How To Be The Perfect Wedding Guest

HOW TO BE THE PERFECT WEDDING GUEST

RSVP QUICKLY: Rsvp as quickly as possible! The second you have an opportunity to RSVP you should! It helps everybody out and sometimes the couple will have a back up guest in line if you aren’t able to attend so it helps everybody out!

BUY YOUR GIFT WHEN YOU RSVP: I know I have RSVPd to a wedding before and completely forgot to get the couple a gift, so if you do it all at one time it makes everyones lives easier!

CHECK THE WEBSITE BEFORE ASKING THE COUPLE OR ANY VIPS QUESTIONS: Don’t text the couple and ask them questions that are most likely going to be on the website! Just go to the wedding website first. We work really hard on the website as a team to make it as informative as humanly possible so just head to the website! I promise you that the answers to your questions are most likely there!

CHECK THE DRESS CODE, BUT ALWAYS OVERDRESS: Most likely there will be a whole section on the website that tells you exactly what you should be wearing to the wedding. I personally have never been upset that I overdressed so go all out!

BE ENTHUSIASTIC: Even if they’re doing something that you aren’t into, just be nice and be happy to be there. This “corny” thing may not be for you, but its for them so be excited and be happy and it will make everyone else happy too!

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Carolyn & Jack Mountain Garden Party at Camp Hale

Carolyn and Jack had the most beautiful Garden Party in the Mountains at one of our favorite mountain venues, Camp Hale in early June! These two are both doctors and wanted to bring together their favorite people (doctors and otherwise) to celebrate their love. For their design we created a mix of soft blues, peaches, yellow and wildflowers by MJM Designs to create the feeling of being in a garden. They kept their invitations, signage and table numbers very clean using black and white with serif fonts and clean lines to give their details a modern touch. We created an outdoor lounge full of cozy soft seating to give guests a soft place to chill which was a huge hit during cocktail hour and when guests needed a break from the dance floor. Their cutting cake by local bakery Hovey and Harrison featured dried pressed flowers to draw in the theme. I had two full years of planning with these guys and I am so happy with how everything turned out! The couple opted for a first look on the bridge where they cried and exchanged personal vows instead of doing their vows during the ceremony. The bride walked down the aisle with both her parents on her arm to the acoustic stylings of my favorite cowboy Ryan Hutchins who always dresses the part. Following the ceremony officiated by the couples close friend (perks of a Colorado wedding, you don’t have to be ordained) guests made their way to the lawn for cocktail hour where they enjoyed drinks, amazing apps and corn hole. The reception kicked off with the couples grande entrance to Gasolina by Daddy Yankee which really got the party started. Tony with The Get Down kept the dance floor packed all night and even had me and my assistant, Emily dancing on the sidelines. The bride changed into a kick ass pleated jumpsuit after dinner and special dances while we passed out dance floor props and glow sticks. Lucky for us we weren’t in a fire ban so we got to send the couple off with a classic sparkler send off! For a group of doctors, these kids sure know how to party! Check out the full gallery by The Scobeys!

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The sweetest review from the sweetest bride

“Hiring Payton is the absolute best decision we made for our wedding! She was amazing every step of the way and made the entire process so seamless. From helping us decide on our venue, to guiding us into selecting the most perfect vendors we could imagine, to helping with all of the design decisions when we were at a loss, she was so helpful and patient. She went above and beyond to help us make our wedding day (and multiple surrounding events) even better than we could have imagined was possible. She is such a joy to work with and truly made our wedding planning experience enjoyable and gave us unforgettable memories that we will forever cherish.” - Carolyn

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Morgan & Cole's Boulder to Backyard Wedding

For our first wedding of the year we kicked things off in a big way with a full three day production to create a venue in the brides moms back yard. Morgan and Cole met at the University of Colorado. Soon after graduation the couple moved to California where Cole became a firefighter and Morgan started nursing school! They knew they had to make their way back to Boulder to say I Do. 

The bride and her girls got ready at The Dove Inn in Golden. Then headed up Flagstaff Mountain for the couples first look. The weather was foggy and rainy all day but these first look photos are seriously amazing! The ceremony took place at Sunrise Amphitheater in Boulder. The bride walked down the aisle to a harp trio with her father and the weather cleared up just in time for the ceremony (probably because we were doing a rain go away dance). The brides brother officiated the wedding and decided to bring home an analogy about love by driving an axe into a wooden stump. It was a real crowd pleaser. 

