A Simple, Rustic Wedding at Ten Mile Station in Breckenridge, Colorado

Julie Pfotenhauer (30 and works in sales) and John O’Gara (30 and also works in sales) met at a wedding in Colorado. At the time, Julie was living in New York City and John was living in Chicago. They dated long distance for 18 months until Julie moved to Chicago. John proposed in St. Louis (Julie’s hometown) at a park near Julie’s parent’s house. Colorado was an obvious choice when it came to picking a venue because Julie’s parents met in Colorado, Julie and John met in Colorado, and Julie went on ski trips to Colorado every year. They chose St. Mary’s Catholic Church for their ceremony because Julie’s family spent many Christmas holidays skiing in Colorado and went to many Christmas Eve masses at St. Mary’s. After the traditional Catholic ceremony, they went to Ten Mile Station for their reception because they wanted to celebrate on the mountain, they loved the outdoor space for cocktail hour and they needed a venue that would fit their 200 guests. The couple was inspired by BHLDN’s natural and rustic feel, and wanted that same vibe for their wedding. Everything was neutral colored except for the Colorado wildflower centerpieces, which added a pop of purple. Keeping with the skiing inspiration, guests signed old wooden skis for the guest book. The most important part of the wedding, other than the venue, was the band. “John loves to dance, and we both knew that the band was going to be very important,” Julie says. The chose the Diamond Orchestra for their live music (John even did the worm during the party!), and gave guests flip flops to make sure everyone was comfortable on the dance floor.