This year was filled with whirlwind moments and utter joy. It was sincerely Lucky Penny’s best year yet. Between May 28 and October 14, me and my growing team successfully designed, planned, coordinated and executed 18 weddings and rehearsals, one two-day bike race, one three-day business retreat, one wedding proposal and four photo shoots.
On top of all of that, my husband and now co-business owner quit his secure job to help me pursue my dreams. We both launched Lucky Penny Event Rentals in March and rented items to a total of 46 events in 2017. It was a year of nothing more than amazing couples and people I am honored to have gotten to work and celebrate with.
I’m honored to be surrounded by the talented photographers that captured these moments.
Shelby + Troy
January 14
Over 100 inches of snow fell in Crested Butte the first two weeks of the year. And on the 14th day of January, 250 of Shelby and Troy’s closest family and friends traveled from Texas to celebrate their love and witness firsthand Crested Butte’s epic storm. One of my favorite moments was when a young boy ran out of the pews, through the church doors, turned to me and said “This is the first time I’ve ever seen snow”. And boy was there a lot to see; the stop signs were covered. Happy one-year anniversary (in two weeks) to this sweet couple. See more from this beautiful day here.
Photo captured by Sweet tea Studios
Growler
May 28 and 29
This year marked the 10th annual Growler bike race in the Gunnison Valley. Every Memorial Day weekend 700 bike racers come from across the country to partake in either the 32-mile or 64-mile bike race at Hartman Rocks. This year I coordinated the start and fish of the two-day race. Interested in racing? More information can be found here.
Photo captured by David Kozlowski
Photo captured by Matt Burt
Katie + Matt
June 17
The Lucky Penny wedding season kicked off with a church ceremony and I Bar Ranch reception. As you may know, the I Bar holds a very special place in my heart as it is where Eric and I celebrated our wedding. Both Katie and Matt work at Western and wanted to share their love of Gunnison with their out of town guests.
Jessica + Jack
June 22
This was Lucky Penny’s first Uley’s Cabin wedding and it quickly jumped near the top of the list of favorite local venues. The intimate cabin allows for a cozy gathering inside yet the lawn can accommodate 150+ guest. The views don’t get better; the peak of Crested Butte is dwarfing behind you while you look out towards the surrounding peaks. The most personalized element of the wedding was the seating chart. Jessica printed an image of each guest or a family photo, decoupaged it to a slab of wood and burnt a table number on the back. And that two-piece dress, amazing! See more from their beautiful day.
Photos captured by Sweet Tea Studios
Meagan + Tyler
June 24
Locals Megan and Tyler choose to celebrate their marriage at the Wedding Garden in Crested Butte. The color pallet was mint, soft pink and white. Lanterns were scattered throughout the venue and my favorite part was the sparkler send off.
Photos captured by Cherish Photography
Taylor + Cris
July 15
What a beautiful day Taylor and Cris’ wedding day was. The forecast called for 6 hours of rain that day but not a drop fell. This sweet couple incorporated navy elements throughout, including the bridesmaid’s dresses and the groom’s navy suit.
Photos captured by Amanda Matilda Photography
Nicole + Ryan
July 22
Both Nicole and Ryan had such a carefree approach to their day that nothing but pure joy oozes from their photos. Nicole macramed a lot of their wedding decor, collected brass candlesticks for over a year and hand-dyed cotton napkins indigo. As thunderclouds quickly moved in 5-minutes prior to the ceremony, the couple choose to begin with cocktail hour so they could get their guests out of the elements. When the hail and rain ceased an hour-and-a-half after the planned ceremony time, guests moved to the garden area and a beautiful sunny ceremony was held. The two are known for being adventurous and the grand exit on their tandem mountain bike wrapped in lights and glow sticks suited them to a T! Want to check out this wedding in more detail? Visit their Lucky Penny feature.
Photos captured by Amelia Ann Photo and Justine Grajski
Carole + Chad
July 28
What a happy couple this is and I’m so honored to have been involved with their day. Carole and Chad exchanged vows in the garden area of the Wedding Garden followed with a reception at Bonez Mexican Restaurant. Carole handmade cement holders for all the succulents that were scattered throughout the reception. Thunder and Rain rocked the evening on the dance floor and guests sent the newlyweds off with compostable multi-colored paper clippings.
Photos captured by April O’Hare Photography
Jordan + Ryan
July 29
The Buttermore property in Gunnison is one of the most beautiful properties in the county, and they were generous enough to allow Jordan and Ryan and their 200 guests to party the night away in their backyard. The property has a large pond in the middle with lush grass surrounding it. The ceremony was tucked behind willow trees so guests would not be blinded by the setting sun with the reception tent located on the other end of the pond. Jordan decided on an ombre blush veil that complimented the blush undertone of her dress and her beautiful red hair. Rustic elements were added as table decor in the tent.
