It's been six months since our wedding and wow, do I wish I could go back. Especially now - with this crazy pandemic. That was the last 'normal' day I can remember and I am so beyond thankful that we even got to have our big day. Coronavirus rocked the world just 2 weeks after we said 'I Do'. We weren't able to go on our honeymoon which is a huge bummer but I know one day we'll be able to celebrate again.
Regardless of what chaos is going on now, I find so much peace and love in remembering this day - marrying my husband and celebrating with our closest friends and family. We got engaged on December 22, 2018, and got married on February 22, 2020. We did a little over a year of planning, and it seemed like the perfect time to get everything together!
Wedding Venue
This was the most important for us and something we wanted to book first because we live in Colorado and it is a HUGE wedding destination spot. I had my heart set on an old mansion type of wedding venue so we really only seriously considered two places here - Highlands Ranch Mansion and The Manor House. They are both absolutely stunning but we decided on The Manor House for a couple of reasons. One, it just felt right - it is a restored manor propped up on this hill overlooking the city of Denver and is just so beautiful, grand and secluded. Two, they include a lot with their wedding package as they have an AMAZING in-house catering,/chef so that checked off an extra step for us. Three, the alcohol package - when compared to Highlands Ranch Mansion, there, you have to pre-purchase alcohol and thus attempt to accurately guess how much alcohol your guests are going to consume - it just seemed like too much work for us and we wanted the night to be seamless for our guests with an open bar.
Ask Gifts
Bridesmaids
- Rose Vanilla Pillow Mist (Homegoods)
- Coconut Soy Candle (Homegoods)
- Anastasia Beverly Hills Lip Tint
- Personalized Gold Name Necklace (Etsy)
- Ask Cards (Peanut Butter Creative)
Groomsmen
- Personalized Golf Balls (Vice)
- Personalized Golf Towel (Etsy)
Ring Bearer
- Bear with Tux (Build-A-Bear)
- I added the voice feature and said, Auntie Loves You! so he could keep it forever... Now it's called "Auntie Jen Bear" LOL
Wedding Invites & Materials
Of course, designed by Peanut Butter Creative
Save the Dates
Wedding Invite (Acrylic Printing - Utah Announcements)
Programs, Signs & Table #'s (Songs)
Wedding Dress
So..this could be its own blog post. I bought 3 wedding dresses in the yearish span that we were engaged. Yikes. If I could give any bride advice, it would be this:
1. Don't go too early. I went a month after I got engaged and as the year went on, my tastes changed.
I bought my first dress very quickly after only researching and looking around for a month or so, I think it was because I was so excited. Don't do this. Wait on it. Think about it. Make sure you LOVE it.
2. Go shopping/make an appointment by yourself first for fun, just to get a feel for it.
Like most women, I had never tried on a wedding dress, in a wedding boutique, before my first appointment with my sister. I am traditionally an independent shopper and don't really ever ask for opinions of my friends/family for what I buy when regularly shopping, so it definitely felt weird to do so when shopping for the most important dress I would ever wear. I wanted to love it for me, I didn't really care if anyone else liked it but when you are shopping with others, it sort of forces you to ask for their opinion which can sometimes skew your own. Also, I am a Libra by nature so I am pretty indecisive, I felt bad taking "too long" to make a choice or express my thoughts on each style. Shopping with others and getting advice from the wedding stylists just felt a little overwhelming to me and thus, I made an impulse decision under pressure for my second dress. Try your hardest not to do this. Even if they pressure you with a sale, unless you LOVE it and can't live without it, sleep on it.
3. Once you pick your 'one', don't keep looking online (no more Pinterest or Instagram searches!) Trust me.
I made this mistake after "picking" the first two dresses. I kept looking and of course, I saw more options which lead me to my third and final dress. I realized after looking and looking, that what I really wanted was a combination of a couple of dresses I had seen, so I started looking for custom wedding dress designers. Surprisingly, this isn't as expensive as one might think. I found Selfa Bridal on Etsy, and the process went amazingly smooth. They asked me what I wanted, I sent in pictures of inspo and my measurements... and the rest was history - it fit like a GLOVE and was my dream dress, pictured below :)
Bridesmaids Dresses
I mean..how gorgeous are my girls?!
My criteria for picking a bridesmaids dress: 1. Affordability 2. Comfort 3. Be able to wear again
I found this beautiful velvet dress on PrettyLittleThing for $55 bucks and I was sold! The classic sweetheart neckline was flattering, it was stretchy and super sexy with the leg slit, so my girls were so excited about this which made me happy. The velvet fabric added an extra oomph which is what we were going for to set the tone for 'black tie' attire.
Groomsmen Tuxes
Since Brian wore a white tux, we had the guys in black tuxes. These were ordered from Black Tux and let me tell you, this is the most seamless process ever. I highly recommend Black Tux if your fiance and his friends are anything like mine and just want something they won't have to worry about. Most Nordstrom stores carry the line and you can get fitted in person!
Getting Ready
My long time makeup artist and one of my very best friends, Lindsay Ambrosio (Makeup Madame) and her team, did hair and makeup. We stayed the night before the wedding with all my girls in the most amazing bunk bed room at The Orgin Hotel which was only 15 minutes from The Manor House - it was perfect!
The Ceremony
The Reception
The Food
We had a custom menu that we put together with Chef Rhett at The Manor House:
Fried Chicken
BBQ Pulled Pork
Brussels Sprouts
Gouda Mac & Cheese
Peppercorn Ranch Garden Salad
Cornbread with Honey Butter
Cheddar Biscuits
For dessert, we had the best bakery in Denver French for Sugar create a small cutting cake for us along with different flavored mini pies and assorted baked goods.
Our champagne bar and dessert stands were rented from Bri'elles Wedding & Arch Rental - Adrianna is amazing and she has so many unique things to rent for your big day.
Our Wedding Photos
Our Wedding Video
I wish we could go back and relive this day and night over and over again! If you are a bride-to-be, I wish you so many wonderful memories on your big day. Take a second every hour or so just to soak it all in. It will be over before you know it! It all goes by so fast and is just such a special time to embrace your love. I want to give a very special shout out to my friend and photographer Kassia Phoy for capturing our wedding day and engagement photos - I will cherish these forever!
Watch out for what's next: Changing my name with Hitchswitch <3
Lots of Love,
Mrs. Bratcher