A winery wedding in Colorado is a rare sight indeed! Before the River Garden Winery opened their stunning property to weddings the only winery I had heard of was Balistreri in north Denver. Maybe there was one or two near Palisade? And while Balistreri is a winery (with a great barrel cellar for portraits) they aren't a vineyard meaning they don't have vines like the River Garden Winery in Fort Lupton. This August wedding was on one of the hottest days of the year. The bright afternoon light we had for their portraits and the perfect temperatures during the al fresco dinner & dancing were just dreamy. We took shade in the vines, danced on the dock at sunset, and these two even fed each other grapes off the vine :)
I first met Lindsey & Denys at their engagement session in Eldorado Canyon State Park. If you look carefully at the decorations they used for the ceremony and reception, you'll see that they incorporated several of those photographs! At their engagement session I learned how goofy they are together, with Denys constantly making jokes and facial expressions that never failed to make Lindsey laugh. I truly enjoyed getting to know them - hearing about how they met working at a hospital with Lindsey pronouncing his name "Denise," how Lindsey's dad used to rock climb in Eldo, and of course their hopes for their pandemic-year wedding.
One of my favorite things about Lindsey & Denys' wedding day was their choice to do a first look, a.k.a see each other before the ceremony. They had me booked for 5.5 hours and their timeline looked something like this:
Getting Ready Photos: 3:30-4pm
First Look & Couple Portraits: 4-4:30pm
Wedding Party & Family Photos: 4:30-5pm
Ceremony Time: 5:30-6pm
Cocktail Hour: 6-7pm
Dinner: 7-8pm (with sunset photos at 7:45pm!)
Toasts, Cake Cutting, First Dances: 8-8:30pm
Dance Floor Photos: 8:30-9pm
This is a very pared-down version of their timeline, but you get the idea: take photos before the ceremony and you get to join cocktail hour right after signing your marriage license! And bonus? The realization that you don't necessarily need "all day" coverage to have amazing coverage of your entire wedding. Just take a scroll through their photos, and I think you'll agree!
VENDORS
Venue | River Garden Winery
Planner | Hawley, Vining Events
Caterer | Kelly, Elements Catering
Baker | Britney, The Dessert Stand
Florist | Taylor, Plum Sage Flowers
Hair & Make-Up Artist | Sara, Fierce with Beauty
Rentals & Decor | Brandi, Robin Event Rental
Bride's Attire | Jenny Yoo Haven Gown from BHLDN
Groom's Attire | Jos A. Bank
DJ | Larry, A Music Plus
Rings | Brilliant Earth and Trice Jewelers
This wedding has been featured on Couture Colorado!
