Stacy & Ty
married July 3, 2004
Aztec, New Mexico & Durango, Colorado
Their wedding story ...
Ty & I met three years ago and instantly found we had many things in common, hiking, mountain biking, camping, and a love for the outdoors. We made a date to go hiking and we were hooked on each other! Ty proposed in February of 2003.
When I first brought Ty to meet my parents and visit
my hometown (Aztec, NM) he immediately fell in love with the area.
My parents' home is not far from the Colorado border and I had spent
my childhood roaming the mountains and trails of Southern Colorado.
Being a big mountain biker, Ty took to the trails of the Durango
area and we spent most of our vacation time backpacking and camping
in the La Plata and San Juan Mountains. When it came time to pick
a location for our wedding, we decided we couldn't miss an opportunity
to share our favorite places with our friends and families. My mother
still lives in the home they bought when I was a little girl. The
yard is filled with flowers, trees, and memories of growing up...the
perfect location for the ceremony. 
When we visited the Ridgewood Event Center at Blue Lake Ranch (Hesperus, CO), though it was covered in snow, we agreed it was the perfect setting for the reception and would provide beautiful accommodations for those who wished to stay there. We finally settled on the third of July for our big day!
It got a bit complicated having a "tri-state wedding" as we started calling it. Many of our guests were coming from Arizona, the ceremony was in Aztec, New Mexico, and the reception in Hesperus, Colorado. I put my mom in charge of the being the contact person for the officiant, caterer, and Blue Lake. I put my step-mother in charge of being the contact person for the cake, DJ and alcohol. THAT was very helpful and in the end it was all that we hoped for!
The wedding and reception theme we decided to use was a Celtic/Wildflower wedding. My mom and I worked together to design a watercolor of the La Plata mountains for the cover of our invitations with this written in front of the mountains: "By virtue of the mountain air that spirited their love, the La Plata Valley is the perfect setting for the beginning of their new life together..." On the inside my mom created a Celtic knotting border similar to our wedding band design with flowers intertwined with this quote inside: "This very moment is a seed from which the flowers of tomorrow's happiness grow." by Margaret Lindsay.
We had the Bridesmaid luncheon the Thursday before and then we had a big BBQ with a fourth of July theme for all out of town guests, which grew to include almost everyone who came to the wedding! But that was a great time to visit, the day of the wedding went by so fast, I was thankful for that time before.
The
ceremony was simple and sincere, with Lynnette Justice (ironically
a Justice of the Peace) officiating. After meeting with Lynnette
she worked to capture the love, commitment, and partnership that
Ty and I have together with several readings and honest and sincere
vows. After a reading from my mother, written by my great-grandmother,
I was told there wasn't a dry eye in the house. It seemed as if
we were in our own little world up there, such a private moment
shared in front of so many.
After the ceremony guests drove the thirty or so miles through the N.M./C.O. border towards Hesperus. The drive was beautiful and also gave Ty and me an opportunity to be alone together before the reception.
The people at Blue Lake worked with us to create a laid-back outdoor reception that allowed for all that we wanted to do. We also used their dining area in the main house for a bridal luncheon a few days before the wedding, it was a great way to visit with all the ladies in my life who are so important to me before the crazy wedding day! And with the La Plata's as a backdrop for the reception and surrounded by the river and cottonwoods, we couldn't go wrong! We even used Blue Lake's harvested wildflower seed packets as favors for our guests. There were flowers everywhere you looked.
We
couldn't decide on colors for the wedding and with my love for wildflowers,
decided to use an assortment of colors and flowers. We ordered everything
from cream roses to delphiniums from an online wholesale flower
company and had them delivered two days before the wedding. My sister
took on the huge task of creating all the arrangements for the wedding
and reception. With the help of some of our friends, they spent
many hours creating amazing arrangements! We got so many compliments
on the centerpieces (wildflower arrangements in galvanized bouquet
buckets) and on my bouquet. It was exactly as I had envisioned,
color everywhere, each centerpiece a little different. But a warning
to anyone thinking of doing their own flowers, though we saved hundreds
of dollars, it was a LOT of work! We had a small army helping out
and it was still down to the wire. And some of the flowers we ordered
were in terrible shape, we had to buy cut flowers from Sam's Club
to make up for those that were unusable. It was still worth it,
just know it isn't as easy as you may think.