Following the ceremony all of the guests met at the brides parents house to see the beautiful tented reception venue we had created. This was a full design client so we assisted in Morgan and Cole in making their dreams come true. They wanted to do a modern garden feel with black and white accents. They had a mixture of tall and short centerpieces and black napkins on clean white rounds and wooden farm tables. My favorite design element was the couples head table where we turned up the romance by adding lots of candle light, a love seat and a floor length floral garland provided by Sara Mica Designs. The ceiling of the tent was decked out with white draping, crystal chandeliers with dripping greenery and strung market lights thanks to our fave rental company Colorado Tents and Events. The guests found their seats by escort cards attached to individual champagne glasses on a greenery champagne wall. This element was very important to the bride to get the party started! This was a fun group that danced their way well into to the night to the sounds of their DJ from DJ Connection. Perks of getting married at your own home means no end time! This family was a dream and event sent me a text months later telling me that they missed me. These are my favorite kinds of clients.

Check out the photos from the day by Lindy Hickman:

Vail & Quintin's Texan Meets Colorado Wedding at North Star Gatherings

Vail and Quintin wanted to get out of Texas for their wedding and head for the mountains baby! They absolutely fell in love with North Star Gatherings and its location in Idaho Springs with such a close proximity to Denver! This group started their day in their hotel suite at The Origin Hotel Red Rocks for hair and make up by Divine Beauty Artists and then made their way up the mountain to take advantage of the gorgeous bridal suite on site. Once the girls were dressed and ready Vail did a first look with both her girls and her dad. Made for some very cute photos. The couple wanted to keep with tradition and go without seeing each other before the ceremony but came together for a pre wedding prayer (one of my favorite intimate moments from their day!). The Texas love birds said I do on the back deck of North Star Gatherings showcasing Colorado in all of its glory! For Vail’s design she wanted things to be boho and modern yet classy. We went with a dusty pink tone for as her main color with accents of ivory, tan and gold. For her tables we did a mixture of wooden farm tables and linened rounds to soften the look of the concrete floors throughout. We did a mixture of different centerpieces to keep interest throughout the space. The tall centerpieces created by Painted Primrose sat on golden harlow stands and showcased the pampas grass to bring in the true bohemian vibe. The real show stopped was the greenery draped chandelier in the center of the ballroom. The couple enjoyed a custom buffet style dinner by Occasions Catering complete with late night Honey Butter Chicken Biscuits just like the ones from the couples favorite late night spot in Texas, Whataburger. Vail and Quintin both went to Texas A&M University so they kicked off the dance floor with the Aggie War Hem that they do at all Aggie Weddings. In the middle of dancing, me and my staff handed out glow batons and light us dance props for guests to use and it definitely kept the energy up through hours of dancing! At the end of the night the couple sped away in a vintage Rolls Royce. The picture perfect end to a perfect evening. Check out the amazing gallery by one of my favorite photographers Samantha Ruscher Photo

Ways to Honor Lost Loved Ones at Your Wedding

Losing a loved one is one of the hardest experiences someone will ever go through. It can feel like such a punch in the stomach. That blow feels extra hard when those special people can’t be there to experience the big milestones in life, like getting married. Since those loved ones can’t be there, it’s important for them to be honored and acknowledged on the day. Here are a few ways you can honor lost loved ones at your wedding.

A Saved Chair: This is one of the most common ways to honor lost loved ones. You leave an empty chair in the first row at the ceremony to represent those who couldn’t be there. Putting a sign on that seat is a good way to make sure people know what that seat is saved for.

Shout out in the Ceremony: Discuss with your officiant when would be a good time to call attention to lost loved ones during the ceremony. The officiant can say a few nice words about those missing on that special day or even just read a list of names of those that couldn’t be present. A moment of silence can be so insanely powerful and make everyone stop to remember those who we have lost and are missing on your special day. This is always a huge tear jerkers and one of the most respectful way to show your respects for a lost loved one during the ceremony.

Memory Table: Create a table in a prevalent place at the ceremony or reception with your favorite photos of your favorite people. This can be a good way to show off your grandparents vintage wedding photos or old photos of you with the person that couldn’t be there. Having their photos around can make it feel like they’re not so far away.

Something Written in the Program: At the bottom of the ceremony program is a good place to say something about those who could not be present on the wedding day. This is a good way to honor your lost loved ones even if you might not be able to say the words aloud.

Take A Shot: This is one of my all time favorite ways to remember a lost loved one. At Kourtney & Tanner’s wedding they took a shot of Kourtney’s dads favorite tequila, Patron, to celebrate their new marriage with their dad that couldn’t be there physically. He was obviously the cool dad! They had custom shot glasses made that went along with the Patron to complete the shot set. This is a little thing that they get to keep with them even after the wedding day. This is a light hearted and more fun way to remember a lost loved one and everyone loved it.