Black Tie wedding Archives - Calluna EventsCalluna Events

We are thrilled to announce our very own lead planner Lindsay + Ken’s wedding is on the front page of Style Me Pretty today! We thought it would be fun for you all to hear about her pretty day directly from her! Without further ado, here’s Lindsay with all the details about her gorgeous wedding in Aspen, Colorado!

I am so thrilled to share my behind the scenes into the most magical weekend! Our relationship started under the 6th train subway tracks in The Bronx, New York with a fireball shot, a bag of lollipops and New York Yankees victory. In May of 2018, my best friend and I went to a Yankees game, her last before she moved back to Colorado to go to law school. After the game, she convinced me to go to Stan’s, the local pre and post-game bar for “just one drink…” and there was Ken, with his brother, his friend and a giant bag of Dum-Dum suckers.” After asking to share a table, we struck up a conversation, exchanged numbers, a couple Dum-Dum’s and a kiss.

Two years later, we moved from New York City to my home state of Colorado, where I started as a lead planner here at Calluna Events! When the pandemic hit, we didn’t get to do as much exploring as we wanted to in the first 6 months of living there but the first “mountain-town” we visited together was Aspen, Colorado and we both fell in love with its charm, culinary scene and views. When we surprised my mom with a trip to Napa for her birthday, Ken decided to take advantage of our time together in Napa and propose. I planned a family photoshoot, which is a family tradition when we travel, we treat it as our sort of souvenir. Ken took advantage of the pre-planned “family photoshoot”and to my complete shock, got down on one knee in the most beautiful vineyard and asked me to spend the rest of our lives together. It was the most perfect morning.

When planning our wedding, we knew there was only one place in Colorado we wanted to say “I do” and that was to head back to Aspen for a black-tie, ranch wedding surrounded by picturesque Aspen trees and views of the Maroon Bells. Since I plan weddings professionally, I immediately knew I wanted a celebration at a venue where I had never planned a wedding at before. While on a site visit (for another couple) before I was engaged, I fell in love with T-Lazy-7 Ranch. Its stunning views and the ability to create the entire environment from the ground up made it the perfect venue to create our dream wedding.

Planning your own wedding in the midst of one of the busiest wedding seasons of my career was definitely not a task for the faint of heart. But to get to share my passion for design and give our friends and family from all over the country a glimpse into what I get to create for other families, was really special. I was so thrilled how everything turned out. It truly was our dream wedding.

Our weekend kicked off with a welcome party at Silver City Aspen in downtown Aspen complete with BBQ, signature old fashioned cocktails, wild west inspired florals and line dancing to Shania Twain on the jukebox before the Black-Tie celebration in the meadows of the Ranch. We really wanted a fun, casual, welcome party with great food, great drinks and great music. To see all our friends and family in our favorite place was really the best way to kick off the weekend.

For the wedding day, I designed the color palette to be completely neutral tones so that the venue and nature surrounding us could really shine! Because of my job, I had a pretty good idea of all the vendors that I wanted to help bring our vision to life. I started by getting my dream Carolina Herrera gown at Little White Dress. Being a planner, I had never been the one to try on wedding dresses. I had no idea what I wanted or what I would look good in but the second I put on my gown, I knew it was the one!

The ceremony decor was simple but dramatic as I wanted to keep the focus on the stunning backdrop so we opted for an aisle full of flowers, designed by the talented ladies at Wandering Poppy Co. and two simple acrylic pedestals at the altar that complimented the ghost chairs. We wanted to focus on the two of us, and the view so we opted to have our bridal party sit in the first row with our family.

For the ceremony, which was officiated by my brother, we incorporated lots of references to our love of food and travel and of course baseball. I surprised Ken with a custom calligraphy designed “home plate” for us to stand over at the altar. One of my favorite quotes is, “In baseball, as in life, all important things happen at home” and as a nod to where we met, our shared love of baseball and the importance of creating a home and life together, it was one of my favorite details of the day.”

After we walked up the aisle to New York, New York by Frank Sinatra, another nod to Yankees baseball, played live by the brass section of Taylor Pace Orchestra, guests headed to cocktail hour. Another really important feature for the us was the food. We really wanted to have an abundant cocktail hour featuring some of our favorite foods and things that our guests hadn’t seen at a wedding before. One of my favorite elements was the roving burrata bar I conceptualized with Catering by Design, where our guests could create the own burrata dish featuring toppings like tomatoes, pesto, balsamic glaze, chilled asparagus and prosciutto. It was such a fun interactive element and everyone loved it! We also incorporated a late night New York Cheesecake bar and New Haven “Apizza” station, a nod to the our east coast roots.

Another favorite detail was the guest books where guests signed their “autograph” onto a baseball and threw it into a custom designed baseball bucket for the couple to read and display in their house.

