Caitlin + Zack are the perfect example of why I love to photograph my couples for an engagement session and their wedding. Getting to know a couple throughout an entire year, makes it easy to capture a beautiful wedding day. They even made their guest book from photos from their engagement session! I absolutely loved photographing their wedding and getting to know their love story.
Caitlin + Zack were assigned to the same class project in college, that is how they met. They were friends for a long time and started dating after college. Then, they moved out to Colorado together and bought a house. They had already picked out the engagement ring together at an antique jewelry store in Boulder, so Caitlin knew the proposal was coming. A few weeks later, Zack got down on one knee in their living room and asked Caitlin to be his wife!
Caitlin + Zack wanted their wedding day to be a celebration of the love they have for each other, their friends, and their family. When you stop and think about it, it is pretty rare to have all of the people you love (who may have never met each other) in the same room interacting. Their wedding was simple, there was no theme, no color palette, no religious traditions, “it was just us.”
Caitlin got ready for the day at The Hotel Boulderado and the wedding ceremony and reception were at The Boulder Dushanbe TeaHouse. The tea house is incredibly beautiful and colorful. Since the building itself is so richly decorated, they didn't really need to decorate at all! They were married under a rose vine covered pergola with flowers all around them - what more decoration could you need?
It was important to them that they looked like themselves. Caitlin didn't want to show up with a giant dress, covered in make-up not looking like herself. She chose her Anthropologie wedding dress with Zack's mom and sister while out visiting them in California. Zack + Caitlin went together to pick his suit. They avoided the black and white look because it seemed more like a funeral than a wedding. Zack chose a blue suit and a purple tie. Then they told their guests what they would be wearing and invited them to add some color to the day!
The florals were wildflowers that they purchased from the farmer’s market in the morning. They were able to make Caitlin’s bouquet all different colors and they used the same flowers for the flower girl! Caitlin + Zack chose not to have a wedding party; however, they did make corsages and boutonnieres for their families. The wildflowers were also on the tables and on their cakes.
As for the personal touches, their officiant was Caitlin’s Dad's best friend (he was also the best man in her parents wedding.) They wrote their ceremony and vows, but everything was pretty simple. They loved how the night flowed naturally and didn't really announce anything (the microphone didn't end up working!) but everything just happened in its own time.