Photos captured by Amanda Matilda Photography
Brandy + Jeff
August 3
Brandy and Jeff invited three guests to their ceremony; their three daughters. The couple snuck away for their first look on the Crested Butte town bridge. They then met up with the three girls and headed up to Ten Peaks. The ceremony chairs and officiant were waiting for the couple when we arrived to Ten Peaks. The ceremony contained sun, hail, laughs, and tears. This was such a sweet ceremony, the videographer, photographer and myself were choked up. An intimate dinner at PRIME followed, where their four-year-old daughter fell asleep before dinner even arrived. See a beautiful image from their day here.
Alli + Brett
August 11
This stylish bride had a boho palace to welcome their guests to the reception tent, three different, and amazing, cover-ups and personalized elements as tabletop decor. Alli and Brett love to explore and hike, especially the dessert. Each table was named after a location they had been and at each table was a Polaroid photo of the couple visiting that location. The ceremony and reception took place at Cement Creek Ranch with their 130 closest family and friends. One of the most personalized elements of their wedding was their monogram. The couple’s spirit animals were used as their monogram which can be seen in their invitation suite. The groom sketched the feather that was incorporated into the invitations and the bride added color. I added this feather to the outside of the wedding invitations when they were addressed.
Photos captured by Alison White Photography
Melissa + Zach
August 12
Melissa and Zach’s special day was recently featured on BRIDES.com and the A-list line up of vendors certainly made it a day to remember. Brylo hand tore each and every mountain profile, Megan Joy Cakes hand painted small pieces of fondant to match the Maid of Honor’s dress, and the florist Ali Fortunato Botanicals, who also is the bride’s sister, styled this wedding and created the floral arrangements. The greenery installation suspended above the dance floor was memorizing.
Images captured by Ashley Sawtell
Jessica + Charlie
August 26
What a day this was, a 100+-year-old traveling mirror palace as the reception venue, a Maine Coon cat as the ring bearer, the first dance to Talking Heads, a french macaroon bar and a stunning bride and groom who met in college! Jessica surprised her mom the day after her wedding by having the New York Times delivered to her mother’s Crested Butte rental house. Their wedding announcement broke all New York Times wedding announcement protocol when it adorned the cover page!
Photos captured by Libby Neder
Kellie + Mike
September 2
I had the honor of fully styling Kellie and Mike’s wedding day; from helping with the color pallet and deciding what color the linen napkins would be, to surprise the couple with reception decor elements, the couple handed it all over to Lucky Penny and it couldn’t have been sweeter. The groom also saved the day by calling in a prescription for my sinus infection, you rock Mike! View more photos of this gorgeous wedding day on the Lucky Penny blog.
Photos captured by Magnified Joy Photography
Savannah + Chad
September 16
On Savannah and Chad’s wedding website you could find a youth league baseball team photo featuring them on the same team; these Gunnison locals grew up together and began dating in high school. They celebrated their wedding day at the Wedding Garden surrounded by changing aspen trees and their closest family and friends. The most memorable aspect for me was protecting the seating chart and corresponding handmade cookies from the local fox! At one point the fox was on top of the table opening cookie bags; there were even fox prints on the linen as proof!
Photos captured by Amanda Matilda Photography
Massive
September 21, 22, 23
Joe Biden, Lady Lynn Forester de Rothschild and Bert Jacobs to name a few…that’s all I have to say about that. But really, this was an amazing three-day retreat to be a part of; 28 inspirational and very successful individuals were invited to discuss conscious consumerism. I was given the opportunity to style each and every meal and bring an amazing team of vendors together for this epic retreat.
Christie + Huck
September 23
“A gorgeous bride and the most hated man in Crested Butte” is how one of the groomsmen put it in his toast to the couple (Huck was the Mayor of Crested Butte when Bud Light Whatever USA came to town…so hence the drama there)! But really, this couple is amazing! One of my most laid back couples were so excited when the clouds began to clear during the ceremony to reveal the first snowfall of the season. This wedding day was full of surprises and funny elements, from the silver sequin jackets the bridesmaids rocked to the Packman jacket a groomsman walked down the aisle in.
Photos captured by Alison White Photography
Katie + Josh
September 25
Katie and Josh chose to elope. When they reached out to me their one requirement was an amazing location surrounded by popping aspen trees. The couple, their dog Chewy, the officiant Tyler Hansen, the photographer Joel Matuszczak and myself parked at Horse Park Trail Head on Keebler Pass and headed about a mile up the trail. They exchanged vows under a canopy of golden aspens as Chewy chewed on a fallen tree branch. Following the ceremony, the beer-loving groom requested a brewhouse for cocktail hour. The new Public House with Eleven beer had just opened. Back at their rental house, I arranged a sushi dinner and simple but elegant tablescape.
