West End Tavern

Rehearsal Dinner

Planet Bluegrass Weddings

Ceremony & Reception

The Rock Garden

After Party

LaVern M. Johnson Park

Brunch

Our Wedding

Way Back When

This is a tale as old as time, starting way back in 2007, in the dark ages when BlackBerrys were in high demand and iPhones didn't exist. Gabe first saw Em as she entered the middle school band room and thought to himself, "wow, I should get to know her". He talked to her for the first time in 2009. The introduction took place on an 8th grade music trip, where, despite Em being in band and Gabe being in orchestra, they found that they actually had some things in common. In addition to sharing an interest in music, they had several mutual friends, the same Virgin Mobile cell phone (one of the cool ones that flipped open sideways for a full keyboard), they were the same height (and pretty much still are), and merely being on that trip meant that they shared in not being the most popular kids at school. The phones really created a jumping-off point, though, and once they exchanged numbers, hardly a day passed where they didn't talk.

Let the Games Begin

Highschool at Chatfield was no different, and although they never had any classes together, Em and Gabe certainly saw each other more. Those who were once mutual friends were now just friends, and weekends were spent with everyone around campfires, watching movies, giving Gabe dreadlocks, and getting into whatever other shenanigans highschoolers got into in the early 2010s. As the years went on and they spent more time together, Gabe tried to keep his feelings close to his chest, which evidently worked a little too well, as Em started dating a couple of his friends. He was playing the long game, though, and when the time was right, he waited a little bit longer, and then he eventually asked her out. This may come as a surprise to those who are wondering why they waited 12 years to get married, but in that moment Em, in fact, said that she would rather remain friends. So, they did, albeit in an expectedly somewhat awkward sort of way.

A Slight Detour

Something in the water at CU Boulder has a way of smoothing those kinds of things out, though. It could be the vitamin D deficiency from Gabe's engineering school or the flow of "networking activities" in Em's business school, but either way, they still stayed in touch as much as their schedules would allow. In 2017, they both graduated and one of them even moved on to bigger and better things. Their lives completely diverged at this point, with Em actually starting to make money at Oracle and Gabe just continuing to spend money by staying in school, but they still managed to connect every once in a while. Gabe even convinced Em to join him and Will on a week-long trip to Tijuana for some light camping and house building.

Thanks Josh

Fast forward to early 2020 (the good couple of months) when Gabe was playing a gig in Denver, and Em came to watch. The timing could not have been better, since Em was single and Gabe was...still single. All it took was some liquid courage for Em to confide her newfound feelings for Gabe to his bandmate, Josh. Luckily, this was eventually relayed to an otherwise oblivious Gabe, and even more luckily, was done so before Denver completely shut down. In February of 2020, he took Em up on an invite to a bar downtown, where he remembered his first unsuccessful courting attempt and made a bold decision: he made Em ask him out this time. After some more liquid courage, she did, and they started dating with so much hope for a bright, not at all complicated future, right at the end of February 2020.

Love and Covid

Despite the state of the world at the beginning of their relationship, Em and Gabe were able to make it work pretty seamlessly. Gabe was wrapping up graduate school and entering a non-existent work force and Em's weekly work travel came to an abrupt halt, so their schedules were all of a sudden very flexible and easily aligned. They spent as much of their free time together as they could. The four guys that Gabe lived with were always gracious and welcomed Em into their living space with open arms, so most of first two years of dating was spent there playing games and building lifelong friendships. If they weren't skiing, hiking, climbing, or camping, they were probably at a wedding somewhere. Otherwise, they were on the road to Montana, Wisconsin, Moab, Kansas, or Arkansas (technically also for a wedding).

Most importantly, they went on their first international trip together to Costa Rica, which worked out very nicely as a proposal venue for Gabe.

A Long Engagement

Congrats to those who haven't given up yet, you're almost there. By the time the wedding arrives, Gabe and Em will have been engaged for two years. Those two years have consisted some big moves from Golden to Wheat Ridge and Wheat Ridge back to Golden, slightly fewer weddings and significantly more baby showers, and another Master’s degree (don't worry, this time it's Em's). They visited Josh in Durango, trekked into several backcountry huts, got COVID in Wisconsin, E. coli in Mexico, and started a disease-free tradition of celebrating the 4th of July in Seattle with Gabe's sister.

It turns out, the long game paid off. After 18 years in the making, they also found time to put together a wedding and can't wait to celebrate with all of you!

It's About Time!