Guests also found their way to their seats from custom painted dice, a nod to a family game that’s been in Ken’s family for decades. The only DIY element I wanted at my wedding were these custom dice. When Ken and I first met, he taught me how to play his family game, simply called “dice” and so we sanded, primed and painted dice to for guests to find their seats and paired it with a sign that said “Roll Call”, it was one of my favorite details of the day.

Underneath the sailcloth tent, we wanted to create simple, modern elegance. The floral chandelier above the dance floor was one of my favorite elements. It was so unique and something I hadn’t ever seen before. It was paired with simple dinnerware, textured linens from Nuage Designs Inc. and custom menus by Scarlet Gilia Creative.

Music has always been really important and nothing beats an incredible band. We hired Taylor Pace of the Jordan Kahn Music Company who kept the dance floor packed the entire night. Our friends couldn’t stop talking about the band. They are truly one of the best entertainment bands you could have, and it was so important to keep our dance floor packed all night! I couldn’t have imagined our night without them!

To all the incredible vendors who were a part of our special day, thank you will never be enough. You are all truly the most talented people and it was such an honor to work!

Boho Wedding with Pops of Rust and a Mix of Fresh + Dried Flowers | Wedding Recap | Emily + Steve

Camp Hale is one of the venue’s in Colorado that is really special. Situated between Leadville and Vail – the remote nature really gives your guests the most stunning views and overall experience and that’s exactly what Emily & Steve wanted to give their families – many of whom were traveling to Colorado from Kansas and Missouri.

We kicked off the weekend with an intimate rehearsal dinner at The Hythe hotel in Vail followed by a big welcome party at Arrabelle Vail! It was the perfect way to welcome all their guests to Vail for the weekend.

When we started designing their wedding, we knew we wanted to keep a lot of the tones and colors earthy but with a summer twist. The color palette of rust tones mixed in with some lighter colors played perfect to the vast landscape of Camp Hale and the beautiful summer season. It all came together beautifully!

At cocktail hour – guests were treated to spicy margaritas and comfy lounge groupings while these “party people” found their seats at a custom designed escort display. Before heading into the tent – Wandering Poppy Co. blew us away with a lush, organic entrance install. Once inside, guests the boho inspired florals were on full display with an amazing dance floor installation that was paired with pops of color in the glassware and napkins to transform the tent.

After dinner, guests took the dance floor to dance all night to the sounds of Manhattan Band before sending the couple off with a sparkler exit!

Wedding Planning | Calluna Events

Venue | Camp Hale

Photography | Meredith Diamond

Videography | Klassey Productions

Ceremony Musicians | Oncue Entertainment

Floral Designer | Wandering Poppy Co.

Specialty Rentals | Hazel Grove Rentals

Specialty Linens | BBJ La Tavola

Invitations + Paper Goods | Scarlet Gilia Creative

Wedding Band | Jordan Kahn Music

Hair & Make-Up | Lola Beauty

Cake & Cupcakes | Cornerstone Chocolates

Transportation | Aspen Vail Limo

Bridal Gown | Anaïs Anette from A&bé Bridal Shop Portland

Bridesmaids Dresses | Show Me Your Mumu

Groom Suit | Suit Shop

Mountain Wildflower Wedding Of Our Dreams | Wedding Recap | Morgan + David

When we started working with Morgan and David to design their dream wedding at Beano’s Cabin in Beaver Creek, we knew we were in for a treat as soon as Morgan described her vision of being “a mountain wildflower, mom’s garden, spring meets summer, whimsical colorful dream come true!”

We immediately got to work, hand selecting a vendor team that would bring this vision to life, and boy did they deliver! Beaver Creek is a special place to Morgan and David – their family has a house up there, they spend their weekends there and it meant so much they brought our team along to share what makes it so special to them.

We kicked off the weekend with an intimate rehearsal dinner at Mirabelle Beaver Creek. Nestled in a vintage house right inside the main gates of the resort, guests gathered for dinner al fresco. While the rain might have had other plans, we rolled with the punches and it was the perfect kick-off to their weekend.

Finally, it was the wedding day! As we tracked another pesky Colorado storm, we were determined to execute as much of this wedding outside as possible and we’re sure glad we did. It turned out to be the most picturesque Colorado day. The ceremony was filled with florals from Alli J Floral that looked like they were growing straight out of the ground, the mountain wildflower, springs meets summer vibe came to life – all captured stunningly by Jess Leigh Photography.