Photos captured by Joel Matuszczak
Hascal + Timothy
September 30
Hascal and Timothy drove a trailer halfway across the country for a friend who lives in Crested Butte, and Timothy wanted it to be a memorable trip so for two months we planned the most memorable wedding proposal. Hascal grew up on a ranch and loves horses so Timothy wanted horses to be involved in the proposal.
Earlier in the morning, I went up on a four-wheeler to hang images of the couple together dating back to middle school when the began dating. Once Timothy reached this spot, the two jumped off the horses and he got down on one knee. Joel Matuszczak was the undercover photographer “capturing images of the ranch that is for sale”. But the surprises didn’t stop there! The local friends wanted to take the newly engaged couple out for drinks at a restaurant at the top of Crested Butte; for the record, this “restaurant” actually does not exist…once at the top of Red Lady Chairlift, the couple was escorted to a white tent. As Hascal came around the corner of the tent she found nine members of her family who had flown out from Louisiana to surprise her. She said, “I was wondering why no one was answering my Facetime calls”. Crested Butte personal chefs was waiting with a four-course meal for the family back at their rental house.
Photos captured by Joel Matuszczak
Katy Jane + Patrick Rehearsal and Wedding Day
October 7
Katie Jane and Patrick began their wedding weekend with a welcome dinner at East River Reserve on Thursday, a rehearsal dinner at a personal property in Crested Butte on Friday, followed by the wedding celebration at The Club at Crested Butte on Saturday. The bride wore a trumpet dress and the bridesmaids wore white BHLDN dresses so the changing aspen trees would pop. The bride and groom selected to have a small, siblings only bridal party, while their close friends (dressed in blue as their something blue) began the ceremony by walking down the aisle. Each table was named after a ski run at Crested Butte Ski Resort.
Rehearsal dinner photos captured by Joel Matuszczak
Wedding day photos captured by Third Eye Photography
Jules + Jeff
October 14
Jeff and Jules are some of the most gracious people you will ever meet. They invited 40 of their closest family and friends to their intimate Crested Butte wedding. The temperatures were low and the wind was high, but that didn’t faze the mostly California guests. The ceremony took place at Ten Peaks on Crested Butte Mountain Resort followed by cocktail hour at the Umbrella Bar and dinner at the Crested Butte Retreat, where most of the bride’s family was also staying. My most memorable event of entire season happened while I drove the bride to the first look; we loudly sang Journey during all 15-minutes of the drive!
Photos captured by Magnified Joy Photography
Scandinavian Photo Shoot
This Scandinavian inspiration shoot was inspired by the simple, yet clean, mountain charm of Taylor River Lodge, the venue of the photo shoot. I used simple textures, berry and cream colors and lots of greenery throughout the decor. Greenery was used as ceremony garland and pendant lights that hung above the dinner table setting. This sweet couple was celebrating their fourth anniversary and were actually pregnant with their second sweet boy during this photoshoot.
Photos captured by Magnified Joy Photography
Glamping Photo Shoot
The day following the Scandinavian shoot, we changed directions and hosted an entirely different styled photo shoot on a personal property up Ohio Creek in Gunnison. The overall vibe was laid-back, starry night sky and boho elements. Large statement jewelry was paired with an elegant dress. A two-sided greenery arch was suspended over the pond dock. The most stunning image of the entire night was the last captured; as the campfire began to die-down, the models snuggled around the fire under the full moon with the tipi light behind them.
Photos captured by Magnified Joy Photography
Rocky Mountain Bride Photo Shoot
Rocky Mountain Bride was on their way to Crested Butte in July and I couldn’t wait to team up with these amazing ladies on a Southwestern-inspired photo shoot. Desert air plants were used throughout the greenery including centerpieces and bouquets. A mix of southwestern prints and rugs were placed under the peak arch and a simple yet personalized tablescape was set overlooking the stunning peaks of Crested Butte. Visit the Rocky Mountain Bride feature!
Photos captured by Magnified Joy Photography
Autumn Photo Shoot
This beautiful photo shoot was the brainchild of Natalie Vierling, Natalie Peter and Dani Cowan Photography. These three ladies made it happen through rain and shine, stolen chairs and broken tables. And the end product is beautiful and I can’t wait to show you more once it is featured!
Photos captured by Dani Cowan Photography
Phew, what a busy year it was!
2016 Year End Review
2015 Year End Review