Jamie & Brian- Timber Ridge Wedding – Keystone

I was contacted by Jamie shortly after I booked with Julie & John for their wedding in Breckenridge. Jamie had gotten my name from Julie, as they grew up together in St Louis and just happened to both be planning destination weddings in Colorado from the Midwest. I was so thrilled to work with Jamie and Brian, only a few short weeks after working with Julie & John!

Jamie & Brian had an amazing wedding at Timber Ridge high atop Keystone Mountain!

Their day started down in the village at condos nestled near the river. Jamie and Brian were surrounded by friends and family that traveled from near and far to join them for their destination wedding in Colorado. It was abundantly clear how important their friends and family are to them from the very beginnings of the day. The gorgeous crew of girls were gathered together laughing and reminiscing while hair and makeup was done by the talented ladies from Weemala. And the guys enjoyed cigars and drinks in the sun high up on their balcony while hollering to the mountain bikers below.

Jamie was so relaxed through it all, taking time to sit in the living room with her girls before getting into her dress, and even when she discovered the the eye hook had ripped in the back of her dress, there was no stress. One of her wonderful bridesmaids stepped in an sewed a new one in a matter of minutes! Once everyone was into their dresses, it was off to the gondola to head up the mountain.

I have photographed throughout the Rocky Mountains, but it was my first time working up at Timber Ridge and it was such a joy! (I adore shooting at new locations!) You take two Gondolas up and over the mountain to reach the picturesque location. And what a treat that gondola ride is for all of your guests, they get a bird’s eye view of the beautiful Rocky Mountains on the way to your celebration! (And I LOVE anytime I get to travel up a gondola, it tugs at my heart strings and makes me smile remembering my days of Ski Patrol at Vail.)

We timed our departures so that Jamie and Brian did not run into each other while waiting for the gondola, but instead we set up a first look for the two of them once we were up at Timber Ridge. I loved when Jamie did not hesitate for a second as she kicked off her gorgeous Steve Madden heels to walk through the grass and rocks to meet Brian. After the first look their hilarious & rowdy bridal party joined us for a few formal photos. You can see by the sheer number of bridesmaids and groomsmen (I think it’s the largest wedding party I have had to date!) that Jamie and Brian are supported by a wonderful group of friends who love and adore them. After we squeezed in a few minutes of photography with just Jamie & Brain we figured we should get the family formals done because we saw the rain approaching from the west. Luckily we were able to get all of the formals done just in time. The storm moved in fast, and Jamie & Brian with the help of their amazing coordinators at Distinctive Mountain Events decided to keep the gondolas running to get the  guests up to the top before the lightening neared and shut them down. With the swift coordination of Ebs & Johnna they moved guests inside for a pre-ceremony cocktail, pushed the ceremony back and in true Colorado fashion, we waited 20 minutes and the storm passed. Just as the clouds broke up the incredible team at Timber Ridge whisked out the white chairs, Jay of Standing Room Only got the music cued, the awesome bridal party did one last cheer and the ceremony started!

You can see that there were a few raindrops still falling as Brian took his place at the front of the aisle, but within minutes the bright blue Colorado skies came out and the sun was shining again! Jamie and Brian had a heartfelt ceremony led by a dear friend and also included readings from other close friends who traveled to Colorado for their special day. Jamie’s smile was so vibrant, and you could sense the love shared between these two. I loved watching them throughout the day as they would glance over to each other, or grab one another’s hands. They really took the time to enjoy the day with each other and all of the important people in their lives.

Their reception was filled with wonderful food and drinks from the incredible staff at Timber Ridge, heartfelt toasts from Jamie’s dad, Brian’s brother and Jamie’s sister.  One of my favorite moments within the first dances was during the Father & Daughter dance when Jamie and her dad pointed to her mom and asked her to come join them for the remainder of the song. It was so sweet to see the three of them up there dancing together! I am sure that the party lasted long into the night and was fueled by the great DJ, Jay of Standing Room Only.

Thank you Jamie & Brian for inviting me to capture your wonderful wedding day for you. It was an honor and a pleasure. I wish you years and years ahead of radiant smiles and lots of love.
All the best, Rachel

If you would like to see Jamie & Brian’s slideshow from their gorgeous wedding at Timber Ridge wedding you can find it here

I can’t wait to see the video footage from Erin at Elegant Productions!  You were such a joy to work with!

And if you are looking for their full galleries to view and order prints you can follow THIS LINK.

As always a HUGE thank you to the amazing Steve Glass for your assistance and incredible second shooting!