The bride and groom at The Ranch Country Club with mountains in the background.
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Winter Wedding at The Ranch: Kristin + Colten

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Home » Blog » Weddings » Love Stories » Winter Wedding at The Ranch: Kristin + Colten

A Story of Faith

Kristin and Colten’s prayers for finding the perfect match were answered when Christian Mingle, an online server, connected them both.

Their relationship started with a first date out to a bowling alley. Following seven months of dating, they announced their engagement. The proposal happened on a hike, next to a beautiful lake.

Sacred Celebration

Kristin and Colten chose Risen Savior Lutheran Church in Broomfield as the site for consecrating their marriage. The ceremony officiants included Kristin’s pastor, Chris Matthis, from her church in Castle Rock, and the groom’s brother, Pastor Joseph Highley.

Guests waited for the ceremony to start enjoying beautiful piano music played by Rachel, cousin of the groom. The service began with a processional down the aisle as the ring bearers, matron of honor, and flower girl entered the church and assumed their places. The bride, escorted by her father, took her position at the front of the church and linked arms with her future husband.

Close up of the bride and groom holding and squeezing their hands tightly together and the bridal bouquet.

For most of the service, the bridal couple entwined their arms and hands together in mutual love and support of each other. As the service unfolded, they occasionally laughed together as the officiants interjected humor into the program. Overall, the mood felt sacred, yet joyful.

The Readings & Sermon

The service incorporated scripture readings from Isaiah 61:10-11 and Colossians 3:12-17 by the bride’s father. Subsequently, Pastor Matthis gave an inspirational sermon for the congregation. Next, the parents gave the couple their blessings and consent for marriage.

The couple expressed their wedding vows and exchanged rings under the blessing of the groom’s brother, Pastor Highley.

Once the pronouncement of marriage occurred, they kissed each other and received applause from those attending.

Post Ceremony

After the recessional, the couple gave each other a long hug and a kiss. They waited for the guests to exit the church into the warm vestibule. While wedding receiving lines often get a bad rap, Kristin and Colten’s moved quickly and efficiently. Each guest paused just a moment to express their congratulations and give a quick handshake or hug before moving forward.

Wedding Colors

Dessert table with miniature white wedding cake, fudge and vanilla-topped cupcakes features a quote from CS Lewis about love.

Kristin selected brown and green for her winter wedding day. These natural colors gave an earthy, yet warm vibe to the celebration. In keeping with the theme, Colten wore a brown tweed suit. Kristin’s attire incorporated emerald green in her jewelry, which coordinated with the stone in her wedding ring.

At the reception, the decor and food also echoed these colors. For example, pine cones on a rustic wooden base with candles added a brown-colored ambiance. Brown tones appeared in the food with Cocoa Krispie single serves and chocolate iced cupcakes. Finally, napkins and touches of green leaves on the tables completed the scene.

The Reception

Upon arriving at The Ranch Country Club, guests enjoyed a cocktail hour with appetizers. Before heading inside to join them, the couple reserved a few minutes to venture to the western side of the venue for some mountain photos.

Fortunately, enough snow and ice had melted to make a path for Kristin to navigate the way without getting her feet too wet. The stunning panorama of snow-topped Rockies provided an amazing and romantic backdrop.

Afterward, Kristin and Colten made a grand entrance into the building complete with music and applause. To kick off the festivities, the bride’s father gave a prayer and everyone enjoyed a buffet-style luncheon.

The groom’s brother emceed the affair and passed the microphone for the matron of honor and best man to say a few words. The bride’s brother also gave a speech reflecting on the quick passage of time. He mused how his sister had matured from someone that he teased, into a beautiful person with whom he now had meaningful conversations over books and life.

Traditions

The wedding couple elected to include just a few wedding traditions for their reception. A cake cutting started the events. While the feeding of cake to each other seemed to start innocently enough, the couple ended up smashing cake into each other’s faces. They both reacted to the experience in a good-natured way and relied on their friends and family to make their faces and attire presentable.

Once free of frosting and crumbs, Kristin and Colten made their way to the dance floor. They performed a choreographed first dance complete with twirls, turns, and several beautiful dips.

Thereafter, the bride and her father enjoyed a dance together. When the song ended, the groom’s brother started up a personal playlist and many of the kids and adults joined in the dancing.

The matron of honor, bride, and groom link arms and dance together during the reception.

Final Words

Kristin and Colten, I wish you many blessings in your adventures together. May your love of music, books, learning, and faith bring you closer together over the years. And, may your laid-back personalities allow you to continue to live joyfully, throughout life’s twists and turns. Cheers!

Cake Table Quotation

You might be wondering about the beautiful signage on the wedding cake and cupcake table. The quote on display is a favorite from C.S. Lewis.

“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.

To love is to be vulnerable.”

– C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves

Details

  • Ceremony: Risen Savior Lutheran Church
  • Officiants: Pastor Chris Matthis and Pastor Joseph Highley
  • Pianist: Rachel Andersen
  • Bridal Hair: Marcia Andersen
  • Bridal Makeup: Melanie Andersen
  • Reception & Catering: The Ranch Country Club
  • Cake: Button Rock Bakery
  • Photographer: Anne Stephenson Photo
  • Shoutouts: Gratitude to everyone helping out with risers and extra help during the family photos and throughout the day at the church. Special thank you to Melissa, the matron of honor for ensuring Kristin’s dress looked great in every photo and for getting the veil tossed in the wind (not to mention keeping the photographer hydrated). Appreciation to Gary the catering coordinator at The Ranch who took time out to show the beautiful venue and the opportunity to advance scout locations to keep our timeline moving quickly.

Leave a Memory or Congratulatory Note

In the comments, leave a note for Kristin or Colten with a favorite memory of the day. Also, if you were unable to attend, feel free to leave a blessing or note of congratulations! Scroll down to the bottom of the page for the comments section.

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