Our Story

Photos

You have to be pretty close to willingly turn your beds into a bunkbed freshman year of college, but there was no hesitation for Jake and I. We grew so accustomed to sharing over the years, from BB guns in Cub Scouts to a place in his mom’s heart in high school, that sharing a dwelling all through college was a no-brainer. Plus, it made sharing in the pains of engineering homework more convenient. We did everything together, and given Jake’s ambitiously active nature, it was usually something adventurous. He taught me how to rock climb, we’d skip school events to go camping, and I’d try my best to keep up with him skiing. Nothing has changed, except “school events” are now just “adult responsibilities”. Jake has been a constant nearly my whole life, and even when he’s simultaneously working full time, finishing grad school, fixing a perpetually broken truck, and training with his fiance, Laurel, for a 50 mile race in some desert somewhere, he is incredibly consistent. I could not have asked for more in a Best Man.

Jake

Lexi and I first crossed paths during a business school group project in our freshman year at CU Boulder. We even snapped a photo together for our presentation, then life moved on. It wasn’t until a mutual friend reintroduced us that the pieces clicked: we had met before! From that second meeting on, our friendship grew quickly and deeply. Lexi is one of the kindest, most uplifting, disciplined, talented, and genuinely funny people I have ever known. From spending time at the Rio in college, to exploring downtown Denver as young adults, Lexi and I always have the best time together. Lexi just finished her first marathon and recently moved to Idaho with her awesome husband, Jordan, and their two dogs. Fun fact: I was the officiant in their wedding!! I am so lucky to have her by my side as my MOH!!

Lexi 

I feel like I have known Will forever, but we first met as high school freshman, so it has only been like 16 years. Our sense of humor is identical, so we hit it off instantly. He already met Em in marching band, but his multifaceted music skills also placed him in jazz band with me, where our music career began and, ultimately, peaked at our Red Rocks graduation. Will consciously chose to go to the School of Mines, but that didn’t stop the music. I just ended up joining him and the Joshes in Golden after college, where he bought a house that we all lived in until he married his wife, Ingrid, and kicked us to the curb. That house was the main stage for Em and my first two years of dating, and Will was always the most excited for us. We went everywhere with him, and sometimes, it was hard for Em to tell who was really third wheeling. Since moving out, we ran out of Joshes to drum in our band, but luckily, we have Will’s dad, so the music still hasn’t stopped. Em and I couldn’t imagine our relationship without Will’s unrelenting support and couldn’t picture a wedding without him up there with us.

Will

Molly and I met at CU during our freshman year, living just across the hall from each other. Molly quickly became one of my favorite people, thanks to her kindness, goofiness, and easygoing nature. Over the next four years, we shared many adventures—living together junior year, working together, and always finding ways to laugh through it all. Molls and I share a friendship filled with humor, support, and unforgettable memories. She’s also a lawyer and lives in San Francisco with her wonderful husband, Ted, their son, Oliver, and their cat and dog. I am so grateful for Molly’s presence in my life and can’t wait to have her standing up there with me on the big day.

Molly

Josh has been there since the beginning and played a big role in Our Story. He was an initial mutual friend, on the introductory band trip, and he was Em’s confidant who, thankfully, spilled the beans. We go back further, though, and met sometime around 4th grade. Josh was the cool kid doing flips on the playground, and even though he and his wife, Ginia, just had their second baby, that hasn’t changed a bit. Music brought us together in high school, as our appreciation evolved into singing and writing our own songs and even playing Red Rocks. Josh’s harmonization is unmatched and translates directly to his character. He gets along with anyone and everyone and, somehow, always maintains an infectious, positive attitude, and I’ve witnessed a lot of injuries. His attitude even convinced me that the School of Mines wasn’t that bad. Josh has always been there to support me through highs and lows, and called it from the start that Em and I would end up together, so I couldn’t imagine making it official without him standing up there with us.

Josh

I met Laurel through Gabe because Laurel is engaged to Jake, Gabe's Best Man. From the very beginning, I knew I wanted to be close friends with Laurel! She is the kind of person who will drop everything to help someone in need, always showing up with kindness, warmth, and a can-do attitude. She's one of my favorite ski buddies, an incredibly thoughtful friend, and, fun fact, she recently ran a 50-mile race! Laurel also encourages me to try harder climbs at the gym - without her encouragement, I would probably sit on the mat the whole time. Laurel makes every room brighter, and I feel so lucky to have her in my life.

