Improper City

Pre-wedding (optional) meet-up

Upper Larimer Events

Wedding Day

Ceremony

Upper Larimer

Cocktail Hour

Dinner and Reception

Number 38

College Football Saturday Meet-Up

Our Wedding

How we met

Many compare our meeting and relationship to that of a movie. While we agree it's quite a story, we see it as a chance-meeting gone right and a lot of hard work and commitment which brought us to today and this special time together. The simplest way to describe our meeting: we met in a bar. It sounds old-fashioned and innocent, but we can assure you, it was much more comical and messy than that. Kelsey and her best friend, Hannah, were on a Memorial Day weekend trip to London in May 2018. Kelsey was also celebrating her golden (25th) birthday on May 25th that same weekend. Kelsey and Hannah worked at Southwest Airlines and had the opportunity to fly standby to nearly anywhere in the world. With it being a holiday weekend, flights were pretty full and several cities were on their minds. London flights were oversold, but they decided to give it a try.The first thing that went right: Kelsey and Hannah made their flight. They spent the day in London drinking gin, touring Kensington Palace, seeing The Book of Mormon, drinking lots of champagne, and ending the night bar-hopping in SoHo. It was a gorgeous London evening and the streets were flooded with people enjoying pints outside of bars and pubs. After many drinks among several bars, Kelsey and Hannah followed a group into an establishment in SoHo called Thirst. The second thing that went right: Kelsey and Hannah ended up at the right bar at the right time. Hannah was determined to get free drinks for Kelsey's birthday. "You need a cute European boy to buy you a drink for your birthday," she said, likely slurred. Hannah scanned what can only be described as the basement of Thirst and pointed out an unassuming man across the room - "YOU. COME HERE." The third thing that went right: Hannah chose the right guy in the bar. Stefan had just returned from a work sabbatical and was out in London with visiting friends. It was also by complete chance that he was in SoHo - not his typical spot to go out. What the group of them discussed that night is a little blurry - Friday Night Lights being one memorable topic. We spent the night talking and dancing, when suddenly Hannah went missing. We later found out that she had gone to the Leicester Square Burger King and almost got thrown out because she was upset they didn't serve chicken fries. A worthy mission for late-night food, and a hilarious realization once Kelsey learned that her best friend wasn't kidnapped/dead. As we said our first goodbye, the connection we felt was undeniable. We exchanged contact information and began messaging on Facebook Messenger the very next day. We still use it to communicate to this very day. Several things went right over the next few months: Kelsey invited Stefan to Athens to join friends on a trip that July, which Stefan ended up agreeing to. Stefan conveniently had plans to come to America and see friends in New York that fall, so decided to add Dallas to his itinerary. They messaged nearly every day. Then, in October 2018, Kelsey stopped in London before meeting her sister in Ireland for a trip. It was on this trip that we decided to make things "official" and try to make long-distance work. We committed to seeing each other at least once every two months.

The commitment we made in October 2018 continued for the next 4+ years. We saw each other at least once every two months, with numerous trips each across the Atlantic and many tearful goodbyes at airports. Some trips were quick weekends, including many of the weddings of friends who will be joining us in Denver in September. Others we were lucky to make last 7-10 days. We saw so much of the world together (Kelsey cried in more airports than she'd like to admit), and we were waiting eagerly until we could finally be together, permanently, on the same continent. The arrival of COVID in early 2020 interrupted our plans and ability to be together for several months. Finally, in June 2020, Kelsey was able to get to London for the first time since late 2019. This trip began a series of trips for Kelsey to London during the pandemic, since the U.S borders were closed to Stefan until November 2021 - the first of many Thanksgivings to come. Regardless of the obstacles, we were committed to each other and wouldn't give up on the love we felt together. We finally moved in together in Dallas in May of 2022 and now call Denver and Colorado home. We added a few of our favorite trips together below!

Our Story

Photos

Wedding Party

Q + A

As a reminder, only the names listed on your invitation are welcome to join our wedding and reception. We are not able to accommodate children or other family members in our guest count. Please keep this in mind as you book travel.

Flights

Denver International Airport is the nearest airport and has daily nonstop flights from Europe and all over the United States.

Transport to Denver City Center

We highly recommend using RTD rail to get from Denver International Airport to Union Station (downtown), Denver. The ride takes roughly 30 minutes and costs $10. Tickets can be purchased at a kiosk at Denver Airport Station (follow signs "Train to City" when you land) or via RTD's mobile app.

Denver is full of great VRBOs or Airbnbs - especially near our wedding venue in the RiNo Arts District. RiNo and Downtown Denver are very walkable and where we'd recommend staying for our wedding weekend. There are a plethora of hotels - all the major brands, as well as boutique options. If you are looking for more of a "neighborhood vibe", we recommend the Lower Highlands. Feel free to reach out to us for additional suggestions or if you have any questions. Some hotel recommendations (and one with a wedding group discount) are below:

We have an exclusive group discount using the link below!(Please note that if you would like to check in before Thursday, reach out to Liz Sanchez (l.sanchez@vibdenver.com) at Vib to extend the discounted rate)

Vīb Hotel by Best Western Denver RiNo

Hotel Indigo Denver Downtown-Union Station by IHG

Renaissance Denver Downtown City Center Hotel

Travel

Red Rocks is a renowned concert venue just outside of Denver. While shows occur almost every evening, it's open to the public for viewing and hiking during the day. Kelsey and Stefan love the views and have attended shows there together over the years (namely Noah Kahan and T-Pain/Akon)

Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre

The changing of leaves and aspen trees is PERFECTLY timed with our wedding. If you can, rent a car or Turo for a day and head into the mountains to see the spectacle. There are plenty of locations within an hour of Denver that should have some gorgeous autumn views. Recommend finding hikes on the All Trails app.

Rocky Mountain Leaf Peeping!

The whiskey tour at Stranahan's is perfect for anyone not straying too far from the Denver area. Food and drinks at their bar are also delicious!

Stranahan's Whiskey Distillery & Cocktail Bar

A very close drive (hour or less) into the mountains from Denver resides a little town called Idaho Springs. The main drive has a ton of cute breweries, restaurants, and cafes. The town also has accessible natural hot springs.

Indian Hot Springs

Rocky Mountain National Park is a bit of a drive from Denver, but the outstanding views, wildlife, and ease of access is worth the trip.

Rocky Mountain National Park

The RiNo Art District of Denver is where our wedding will be held! We recommend exploring the murals, many breweries, and restaurants during your stay in Denver.

RiNo Art District

If you have the chance to visit Boulder, we recommend going to Pearl Street Mall. Full of shops, restaurants, eclectic street performers, and incredible views of the flatirons.

Registry