One Couple's Sophisticated Rustic Wedding With Monogram Details at Chaparral Ranch in Aspen, Colorado
Haley Burridge (31 and an educator and recent law school graduate) and Jason Chrestionson (30 and an antitrust attorney) met in Colorado and got engaged in the foothills of the Rockies several years later. So deciding to head back to the peaks to say “I do” on their nine-year anniversary was a simple choice. In a beautiful stroke of symbolism, the state also happens to be “almost exactly halfway between where we are each from: Chicago and San Francisco,” says Haley. Since most of the couple’s guests were coming from out of town, Aspen won out as the mountain town of choice, thanks to the many direct flights available. To make the weekend even more memorable for everyone making the trip, the couple hosted a welcome party with a Western theme as a festive nod to the locale.
“I wanted to bring in ample color in addition to natural Colorado elements such as wildflowers, leaves and trees,” says Haley. The couple commissioned a personalized crest with “our initials, local wildflowers, sunflowers, yellow Aspen leaves, a bear, a bison and our wedding date,” says Haley. “The bison is an ode to the mascot of the University of Colorado Boulder, where we met, while ‘bear’ is what Jason and I call each other.”
“We incorporated several sentimental elements, from a Rupi Kaur poem in our ceremony to cocktail napkins that listed fun facts about us,” says Haley. For further customization, the couple named their signature drinks after their pets and pulled reception table monikers from places around Boulder that are meaningful to them. “I loved that our wedding decisions were intentional and special,” says Haley.
Haley and Jason met as sophomores at the University of Colorado Boulder, but didn’t become an item until their senior year—after Jason asked Haley out three times. They worked the college mascot, Ralphie, into their crest design and commissioned a cake resembling the CU logo. "Instead of a traditional wedding cake, we had a 'cake' made from stacked wheels of our favorite cheeses. However, we did have a Ralphie groom's cake for guests who wanted actual cake." In another nod to college and their favorite college bar, the couple served Irish car bombs out of custom shot skis and pizza with spicy ranch dressing.
“For favors, each guest left with a note from us thanking them for coming, a bag of Chicago-style popcorn, water bottles with cowboy-boot koozies and lightup silver-and-white sequined cowboy hats. The koozies were such a big hit that our wedding planner had to save two for us because so many people took them,” recalls Haley.