Laurel

I met Joe in 7th grade, and we quickly bonded over an appreciation for Cake – the band, not the food, though I never aksed about the latter. Since then, Joe has proven to be one of the smartest people that I know, which was very fortunate for me, as we worked through middle school, high school, and a few electrical engineering courses together at CU. Unsurprisingly, he pushed it a big step further and sought a higher understanding of the world by pursuing a PhD in Applied Physics. He keeps saying it will be finished soon, but I guess he and his fiance, Allie, have to get married or something soon as well. I have never known Joe to back down from a challenge, and his fluency far extends past the classroom. This is especially true when it comes to the outdoors, where the skiing, climbing, and backpacking trips have only gotten bigger and better over the years. The list of my favorite adventures includes all those planned and led by Joe, and I couldn’t imagine pursuing this next one without him standing by my side.

I met Haley through high school basketball! While we were always friends in school and on the basketball team, our friendship deepened years later when I was living part-time in Manhattan and Haley was living in Peru as a part of the Peace Corps. Despite the distance, we talked on the phone nearly every day, building an even stronger friendship. The pandemic began in 2020 and Haley had to come home from Peru. We spent a lot of time during covid hanging out with Maddie in our parent’s backyards during that time. Gabe and I loved visiting Haley and her boyfriend, Kellen, in D.C. last year! Haley is thoughtful, grounded, and so kind. She is someone I am so lucky to call a close friend. 

Haley

I met Josh Morsicato early in college, when I was studying mechanical engineering at CU and he did the same, just with fewer women, at the School of Mines. I was introduced to Josh by the other Josh and then lived with both Joshes until the first Josh moved out, another Josh moved in, that Josh moved out, and this Josh was the last Josh standing. I call him Morsicato. Over our four years in Golden, we bonded over many shared interests, dessert being one of the foremost. We also ski, climb, have great taste in music, and are well matched in the art of staying up too late. Morsicato has an innate understanding of how things work but still dives deeper to learn more, whether about engineering, cooking, cars, or something random that he and three other people found on YouTube. He is one of the most driven people I know and tends to put the happiness of those he loves first, so despite working, starting an Executive MBA, and having his first baby with his wife, Abbie, just last summer, he didn’t hesitate to be a part of our wedding. I’m extremely grateful, and not surprised.

Morsicato (Josh)

Maddie and I met during our freshman year of high school while playing basketball together. We quickly bonded over our love for the game and our legendary Saturday nights spent in Maddie’s parents' basement playing Just Dance with friends. After practices, you could often find us making goofy music videos (some of which still live on Facebook, much to our amusement). Since 2013, Maddie has been a constant in my life... she is steadfast, hilarious, and just simply awesome. Through the years and all of life’s changes, our friendship has remained so strong, and I am beyond grateful to have Maddie by my side for this special moment.

Maddie

Ryan LaGreca is a man of many names, but I usually call him Lagrec. I knew him in middle school, but I didn’t get to know him until high school, and we really started connecting at CU. Living together for three years in college probably helped. Daily Mario Kart really brings people together, and I suppose so do skiing, camping, and backpacking trips. Lagrec and I truly bonded when Jake and Joe had to literally hold our hands on a backpacking trip after we both severely sunburned our eyeballs on the hike in. My misery had good company, though, and I'll never do it with anyone else. I like to think we have gotten smarter since then, especially since Lagrec is working through a Physician Assistant program and just had his first baby with his wife, Cristy. I’m confident, though, since he is one of the most reliable people I know, and you can always count on him to show up. He is the kind of guy you want to keep around for a while, so there was no question when it came to having him be a part of our wedding.

LaGreca (Ryan)

I met Kelsey in 2020 through Gabe’s friend group in Golden, CO, and we clicked right away. Over the years, our friendship has only grown stronger. Whether we are skiing, going on long walks, or spending time with Kelsey’s wonderful family, I always feel grateful for the time we share. Kelsey is someone I deeply admire. She’s a trusted friend, a role model, and someone I genuinely love having in my life. Kelsey is the kind of friend that usually has a million things going on, but always takes time out of her busy schedule to make her loved ones feel supported and special. I am honored to have her by my side when Gabe and I say, ‘“I do.”

Kelsey

Daniel and I go way back to when our feet barely reached the piano pedals and when we actually knew how to play piano. Our introduction was as natural as it gets, orchestrated by our moms out of the sheer convenience of using the same piano teacher. We grew close, though, as we played more recitals together and began finding actual interests in common. Sure, we spent days here and there rotting in a basement while fixated on a screen, but Daniel and I really shared a passion for the outdoors. In Boy Scouts, we spent countless days and nights exploring the Colorado wilderness and never turned down an adventure, from sleeping in snow caves to sailing the Florida Keys. I credit Daniel for a lot of my personality today, especially my sense of humor, and I admire how he never ceases to be himself. After high school, Daniel served our country in the army and started a life in Texas with his wife, Kim. Despite the distance, I still consider him to be one of my best friends and am proud to stand with him at our wedding.

