1. Real Weddings

A Rustic Country Wedding at Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby, Colorado

Elizabeth Wroe (29 and a teacher) and Julie Begin (27 and an academic counselor with dropout prevention) met while working at an environmental educati

Elizabeth Wroe (29 and a teacher) and Julie Begin (27 and an academic counselor with dropout prevention) met while working at an environmental education center in South Carolina. After six years of adventures together, Julie proposed to Elizabeth at Red Rocks Amphitheater during an Avett Brothers concert. “I wrote to the band asking them to play our favorite song, that is rarely played live, but never heard back,” Julie says. “I decided if they played the song, it would be the universe telling me that my idea to propose was right. They played the song, and Elizabeth said, ‘Yes!’” They had an outdoor wedding at Snow Mountain Ranch where their guests could stay together for the weekend. “We wanted an affordable, outdoor location at a place that all of our guests could stay together for the weekend,” Julie says. “We chose a historic homestead on the property secluded in an aspen forest. The old log cabins and historic buildings were just what we wanted for our simple, rustic and occasionally rowdy wedding party.” For the intimate ceremony, Elizabeth and Julie did a wine box ceremony where they wrote love letters to one another and nailed them into a box with a bottle of wine to open on their 10-year anniversary. They chose emerald green and navy blue for their colors and then added purple and yellow accents. Instead of focusing so much on a color palette, they focused on a casual, rustic, country wedding. They made the leaf print linens themselves, spray painted wine bottles white for the centerpieces, arranged the wildflower bouquets and made the huckleberry jam wedding favors, which were made from berries from Northern Idaho where Elizabeth is from. They served Mexican food and margaritas for dinner and whoopee pies for dessert, which is a staple in Maine where Julie is from. One of the best parts was the flash mob to “500 Miles” after the toasts that was planned by Elizabeth’s sister. “It was amazing and made both of us laugh and cry!”

Elizabeth wore green flats with her wedding dress to match the wedding colors.
Simple Bridal Half Updo
Elizabeth wore a more traditional strapless wedding dress that she altered to be tea length. She completed her look with an elbow-length veil made from her extra wedding dress and emerald green belt.
Julie wore a knee-length ivory lace dress from ModCloth with cowboy boots. She wore a simple birdcage veil. “My look focused on having a rustic and somewhat old-fashioned style,” Julie says.
Purple and Yellow Wildflower Bouquet
The bridesmaids wore spring dresses from ModCloth. Julie’s side wore navy with cowboy boots, and Elizabeth’s side wore green with whatever shoes they wanted. All of the white belts were made from Elizabeth’s leftover dress.
The groomsmen wore khaki pants, white button ups and navy ties.
“We wanted an affordable, outdoor location at a place that all of our guests could stay together for the weekend,” Julie says. “We chose a historic homestead on the property secluded in an aspen forest. The old log cabins and historic buildings were just what we wanted for our simple, rustic and occasionally rowdy wedding party.”
“As part of our wedding ceremony, we did a wine box ceremony,” Julie says. “We built a box ahead of time and wrote love letters to each other and during the ceremony we nailed the box shut with letters and a bottle of wine that we will open on our 10 year anniversary and replace for another 10 years. The box is displayed at our house as a reminder of our commitment to each other and our wedding day. We will also open the box if times get tough in our relationship.”
Elizabeth and Julie Recessional
Elizabeth and Julie used mason jars as escort cards and favors for people to drink from that night and take home at the end of the night.
Elizabeth and Julie spray painted wine bottles white and filled them with wildflowers for the centerpieces. “The bright pinks, purples and yellows in our flowers were a great contrast to the white bottles,” Julie says.
Elizabeth and Julie made huckleberry jam with berries from Northern Idaho where Elizabeth grew up. They wrapped each factor with a rustic “Spread the Love” tag.
Elizabeth and Julie Exit