1. Real Weddings

Kit & Charlie: A Traditional Wedding in Sedalia, CO

Kit VanderPloeg met Charlie Berger (26 and an assistant brewer) at a college fraternity party her junior year. She assumed he was a senior, but quickl

Kit VanderPloeg met Charlie Berger (26 and an assistant brewer) at a college fraternity party her junior year. She assumed he was a senior, but quickly learned he was a first-year student. His charm and sense of humor made up for his freshman status, says Kit. The Bride Kit VanderPloeg, 27, medical resident The Groom Charlie Berger, 26, assistant brewer The Date May 24 The two began dating at Colgate University, and later moved to St. Louis, where Kit was accepted into medical school. One night, Charlie decided Kit needed a night away from the books. He took her to a small town in Missouri's wine country (coincidentally called Berger), got down on one knee and asked Kit to become a Berger. After graduation, the couple moved to Charlie's home state of Colorado to start their new life together

The couple shared their first dance to Jack Johnson's Better Together, sung by Charlie's high school friend.
Charlie designed the program motif, the couple's names beneath a mountain silhouette. Kit tied the programs together with yellow, orange and cream ribbons and placed them on the guest chairs, along with stones to be used during a stone blessing ceremony.
Kit chose sunny bursts of orange ranunculus and bright yellow freesia to offset the soft garden roses in her bouquet and her ivory Monique Lhuillier lace gown.
Instead of the same old tented cards, Kit and Charlie used paper cranes, folded by Kit's stepmother (who is Korean) as place cards at the reception. In some Asian cultures, it's customary for the mother of the bride to fold 1,000 paper cranes and give them to the couple on their wedding day -- lucky for Kit's stepmom, she didn't have to make quite as many!
The couple complemented the natural décor of the ceremony site with urns of roses, freesias and snapdragons. They tied clusters of bright blooms to the ends of each row of chairs to mark the aisle.
The couple's guests participated in the ceremony by making a wedding wish while holding stones the couple collected from their travels around the world. Kit and Charlie got the stones back from their guests after the ceremony and now display them inside a vase in their home.
As a brewer at the Wynkoop Brewery in Denver, Charlie wanted to share his favorite beers with his guests. The couple served some of his favorites in personalized beer steins during the cocktail hour.
The couple preferred to keep things casual, so instead of a tux, Charlie wore charcoal slacks and a brown sport coat. A single orange rose decorated his lapel.
For an earthy touch to the decor, Charlie cut down sections of Aspen trunk from his family's ranch near Denver. Bright ranunculus, roses and freesia draped down the bark, while table numbers leaned up against it.
Despite Charlie's distaste for it, the couple chose fondant icing, which holds up better than other frostings in outdoor weddings. Our baker was amazing and textured it in a way that made it look like swirled buttercream, says Kit. As a tribute to Kit's late grandfather's citrus ranch, the dessert was topped with marzipan fruit and fresh flowers.
To add a little more color to the reception tent, Kit and Charlie hung bright Chinese paper lanterns.
Everyone waved homemade ribbon wands as the newlyweds paused for photos, adding a lighthearted touch to the festivities.