! Those pictures are forever!
2. Let your husband wear the colored shirt, it’s not ALL about you. And spend lots of time with as many of your guests as you possibly can. I regret not spending more time with those who came from out of state just for us. It’s very easy to get overwhelmed, but a few extra minutes with an aunt or sister makes all the difference in the world.
3. Have FUN! I thought weddings were supposed to be very serious or else the day would be ruined. But I found out that if everyone is a little less nervous and they feel comfortable, then the more real the day will feel, and the more memorable it will be.
RECOMMENDED WEDDING PROS Photographer: McCarson Leigh Jones, Red Scarf Shots. Tent & Party Rentals: Durango Party Rental*****Cake: Cake Café (Heather was amazing)***** Florist: Wildwoods Fine Flowers (Cindy went above and beyond for me)***** Hair & Makeup: Signature Salon***** Honeymoon Location: Blue Lake Ranch**********! The owner, David, sang “Here comes the bride” upon first seeing us as we came downstairs for breakfast the next morning! He made our entire stay very warm and welcoming. It felt as if we were his only guests.Guest Lodging: The Rochester Hotel and The Siesta Motel*****(the owners of the Siesta made sure everyone had everything they needed. They were very accommodating and the rooms were impeccable and very lovely.)
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All photographs by Red Scarf Shots
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