Before walking inside, guests found their seats on a completely custom escort board from Knapp Design Co. that had custom watercolor sketches of all the places that meant something to the couple. As guests found their seats, they were taken to a room that had been transformed with more wildflowers, a showstopping cake by Katy Pierson Cakes and a five-star meal by the amazing chefs at Beano’s Cabin. At their seats, one of our favorite moments was the charger that doubled as a placemat, a menu and a place card. It was a fun way to add a pop of color to the table in a practical way.

After heartfelt speeches, guests made their way to the dance floor for a night of dancing under the stars to music by The Get Down and were able to stay close to the action if they wanted to take a break but beautiful lounges by Hazel Grove Rentals.

It was truly one of those that you’ll remember forever – we wish Morgan & David a lifetime of happiness!

Featured on Style Me Pretty

Vendor Credits:

Wedding Planning | Calluna Events

Photography | Jess Leigh Photography

Western Chic Wedding in Vail, Colorado | Wedding Recap | Sofia + Guillermo

Colorado is such a special place to our darling bride and groom, Sofia + Guillermo! Sofia’s family has a house in Vail, so hosting their wedding in the Vail Valley was a priority for them! From the beginning, they focused on a large celebration with 300+ in attendance with a traditional Catholic service at Vail Chapel, followed by an epic dance party that made all their friends from Miami proud! The weekend started with a welcome dinner at Matsuhisa Vail, featuring Colorado bluegrass and country duo, Austin’s Rose and delicious sushi provided by the best in Vail! The next evening featured a rehearsal party at Four Seasons Vail where guests donned western attire and were led through Vail Village in second line style by their guitarist and ended up at an after party!

The wedding day saw a traditional Catholic service at Vail Chapel where Sofia wore a gorgeous Carolina Herrera gown and said I do to her forever. Followed by their tented wedding reception at Larkspur Vail that was dressed to the nines in all the Colorado fashion. Guests arrived and were immediately treated to cocktails on the lawn, where lounges doted the landscape by Eclectic Hive and organic florals in yellow + white tones by The Perfect Petal! Guests were soon invited into the tent as Sofia + Guillermo were announced by DJ Rascal for a lovely dinner and then they danced the night away!

This wedding was one for the books and we are still not over it! Sofia + Guillermo, their families, their friends, and their vendor team had such a loving, joyful energy that was completely contagious and something we will always remember!

Moody Mardi Gras Wedding in Aspen | Wedding Recap | Lauren + Eren

When Lauren and Eren came to us they wanted a winter wedding tucked in the mountains of Aspen on April 3, 2021 we went to designing a special day for them, their families, and their adorable pugs! Then, like many of our other couples, COVID derailed their original wedding plans and they gracefully postponed their wedding to April 2022. They were still determined to get married on their original date and so they flew from their home in Rhode Island across the country with their pugs, Cooper and Bailey to Palm Springs for an epic elopement captured by the talented Nate Shepard Photography.

When it came time to start planning again, another variant of COVID was quickly sweeping the nation and we decided to pivot from our original venue to the courtyard of St. Regis Aspen and we would’t have had it any other way! Lauren + Eren had a magical first look at the top of Aspen Mountain, overlooking the breathtaking views slope-side where they stumbled upon “Snow Beach,” an epic lifeguard stand art installation by Gray Malin in partnership with The Little Nell and we just couldn’t help ourselves but take advantage of the moment! All dressed up, they both climbed to the top of Snow Beach and shared a few moments taking in the views at that epic vantage point. On the most picture-perfect bluebird sky day, Lauren + Eren finally said “I do!” with all their loved ones in attendance at Aspen Meadows, with gorgeous snowcapped mountains as the backdrop of their stunning ceremony. Bringing a bit of NOLA to Aspen, guests followed the newlyweds and the Brass Animals second line as they made their way from the ceremony to cocktail hour at the St. Regis for more fun!

Guests were welcomed into the fancy reception dressed to the nines with moody velvet vignettes, gorgeous florals by The Perfect Petal, and sparkling chandeliers that lit the space. We loved playing with this Mardi Gras type of color palette with silky blues, wines, and emeralds with black and gold accents and warm woods all brought to life with lovely decor by Wallflower Rentals and stunning velvet draping and lighting by Little Mad Events. At each place setting, eclectic floral menus by Scarlet Gilia Creative sat pretty atop stoneware plates and beaded chargers with florals dancing throughout the table lit by candles. The eatery had lots of fun nods to Lauren + Eren’s darling relationship with delectable lobster rolls in honor of New England where they call home and New Orleans-style shrimp and grits as a nod to their days at Tulane University where they met, fell in love, and got engaged! Guests had the time of their lives as they enjoyed sippin’ champagne in front of the fun neon sign that read, ’till death do us party!’ and a rockin’ dance floor with DJ Tony from The Get Down! We so loved sharing in this day with Lauren & Eren and wish them a lifetime of love, happiness, and pugs!