Category Archives: Spring Weddings
Colorado Mountain Wedding Planner: Kylie & Chad
Posted by elizabeth waldmann on October 6th, 2014
Kylie and Chad were one of those couples that you could just see the love. Even at the rehearsal the night before, they were beaming. The happy couple got married on top of a mountain in beautiful Keystone, Colorado. Close friends and family traveled mainly from the midwest to see these two get married. The two gondolas up did not disappoint, I’m sure. My ultimate favorite part of this wedding? When they got on stage with the band Deja Blu. They were having a blast! Thank you Chris Humphreys Photography for these awesome photos!
Breckenridge Wedding Planner, Is Married!
Posted by elizabeth waldmann on July 11th, 2014
Everyone says how much fun it is to get married. I guess I just didn’t know how much fun it could be. Never in my wildest dreams did I know it could go so well and I could have this much of a great time! I think Johnna, my business partner, is tired of hearing me say it but it’s true. 🙂 I guess it’s due to always being on the other side of planning. As wedding planners, we are hired to make the day run smooth. In making the day run smoothly, we can encounter obstacles and we have to think on our feet about how to fix them without the bride knowing. On my wedding day, I became the clueless bride. It was fabulous. The reason I could become a clueless bride? We hired a wedding planner!! 🙂
Someone once said to Johnna and I while we were working a wedding that your wedding day shouldn’t be the best day of your life. I agree and disagree with this statement. I think you should have many ‘best days of your life’. One of them definitely being your wedding day. That day was one of the best days of my life, so far. Everywhere we looked, there was someone we knew and loved very much. The feeling was spectacular!
To all of you future couples:
1. Enjoy every moment. Soak up every second. Do not spend any time being stressed. Which brings me to my second recommendation.
2. Hire a wedding planner 😉 … Maybe this should be rule #1
3. Do not sweat the small stuff. Once the day is over, you cannot get it back so do not spend the time stressing about things you cannot control.
4. If you’re having an outdoor ceremony, consider the fact that your veil might be flying in the wind. I didn’t have a veil but I see it all the time so I thought I would mention it. 🙂
5. Do a first look. I will address the reasons why in a future post…stay tuned.
6. Make a ‘shot list’ for your photographer. This communicates exactly what you expect of them which makes it so much better for everyone.
7. Eat and stay hydrated. This seems like a no brainier but trust me, it can slip your mind.
8. When people offer help, take it. Even when there is nothing to be done. If Aunt Jane is asking you what she can do, make up something. Yes Aunt Jane, I would love a latte. This way she is feeling helpful and you get a little caffeine boost. Win win!
9. Make it your own. I had my sister stand up with me and husband had his two brothers. Yes it was lopsided, but it was us.
10. Have the ‘best day of your life’!!! 🙂
Colorado Wedding Planner: How much? Planning for alcohol at your wedding
Posted by johnna-patton on May 15th, 2014
So, you’re having a wedding! And you want to serve alcohol. Finally a fun part of wedding planning! Also, confusing, and potentially expensive.  Questions about alcohol (what kinds? how much? where do I buy it?) are some of the questions I get asked the most by my clients, because if you’ve never thrown a party for a hundred or more people, all of a sudden providing them with libations can feel overwhelming.
Whether you’re just budgeting or actually purchasing it on your own, the tough part is deciding what to serve and how much of it. Fortunately, the numbers that will help you plan already exists.  And I tried to make them pretty 🙂
On average, your of-age guests who partake in the activity of drinking alcohol will drink one alcoholic beverage per hour of your reception (or event) for a reception taking place on a weekend evening.  Keep in mind that this is on average.
You typically know your guests well enough to know whether or not that statistic will ring true for them.  For example, when my husband and I got married we had about 1/4 of the guests who didn’t drink, 1/4 who we knew would drink under that average, and about half that we knew would blow that average out of the water…as in double or triple that…so we made adjustments in our numbers to account for that.
Here’s how the servings of different alcoholic beverages break down, in prettier form:
I would suggest talking to your bartender and asking him or her to use a jigger (alcohol measuring cup) to get the most bang for your buck on alcohol.
What kinds of alcohol should you offer?  Let me say first that you do not have to serve a full bar, it is perfectly acceptable to offer just beer and wine or beer, wine, and a signature drink.  At it’s most basic, a full bar is two beers (one light, one darker), red wine, white wine, champagne, vodka, gin, whiskey, tequila, rum, and basic mixers.
As for where to shop, in Colorado I generally recommend Applejack Liquors, Costco, or Argonaut Liquors. That said, local wine stores are fantastic, and while they may not keep large quantities on hand, are probably going to be totally happy to special order a few cases for you. You’ll also probably get more personalized service, which may make up for the discounts you might otherwise get from the mass-quantity sellers.  Also, always ask if you can return any unopened bottles.
I hope this helps you solve all of your wedding day drinky dilemmas!
Breckenridge Wedding Planner Plans Her Wedding!
Posted by elizabeth waldmann on February 27th, 2014
Wedding Goals and Direction
When thinking about what direction I wanted our wedding to go in, I started by thinking about what I dislike most about weddings.  There is just so much I love about weddings I thought this would be an easier route. Wes and I are huge outdoor people and try to be mindful of the environment in everything we do. We try to buy local whenever possible and always recycle. Why not carry these same thoughts over to our wedding. I realize it’s part of the job but being a wedding planner I unfortunately see so much waste at the end of a wedding. During the process of planning our wedding, I am going to try and be as gentle to the environment as I can and still pull off an amazing wedding. I am going to share these ideas in my upcoming blog posts so keep a look out!
 Keeping in mind one or more goals for your wedding will help you pull off a wedding of your dreams. So remember, it’s your wedding day so make it yours.
Breckenridge Wedding Planner: My Favorite Moments of 2013
Posted by johnna-patton on January 22nd, 2014
2013 was an incredible year for Distinctive Mountain Events! Â We were fortunate enough to be a part of so many amazing weddings in Breckenridge, Keystone and Vail. Â These are my favorite moments from 2013!
Dry Gulch Placer
Maggie and Ed on Peak 7
Christine and Brian dancing the Hora
Sean and Crystal with sparklers at their wedding in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.
Embry with a here come the bride sign at Sean and Crystal’s wedding
