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M + M – Aspen
M + M – Aspen
As outdoor enthusiasts, Maggie and Matthew chose Aspen, one of their favorite vacation destinations, for their Summer wedding.
Participating in a religious ceremony was of great importance to the couple, so they chose St. Mary’s Church for their traditional nuptials. The catholic church underwent major renovation in 2018 in which the church employed architectural specialists from New York to restore the 125 year old building. After the building’s structural integrity was reconstructed, muralists artfully filled the sanctuary with ethereal, nature-inspired paintings that created both a joyful and dignified ambiance.
When asked about the inspiration for the renovation, the local priest described entering the church as “entering the New Eden, the New Paradise with one foot on earth and one foot in Heaven”. The stained glass windows, architectural features, and decorative paintings throughout the church are filled with images of vines, fruit and flowers that symbolize this New Eden.
Drawing similarities between this divine visual concept and the things Maggie and Matthew love about Aspen – the harmonious mix of humble, rugged surroundings with breathtaking, otherworldly beauty – we designed their entire wedding celebration around the “New Eden” imagery.
The invitation suite included the couple’s names hand-lettered with exaggerated glyphs that formed the shape of fruit and birds. In order to mix the feeling of organic and ethereal, the stationery was printed on triple thick, highly-textured cotton paper and stamped with gold foil. The envelope liner was foiled onto textured, silver metallic paper with a pattern pulled from an altar mural. The shape of the die-cut detail cards was inspired by a motif that repeated across the walls of the church’s nave. The paper suite was accented with a soft mist color on the beveled edge of the main invite and the stationery envelopes. This blue-green tone was incorporated throughout the wedding from the Dream Weaver bridesmaid gowns to the custom chinoiserie murals adorning the reception.
Guests enjoyed cocktail hour, dinner, and dancing at the top of The Little Nell. Guests were greeted by a floral escort display designed to create a gateway to the most glorious view of the mountains. The asymmetrical floral arch created an impactful entrance without impeding the breathtaking view. Custom-made lattices anchored the arch and featured diamond-shaped escort cards (another nod to the church murals) with foil-stamped fruit glyphs and hand- lettered seating assignments.
Guests were offered passed cocktails and canapés during cocktail hour. Signature drinks were served at a wooden bar wrapped with a hand-painted chinoiserie mural. At the bride’s special request, we brought in llamas dapperly dressed in bow-ties and floral wreaths to provide a photo opportunity for the guests.
The lodge dining space was softened with textured linen draping and custom lampshades painted with the same chinoiserie pattern from the cocktail bar. The lights were accented with green vines to evoke the feeling organic growth down the fixtures.
The tables were draped with linen in a mixture of light blue and celadon colors. Select tables were adorned with patterned linen to create movement throughout the dining room. The centerpieces were arranged to look like artful still-life paintings with lush floral centerpieces accented with bowls of fruit. The regal place settings featured gold and blush tones, and the scalloped shape of the dinner charger tied in the design motif from the invitation suite.
Guests dined on a four-course meal and danced with an energy-filled band before descending down the mountain in the ski gondolas through the dark, peaceful sky.
Photography