In keeping with the Irish theme, I had handwritten Irish toasts and blessings and framed them in tiny silver frames to place on the table next to the votive candles. They were a huge hit with some people using the toasts and others just reading them out loud. Guests took them home as an additional favor.
Aiko Aiko Sound provided the tunes throughout the night. They have such a friendly staff and they were committed to providing exactly what Ty and I wanted. I never knew how important the DJ is in setting the tone of the reception. Amy took requests, kept the dance floor full, incorporated some Irish music, and was so sweet to my family and friends. I would highly recommend them to any couple looking for a DJ in the area, they were a lot of fun and a great help.
Our caterer was also a family friend who came out of retirement to help us out! We had a delicious meal of appetizers during the happy hour as we finished photos and then a buffet style main course with brisket, baked beans, salad, and fresh rolls. We provided beer (from Steamworks), Guinness, and wine for the guests as well as a champagne toast towards the end of dinner.
Our cake was three tiered with carrot cake on the bottom and chocolate with raspberry filling on the top two tiers, all with butter cream icing and fresh flowers on the top of each layer. I had a German chocolate cake with the Harley Davidson logo as a surprise for Ty's groom's cake. We didn't even get a taste of that one it was gone so quickly!
Every inch of the reception center was used. With the many glass windows, french doors, and wrap around deck, the feeling was very open and airy. Some guests sat on the deck and enjoyed the sunset. In an effort to provide an opportunity to further enjoy the outdoor setting, we set up the bar outside under a gazebo which worked perfectly.
At one point in the evening Ty and I took a break from
dancing and visiting to stand on the patio. From that spot we held
hands and could see my grandfather talking to Ty's dad, our niece
and nephew playing with the ring bearer in the grass by a big tree,
our friends gathered inside laughing, and just a faint bit of sunlight
highlighting a field of red poppies, and we couldn't have asked
for more. 
What I learned through this whole wedding process?
1. Though it was a little more work, creating invitations and programs that were handmade with wording that truly meant something to us made our wedding, our wedding. There is not another invitation or program anywhere that looks like ours or that speaks from the heart as ours did...they may not look perfect but they reflect who we are and how we feel about each other. And like many people have said, the little things don't really matter that much.
2. If there isn't time to get something finished, scrap it. I worked on making menus for the tables and as out of town guests started getting to town I realized I could either visit with them or work on the menus...I decided to not do the menus and I was the only one that knew they didn't get finished!
3. When people ask to help out, let them!!! I had so many friends, cousins, and other family members who wanted to help and so I gave them little projects to work on and it took so much off my shoulders! For some it is hard to give up control or not be involved, but make it a family affair and you would be surprised at how much fun they have. Friendships were formed between people that had never met before simply because they had to hot glue name tags together for a few hours!!
4. The biggest thing I learned is to always keep the wishes and desires of your spouse as well as your own in mind as you make decisions. My grandmother's advice to us was: "always put each other first." She has been married for 55 years to my gramps, so I took her advice very seriously, and it works wonders. It came in handy several times during the planning and even on our wedding day.
In the end, we had an absolutely
beautiful Colorado/New Mexico wedding. I wouldn't change a thing
that we did. It has served as a sort of starting point for a partnership
in life full of love, the outdoors, and family!
The Honeymoon
For our honeymoon we hiked and camped in Colorado for almost
two weeks and then spent twelve days in Maui. It was quite a diverse
honeymoon...we were able to hike three fourteen ers, saw two bull
moose, camped with a persistent black bear, spent some time in a
few mountain towns, then went snorkeling, relaxed on the beach,
took a helicopter tour, and came back with a tan! You couldn't beat
it! My aunt and uncle let us borrow their condo in Maui as a wedding
gift, that was perfect...Maui is not cheap! 
Vendor Ratings:
Thumbs Up
Reception Site: Ridgewood
Event Center at Blue Lake Ranch
DJ: Aiko
Aiko Sound