1. Real Weddings

An Ultra-Chic, Romantic, Whimsical Wedding at Dunafon Castle in Idledale, Colorado

Emily Bennett (29 and a supervisor at Anthropologie) and Rebecca Heinrich (34 and a laboratory supervisor at LABS, Inc) met through mutual friends. Re

Emily Bennett (29 and a supervisor at Anthropologie) and Rebecca Heinrich (34 and a laboratory supervisor at LABS, Inc) met through mutual friends. Rebecca proposed during breakfast at Cinderella’s Palace while they were on vacation in Walt Disney World. At the end of the meal, the waitress came out with a little glass slipper with an engagement ring in it. “In her excitement, Emily immediately started shouting, ‘Yes, yes, I will!’ But I stopped her, got down on one knee and popped the question,” Rebecca says. “Everybody in the restaurant applauded (well, all the moms did anyway!)” For their wedding, the couple chose Dunafon Castle in Idledale, Colorado, for its proximity to Denver and perfect combination of Colorado splendor and ethereal grandeur. Emily and Rebecca used a coral and lavender color palette and whimsical details with a vintage twist to create their ultra-romantic forest fairy tale-inspired wedding. For their ceremony, they rented an arbor from Bella Calla and decorated it with kanzashi petals and butterfly strands. Both being raised Catholic, they had a traditional Catholic ceremony with their own twist, including a crowning ceremony tradition. The gorgeous tented reception was decorated with DIY details such as the vintage Reader’s Digest table numbers and gold-painted centerpieces, which added a little personality to the decor. At the end of the night, the couple enjoyed a purple ombre cake made by one of the bridesmaids, which was as delicious as it looked with lemon and blackberry jam, green tea and chocolate and strawberry and strawberry preserves. The cake was topped with custom figurines, a bunny and a bird, to represent Emily and Rebecca's personalities. At the end of the night, guests went home with the escort cards, birdhouses filled with candy, and the place setting decor, wooden coasters also decorated with birds and bunnies.

“I’m an Anthro girl through and through, and when I got engaged, I immediately knew that I wanted my gown to be from BHLDN, Anthropologie’s bridal line,” Emily says. “I wanted something interesting, but that would still feel worthy of a wedding at a castle (it also had to have straps of some kind). I chose a beautiful lace and tulle dress by Catherine Deane. In addition to my gown, I purchased a small blusher veil, a capelet that I wore for my ceremony, as well as a beautiful pearl bracelet and my amazing Betsey shoes. Everyone kept asking at the wedding if my pieces were vintage, which told me I’d hit the nail on the head!”
Emily carried coral dahlias, burgundy calla lilies, blue hydrangeas, white freesia and pink anemones in a vintage silver holder.
Sparkly Peep-Toe Gold Betsey Johnson Bridal Heels
“I was pretty confident in the look I wanted,” Rebecca says. “Illusion neckline (not strapless), lace bodice, fluffy tulle skirt. The consultant pulled a beautiful Enzoani for me and I was smitten. The dress comes with a black belt, but I made a peach sash to match our colors instead.”
Rebecca carried coral roses, blue hydrangeas, purple lisianthus and white freesia in her lush bouquet.
Blush ModCloth Bridal Heels with Bows
Emily and Rebecca First Look
Emily and Rebecca rented a wedding arbor from Bella Calla and decorated it with kanzashi petals sewn by Rebecca and butterfly strands made by Emily’s coworkers.
“Dunafon Castle has many ceremony spaces, but we picked by the river,” Rebecca says. “The running water, the isolated space, the thick bank of trees, it really made the ceremony special,” Rebecca says. “We held the ceremony in mid-afternoon so there was still plenty of sunlight.”
A Romantic, Intimate Ceremony at Dunafon Castle
“We also asked Reverend Kim to perform a crowning ceremony, a tradition from the Eastern Orthdox church, the symbolism of which Emily was especially touched by,” Rebecca says. The crowning ceremony is a symbol of God crowning the couple with glory and honor in the relationship.
Emily and Rebecca First Kiss
Emily and Rebecca Recessional
Emily and Rebecca Recessional at Dunafon Castle
Emily and Rebecca Ceremony Exit
Emily and Rebecca at Dunafon Castle in Colorado
Rustic Purple Bird-Decorated Escort Cards
Dunafon Castle in Idledale, Colorado, Wedding Venue
A Classic Tented Reception at Dunafon Castle
A Lavendar and Coral Classic, Romantic Reception in Colorado
A Coral and Lavendar Tented Reception in Colorado
For the table numbers, Emily used vintage Reader’s Digest volumes and decoupaged numbers that she hand cut from old fairytale books onto the front.
Eclectic Gold Bottle, Mason Jar Centerpieces
Simple, Classic Wood Place Setting Decor
Rustic Wooden Bird-Decorated Place Setting Decor
Rebecca’s bridesmaid Melissa made the cake. It was a lemon cake with blackberry jam on one tier, a green tea cake with white chocolate filling on another tier and strawberry cake with homemade strawberry preserves on the last tier. The outside was decorated with gorgeous purple ombre buttercream icing and pink sugar flowers.
The cake was topped with two custom-made figurines from Etsy. It was a bird and a bunny to represent the couple’s personalities.
A Gazebo Dance Floor at Dunafon Castle in Colorado
Emily and Rebecca danced to “Turning Page” by Asleep at Last. Emily loved the meaningful lyrics, and Rebecca liked that it was slow enough to dance to.