Fall Wedding at Blackstone Rivers Ranch | Molly + Connor
Fall is one of the best times to get married and has become increasingly popular in Colorado as the mountains in Idaho Springs at Blackstone Rivers Ranch are cool enough to be comfortable while still being outside. Blackstone Rivers Ranch boasts beautiful outdoor spaces open for weddings until November. Connor and Molly’s wedding day was slightly windy so we opted to do most of their wedding down in the trees at Blackstone Rivers to avoid being too exposed on the mountains nearby. Because the venue is mostly pine trees there is a good opportunity to get some greenery even in the late fall after the summer leaves have fallen.
This day in particular was with one of my favorite wedding planners to work with Donnah at Poised Events. She’s a trusted vendor at this particular venue and we have worked countless weddings together over the years. I always know it’s going to be a wonderful event when Poised is the planner or coordinator for the day.
Also, did I mention there’s a place at the venue you are allowed to bring your dogs so you can get photos with the whole family? Ok I’m getting ahead of myself… let’s start from the beginning.
Bridal Details
For details I decided to kick it a little old school and do a proper flat lay with bridal details on a flat lay mat. I think the mat really gives a more elevated feeling for details. I’ve done countless wedding flat lays on the floor of the venue and something about a really crisp background that’s not a vibrant tone helps make details just pop and feel more meaningful.
Getting Ready Suites
Both getting ready suites at Blackstone Rivers have bathrooms, getting ready areas with speakers and refrigerators, and outdoor patios. I cannot tell you how wonderful and valuable it is to have ALL of these three things in BOTH suites. I think it’s pretty rare to come by both getting ready suites having access to private bathrooms and patios and it truly does make a big difference in the feel of the day for the wedding party as well as the photos.
The first look with Molly’s dad was a really beautiful and emotional one. As he turned around to see her in full glam and her wedding dress he GASPED with his hands over his mouth and started to tear up. And naturally our photo and video teams quietly got emotional behind our lenses, too. It’s such a beautiful thing to see fathers who are outwardly emotional and so proud of their children growing up. This first look in particularly was a once in a lifetime memory I feel so glad they have captured to reflect upon and relive for years to come.
Private Vows
Next we got to have a first look with Molly and Connor (Bride and Groom) privately together. They had also opted to do private vows prior to the ceremony that was just the two of them. Increasingly I really appreciate this tradition because of a few reasons.
A first look is a great way to ease the nerves before the ceremony.
Not everyone wants their vows to be shared publicly. Vows can be just for the two of you - inside jokes and private stories you want to keep just in your relationship.
You don’t have to rehearse, grammatically be perfect, or even worry about time limits of reading the vows during a ceremony with a ton of people.
Lots of people leave their vow writing to the last minute and end up having limited time to actually go over their notes prior to their wedding day. There’s so many other deatils of wedding planning that couples focus on it’s easy to leave the writing to the last minute. Sure you have an idea in your head of what to write but it’s helpful to be able to not feel like you have to perform your vows to an audience and keep it more casual and personal with just your partner. OK my last and final point about why I love private vows is that you can honestly do both vows before the ceremony and during the ceremony. You can use the private vows as a practice run OR you can even just read a shortened version of your long form vows for the ceremony.
There’s many places around the venue to do portraits but naturally down in the trees when the wind was going nuts was our absolute best option for the day. Several moments where the wind calmed down we were able to slip on Molly’s veil with her stunning boquet of flowers by Lilac and Sage Studio.
The other thing I mentioned in the blog before that I HAVE to highlight is the ability to bring your dogs to this venue. There’s a designated area near the parking lot which is very spacious that you are allowed to have your dogs. Though you cannot have them as part of your ceremony you can still have your pups drop by to take photos and do a “first look” with your furry children. It is such a bonus to be able to have the option and I just love what sentimental photos this adds to a gallery.
Ceremony
The setting for the ceremony at BSR is under two mature trees that create their own definition for the front of the ceremony at the front. This coupe opted for more simple greenery at the front of the ceremony coming up from the ground. I really like how this set up integrates into the overall natural scene of Blackstone Rivers Ranch without taking away from the calm river running through the venue and the towering trees that provide shelter for the ceremony area.
The color choice for the bridesmaids and groomsmen was a deep pink red that was just chefs kiss perfect. I think going with a deeper color for fall that doesn’t feel too dark was a beautiful pop on the color palette that looked wonderful on everyone’s skin tone. Mismatched dresses continue to be a theme I love where people can pick their own style and shade of the color and theme that works with each person’s style and body type.
Post Ceremony
Since Molly and Connor structured their wedding day with a first look and we planned to get all their portraits, family photos, and wedding party photos out of the way they were able to really enjoy the entirety of their wedding day without needing to hop out to take any photos. It’s very common that venues and planners will give you 10 minutes alone post ceremony which is a beautiful time to spend and soak in the moment. It is SO much more rewarding to have that time when you have gotten all your family photo obligations out of the way ahead of the ceremony.
Once M+C took a few moments alone together in the getting ready quite they did a soft entrance into cocktail hour and got to enjoy the company of everyone who came out to see them as well as got the last bit of daylight before heading into the reception tent for the night. The BEST part about couples being able to attend their cocktail hour is being able to get photos with friends without needing to add them to your formal shot list. You can have causal and quick snapshots with your guests and have more quality time talking to them before the evening moves along to dancing, toasts, dinner, etc.
The reception space at Blackstone Rivers Ranch features a white tent with light wood tables that creates SUCH beautiful lighting for any set up. M+C opted to do white tablecloths with velvet tan napkins and gold accents at each table. The warmth of the gold tones mixed with the white tablecloths really elevated the overall feeling of the space. The florals brought life and color throughout the space with hanging florals throughout the tent creating color, texture, and soft floral ceiling elements.
TH entertainment was a HUGE highlight of the night and I have to just brag about this offering they have now because it is like having a LIVE BAND at your wedding without the cost of it. They offer a DJ with live instruments so you have the effect of the live music mixed with a DJ set. Aside from this being a fraction of the cost of what a live band would be, they can play ANY song on the spot and not just all the classics you hear at every wedding. The energy for the remainder of the evening was SO FUN and UPBEAT all thanks to the magic of TH Entertainment.
One final thought I have to leave you with: if your friends insist to pick you up in a chair please HOLD ON TO THE CHAIR. PS. Nobody was harmed in the making of this photo.
Cheers!
This day is all thanks to an amazing vendor team with lots of experience in the industry and incredible families and personal style from the couple Connor and Molly. They selected each and every detail so thoughtfully and included the most wonderful people in their celebration. Here’s a list of the vendor team who made it all possible:
Venue: Blackstone Rivers Ranch
Planner: Poised Events
Photographer: Madeline J Studios
Videographer: Rocky Mountain Films
HMUA: Beauty on Location
Catering: Biscuits and Berries
DJ and Entertainment: TH Entertainment
Cake: My Favorite Baker
Attire: Calvet Couture
Attire: Suit Supply
Transportation: Blue River Transportation