Daniel

Abbie and I also met in 2020 while Gabe was living with Abbie's husband, Morsicato! Abbie and I quickly hit it off, bonding over our shared sense of humor, love for the outdoors, and appreciation for a good backyard rager (although Abbie tends to fall asleep before they actually start). From backyard hangouts to mountain adventures, our friendship has been filled with laughter, support, and countless amazing conversations. Abbie is warm, fun, and incredibly thoughtful. She genuinely cares about every single person in her life and is someone who always recognizes Gabe’s perspective of things, which is something I really appreciate. I am so happy to have her by my side on this special day.

Abbie

Wedding Party

Denver International Airport

8500 Peña Blvd, Denver, CO 80249, USA

This is the best airport to fly into for the wedding, and the Planet Bluegrass venue is just under an hour away!

Ride-Share

Lyons is a small town where all of the wedding events will be just a short walk away. This means, though, that ride-share services, like Uber or Lyft, are more difficult to use in town. They should be able to take you to the wedding but may not not pick you up from the wedding, so we will provide a shuttle service to the Candlewood Suites in Longmont after the reception. From there, you can stay at one of several hotels or you can get an Uber or Lyft to take you to your next destination.

Shuttle

Shuttle trips to Longmont will be provided starting after the wedding reception. They will drop off at the Candlewood Suites, which is a 20 minute drive from the Planet Bluegrass wedding venue. They will pick up according to the schedule below: 10:15pm --------------------- Rock Garden (After-Party Venue)11:15pm ----------------------Rock Garden12:15pm --------------------- Rock Garden1:15am ----------------------- Rock Garden

Transportation

The stone mountain lodge offers accommodations just a 4 minute drive up the canyon from the Planet Bluegrass wedding venue. Note: We do not recommend walking to or from this lodge, since there is not good walking path or sidewalk.

Stone Mountain Lodge

Candlewood Suites Longmont is a 20 minute drive from the Planet Bluegrass wedding venue and is where the shuttle will drop off after the wedding reception. If you select the "WEDDINGS ETC*" Rate Preference, this link will apply a discount to your reservation.

Candlewood Suites Longmont

The Holiday Inn Express &amp; Suites is right across the street from Candlewood Suites. If you select the "WEDDINGS ETC*" Rate Preference, this link will apply a discount to your reservation.

Holiday Inn Express & Suites

This is a lovely park bounded by the North St. Vrain river that offers tent camping and RV parking. It has showers, toilets, and picnic areas and is just a 10 minute walk from the Planet Bluegrass wedding venue. It is also just an 8 minute walk from The Rock Garden after party. Just be sure to make a reservation beforehand.

LaVern M Johnson Campground

Accommodations

You can't go wrong exploring the outdoors anywhere in Colorado, but here are some ideas that are relatively close to the wedding venue.

Lyons

Lyons is the town where our wedding will be held, but it has a lot more to offer. It is known to have great mountain bike trails for those with experience, several hikes to choose from, and the St. Vrain Creek to play in. You can also easily find good food and beer right off of Main Street.

Boulder

Boulder is a city close to our hearts and is home to our alma mater, CU. It is about 20 minutes from Lyons, and there is a lot to do, whether you are looking for some live music, shopping on Pearl Street, a good place to eat or one of the many local breweries. There is also plenty for outdoor enthusiasts interested in hiking, biking, climbing, taking a dip in the creek, or checking out Chautauqua and the Flatirons. If nothing else, we highly recommend the creperie, Holy Crepe!!, on the corner of Broadway and Arapahoe.

Estes Park

Estes Park is home to the beautiful Rocky Mountain National Park, and whether you walk, hike, or drive, you will find some spectacular views. Estes is just under a 30 minute drive from the Planet Bluegrass venue.

Casa Bonita, just an hour from Lyons, offers a delightful dining experience that we have "enjoyed" since our childhood. With the recent renovations, we really do enjoy it now that it's clean and the food is actually good. Cliff divers, sopapillas, and a guy in a gorilla suit! ! What more could you ask for? Just be sure to make a reservation well in advance.

Gabriel & Emily

Gabriel & Emily

Photos