This Adventurous, Winter Wedding on a Colorado Mountain Involved Dashing Through the Snow Atop Snowmobiles
Jade and Adrien were shouting their love for each other on mountaintops long before their adventurous wedding ceremony. The two met thanks to their older brothers when Jade’s brother was moving out of his house, and Adrien was there to assist. Years later, they reconnected on a boating trip and began dating before a proposal was on the horizon. Jade’s one stipulation was that it happened in winter, a season they both loved. On a weekend trip to the cabin with Jade and her family, inspiration struck Adrien, where he spray painted “Will you marry me?” on the side of the mountain.
Even before the engagement, the couple knew they wanted something different for their big day. The two bonded over their shared interests, like snowmobiling and extreme sports, so they found a way to incorporate that into their wedding—a more intimate ceremony on top of the mountain near Grand Lake in Colorado. This is where Jade’s family cabin was and where her and Adrien’s relationship blossomed, and they could ride snowmobiles on the trails to the top. “We thought maybe half of our guests would attend the ceremony, but… everyone except for about 5-10 people joined the adventure. All the guests rent[ed] a snowmobile… [rode] around the trails and then join[ed] our ceremony. Seeing each other for the first time and getting married in [this] spot meant so much to us,” Jade says.
With this mountaintop ceremony, Adrien and Jade wanted a similar backdrop for their reception. They fell in love with a nearby reclaimed Civil War-era barn that now served as a nonprofit water conservation center. It fit their rustic theme perfectly, and from there, they began DIYing many of their decor elements, from simple ceremony florals to a hot cocoa station made of wood pallets. “We got all the logs from our backyard and just cleaned them up a little. Focusing on light and [a] few flowers, more candles and lots of wood accents, we brought our vision of ‘rustic and nature’ all together,” Jade says about their repurposing natural elements. They even planned the entire ceremony to ensure everything worked for their wedding party and guests.
The weather even cooperated for this winter-loving couple, with a fresh batch of snow to add a natural sparkle to the mountaintop venue. “We wanted the ceremony to be very minimal and let the location speak for itself. We made flower arrangements (different types of greenery and pine cones) to go on the posts behind us as we were getting married,” Jade says. With a color palette of “tans, browns, green and white,” the soon-to-be-weds made sure their attire fit with the theme and picturesque location. Adrien wore a black suit, white paisley tie and cowboy boots, including some matching brown gloves for the chilly weather. Jade’s bridal gown was simple and form-fitting, complete with a fuzzy sweater and coat during the ceremony. She surprised her groom-to-be with her own white cowboy boots, with her “something borrowed” being a gold bracelet of her mother’s.
Guests and the wedding party soon arrived on their snowmobiles, with one guest even surprising the couple with his dog sled team at the top of the mountain. Jade described seeing all of her loved ones at the ceremony as “truly special” as she rode in with her dad on a snowmobile. “We are very simple, outdoorsy, and nature-oriented people. We wanted to break this wedding down to the roots of where we are,” she says, which showed in their personal touches throughout the ceremony and reception.
As for the most important details of the day, according to the bride, those were the flowers. Jade and Adrien incorporated their earthy tones in their arrangements, with the addition of eucalyptus, baby’s breath, pine trees and pine cones in bouquets, centerpieces and their aisle decor. Jade’s bridal bouquet had the extra bit of flair from white roses, a perfect match for the snowy scene. They decorated the barn reception space with chainsawed logs, various candles and their repurposed bouquets in wood vases they built.
One standout for the day was their live country band, one of their family friends, at the reception. They offered multiple dinner stations for guests to choose from, including various desserts because of Jade’s own sweet tooth. Guests danced well into the night, celebrating this beautiful union in an even more stunning Colorado setting for this winter wedding. This adventurous couple had their perfect day, and they urge any other nearlyweds to follow their own path on the wedding day: “Don't be afraid to go for something that is out of the ordinary! This is your special day, and do what you both love.”