Marco + Shannon | Intimate Summer Wedding in Dillon, Colorado
marco + shannon | 7.18.2019 | sapphire point + lake dillon, colorado
To spend time with Marco + Shannon is to spend time with joy and intention. These two were so incredibly kind as they graciously welcomed me into their family for the afternoon we spent together. As I sat with Marco in the lobby of the Lodge at Breckenridge before their first look, you’d never guess he was about to see his bride for the first time. Some people just blow you away with their genuine interest and the way they truly care - Marco is one of those people. Sharing all about their families and the new home they are currently remodeling, I felt like we sat together as friends. And a short bit later, seeing Shannon and witnessing how deeply she loves and just how loved she is in return, there was left no room to question why these two made it here as husband and wife.
This responsibility is not one we take lightly; being invited along to tell the story of your wedding day - often as one of the few who get to actually stand there and witness you say your vows and wipe away tears as you see each other for the first time (I’m definitely lying every time I blame my watery eyes on the bright sun…) - is a true honor. This wedding day filled my cup and made me so grateful that I get to call this crazy thing my job.
First Look: The Lodge at Breckenridge
Ceremony: Sapphire Point Overlook
Portraits: nearby trail + lake access point
Why Did You Choose to have an Intimate Mountain Wedding?
We chose an intimate mountain wedding for so many reasons. Obviously, if your wedding turns out exactly how you imagine, then there’s no wrong way to do it, but we felt an elopement style mountain wedding was perfect for us. First, and maybe the least romantic, was money. We had just purchased a house that we wanted to fix up and we love to travel, so the idea of spending $30k+ (averageish?) on one day just didn’t make sense to us. All the planning and spending and marking things off of some arbitrary checklist just didn’t appeal to us at all, so we decided to elope! We also didn’t want a long engagement and we wanted something low key. This was the perfect compromise. We could get our immediate families - only 10 of us total - together on short notice, and what’s more low key than an intimate ceremony on the side of a mountain! With the help of Summit Mountain Weddings, there was essentially zero planning. We basically had to show up. My brother marrying us and being part of the ceremony was awesome, and he absolutely crushed it, so that was icing on the cake.
How did your wedding day feel overall? What was your favorite part? Was it different for each of you?
Our wedding day was perfect. Everyone says that, but seriously ours was perfect. My favorite part was that it was such a stress free day. The day of the wedding, we worked out in the morning, had a good breakfast, did some fun mountain activities with the family, and then casually got married! I loved how relaxed it was, and we didn’t have any of the stresses we’ve seen some of our friends go through on the week/day of their weddings. The location of the ceremony was so easy and beautiful, and we loved how there were so many options for great pictures afterwards. After the family photos, we sent our families to a brewery to hang out while we took some more shots, then met them for a beer and dinner downtown later that evening. Really can’t get lower key than that. I guess my real favorite part is that when we tell people about our wedding day, they all express how much they love that idea, and “…oh that’s so you guys.” That’s how it should be! Also, don’t get me started on the pictures. Can’t stop staring at them. Everyone should have wedding pictures with epic mountains in the background.
What would you say to other couples who are ALSO thinking about having an intimate, non-traditional wedding?
Do what you want to do! Again, there is no wrong way to have a wedding, but it really should be what you want. In talking with friends who had thought about doing a wedding like this, they said they wanted to, but ultimately their mother or their grandmother or someone else didn’t like the idea. While we had some push back from family, we stuck to our guns and decided to do it, and couldn’t be happier about that decision. Also, literally every couple who did a big wedding that asked about ours was like “Oh my gosh I’m so jealous, we should’ve done something like that.” Ultimately, we were able to get married and really focus on us, without all the pomp and circumstance. Plus, I got to spend some time with my fine a** wife and family in beautiful Colorado! Everybody wins!
are you ready to do this thing? Let’s start planning!
Follow along on Instagram to see more of our day to day: @breckweddings