Melissa + Toby
The first conversation leading up to this magical winter wedding in Vail, CO started out the same way so many destination wedding conversations start out. "Tara, I'm getting married and I wish you could be our photographer....but it's a destination wedding". In this case, this sentence was followed up with, "in Vail, the day after Christmas!". Yes, this did pose a challenge. I already had travel plans for the holidays, but if there's a way to make travel for a wedding work, I will find it. And find it, I did. This involved flying from NJ to Denver on Christmas Day, which turned out to be a surprisingly chill day to fly. I guess most people traveling for Christmas try to be there BEFORE Christmas morning, who knew. ;)
Melissa and Toby are Floridians who love winter sports and travel regularly to Vail. They wanted to get married with their children by their sides in this magical spot that means so much to them. We were so lucky to get a beautiful snow, which created blankets of powdery white all over the mountains and valleys. After their intimate wedding ceremony in the woods, we took the ski lift up to be greeted by absolutely glorious sunlit mountain views. As if this wasn't more than we could have imagined in our wildest Floridian dreams, we then went down to the little village in Lion Square Lodge at the Gondola to play in the sparkly lights and ice skating rink. The village was decorated for the holidays, with a giant Christmas tree, fairy lights everywhere, and glowing warmth emanating from the little shop windows. We ended the evening with an exquisite dinner and more strolling through the village. It was holiday wedding perfection from start to finish!
Venue: Lion Square Lodge at The Gondola in Vail, CO / Hair and Makeup: Raquel Chacon Beauty / Officiant: Julie Adriansen
