The wedding celebration is a chance to express yourself! Brides and Grooms are now using their wedding day to make a statement, present a focus or create a sense of elegance that is important to them. The festivities may even involve be a cause they support, like a recent wedding I did at a country club. The couple wanted to fund the drilling of drinking water wells in South Africa. Instead of gifts from guests, they simply asked guests to anonymously donate to this cause. It was tasteful, and well done.
Each and every wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event! It’s not a simple “party” where you call a few friends over, have a drink and watch the “big game.” This IS an event! Something that takes meticulous planning and preparation to ensure that all the pieces come together perfectly, by design. Each key element is then delivered flawlessly at the right time and tempo, in a manner that reflects you and your personalities. Couples are now using their luxury Colorado wedding to make their signature event (yes, event) a cornerstone of their family legacy more than ever.
When you consider that there are 85,000 weddings a year in the U.S., Colorado luxury destination weddings seem to be blazing the trail for others to follow. What are the emerging luxury wedding trends being seen at Colorado destination weddings?
- Black tie is back – formal, with the desire for everyone to be dressed up; more of a “vintage” feel that focuses on lavishness and luxury.
- A White Tie Affair – White palettes reign, into ivory, with a luxurious, rich feel that whispers class and elegance. Yes, it’s now proper to have a wedding party dressed in all white, and trend that began with Chelsea Clinton and the royal wedding of Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton. White flowers are in, but formal events can still have personality with a splash of color. Brides are also choosing a theme to express themselves too!
- Elegance AND Fun – Couples want elegance, but then want it to end, moving on to absolute exuberance (fun). The night does not end with the reception. The ceremony is on site; followed by a formal cocktail hour; then dinner; dancing (for the older guests) and it ends. Sort of. Then, you guessed it – the younger folks continue at an “after party” off-site; and yes, they often take Matt from Amoré DJ Entertainment to the “after party” as their DJ to continue the celebration off-site.
- Surprise!!! – It’s all about the moment of surprise! Luxury brides want a tasteful surprise. Tasteful and modest, yet lavish. Grooms are now jumping on board and welcome the idea of a surprise, too. Most of all, newlyweds want to really “WOW!” their guests. They don’t want this to be just another wedding. The “WOW!” goes far beyond cheesy DJ LED uplighting done in pink, turquoise or purple; and certainly not another choreographed dance, but I mean really “WOW!” guests with something new, fresh, creative and reflective of them! (Things like fireworks; dancers; special audio or video tributes; celebrity guest appearances and more.)
- The “A” list – with many Colorado destination weddings, luxury brides are narrowing their guest list to an “A” list of “must have” attendees, a “B” list of semi-close friends and family, and a “C” list that includes everyone under the sun. The smaller, more intimate “A” list is definitely in for the luxury bride wanting a Colorado destination wedding. She’s going to take excellent care of her guests with a multi-course gourmet meal and pamper them in utter opulence! Some brides even splurge, putting up their “A” guests in a swank cabin, cottage or lodge for the night at a place like the Aspen Lodge, or the Della Terra Chateau in Estes Park. As guests retire for the evening, muffins or breakfast foods are set out for them to take back to their rooms for the next morning. Nice touch!
Certainly, brides wanting a luxury Colorado destination wedding can have the best of both worlds. Colorado is the place for destination weddings, offering brides options like no other place on the planet, including gorgeous venues (from cozy, to rustic, elegant or natural); great service; unique, secluded scenic spots for pictures; a fantastic seasonal climate for weddings with an ambiance for creating those family fun “vacations” that happen before (or after) for guests; lots of mountains; more than 300 days of sunshine; and, without a doubt, the best pool of wedding professionals anywhere, all working together to create a fun, unique and worry-free wedding! The possibilities are endless!