The bride and groom touch their head and noses together as they share a moment at FlyNB Park in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.

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Home » Blog » Weddings » Love Stories » Outdoor Spring Wedding at Ashley Ridge: Makenzie + Brent

Their Story

Makenzie and Brent met through mutual friends in South Carolina in 2017. In early 2020 they went on their first hike and a brewery visit. Afterward, things moved quickly. They moved to Colorado together in November 2020. At their almost one-year mark of living in CO, they became engaged on the top of South Table Mountain in Golden, Colorado.

The Venue

For their wedding and reception, the couple selected Ashley Ridge located in the Denver South Metro area (Littleton), part of the Wedgewood Weddings venues. This sophisticated and elegant wedding venue facility is known for its contemporary styling along with amazing Rocky Mountain views. It made for a unique blend of modern and natural elements that created the perfect wedding backdrop.

Skip Ahead

01

First Look

02

Ceremony

03

Reception Features

04

Details – Vendors

GO TO Photo Gallery
A woman wraps her arms tenderly around her husband as they prepare for their first kiss at their wedding.

First Look

A man stands in a park with trees anticipating his wife-to be approaching quietly behind him for their first look.
A woman clasps her fianceé's hand as she approaches him from behind in anticipating of their wedding day first look.
A man reacts to seeing his soon-to-be wife for the first time during their first look reveal.

Unlike traditional weddings where the couple plans to first see each other during the ceremony, a First Look allows couples to share a special moment together and see each other for the first time in a relaxed, more private setting.

For their First Look, Makenzie and Brent met up together at Fly’n B Park located about two minutes from the venue and the Hampton Inn where they were getting ready. The park features lots of trees and a catch-and-release clear pond stocked with various fish. While they didn’t go fishing, the pond, trees, and mountains provided a great backdrop for photos.

Since it was spring and had snowed the Thursday prior to the wedding, it took some doing to keep everyone dry and picture-perfect for the First Look and the balance of the day. Thanks to the assistance of friends Ali and Danny, Makenzie navigated the dirt and in some spots mud and managed to keep her dress beautiful.

Outdoor Spring Wedding

A man and woman hold hands together under an archway draped with their dusty blue wedding colors at an outdoor spring wedding held at Ashley Ridge.

Makenzie and Brent said their ‘I dos’ in the outdoor ceremony area at Ashley Ridge, complete with stone accents, and a wooden ceremony arch swathed with beautiful fabric in blue tones. This complemented the wedding color scheme of dusty blue, brilliant blue, ivory, and green.

The outdoor wedding spot contained lots of late afternoon sunshine, a cool wind, and a spring temperature in the low 40s. Many guests brought wraps and extra layers to stay cozy during the ceremony.

A friend officiated the ceremony which contained greetings, readings, an exchange of personal vows, and an official introduction as Mr. and Mrs. The program concluded with a traditional first kiss and a second kiss mid-way through their departure down the aisle.

Reception Features

Corn Hole

Outside the main doors of Ashley Ridge, guests saw corn-hole beanbag toss games. One game had a Wisconsin emblem and the other South Carolina. These represented each of the home states for the bride (Wisconsin) and groom (South Carolina). Many of the 100 guests attending traveled from out of state to Colorado for the event.

Postcard Guest Book

Instead of a traditional guest book, the bride and groom placed postcards for guests to sign with instructions to place cards in a nearby decorative mailbox.

Once inside, guests could sign the “guest book” which actually consisted of a postcard station with a mailbox painted with the couple’s last name. Everyone was instructed to select a postcard, sign it with warm wishes, advice, or any other special words, and place it in the mailbox. The couple would then use the cards as inspiration for their future hiking adventures.

Speaking of adventures, a bulletin board next to the mailbox contained several photographs of places where the couple had hiked. It also showed selected photos of their engagement photo session at Mount Falcon Park, west trailhead.

Party Favors

There were also cute stickers for the taking of the newlywed’s dogs Mimi and George. A note explained to guests that the party favors were for “our favorite people” with a personal wish of gratitude. “Thank you for celebrating with our humans.”

Self-Operated Photo Booth

The venue also had a self-serve photo booth set up along with a collection of various props for making fun photos. Following the instructions, guests stood in front of the greenery backdrop and moved into a variety of poses. The photo booth printed out two copies of the images, one for the guests and one to be left behind for the wedding newlyweds.

Elegant Dining

Close up of a wedding table that includes a card labeled "Chicago Lakes" one of many sites where the bride and groom hiked. They used locations instead of numbers to identify where guests should be seated.

The dining and reception area carried through the mountain and adventure theme. Rather than table numbers, each round had a different featured mountain location with details and photos on the backside.

Centerpieces included light light blue delphiniums, darker deep blue thistle-style flowers, and greenery in dusty-gray sage greens complimented with warmer ferns.

A wedding party table was set up at the center of the room in front of the large picture window facing west. This provided a beautiful backdrop behind the couple as the last light of the day colored the sky as the sun set behind the mountains.

Colorful Reception

A motion-blur exposure of the bride and groom dancing creates swirls of purple, pink, and amber lights for a high-energy feeling.

Speaking of colors, the custom lighting at Ashley Ridge transformed easily from elegant dining to a lively and fun area for a dance party.

Following the First Dance, Makenzie shared a dance with her dad, and Brent with his mother. Afterward, general dancing continued into the evening with lots of great music and additional lighting effects by DJ Maestro.

Final Words

Makenzie and Brent, I wish you many more hiking and brewery adventures together. If I could, I would gift you both a fairy godmother with an always-working GPS (just in case!) and unlimited access to Spotted Cow beer. May your days be full of love and laughter and fun times with friends and family. Prost!

Leave a Memory or Congratulatory Note

In the comments, leave a note for Makenzie and Brent 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👇 to write your wishes in the comments section.

Details

  • The mother of the bride assists with the wedding veil.
  • The bride laughs and the mother of the bride smiles at her beautiful daughter during the getting-ready part of the day.
  • The matron of honor assists the bride with buttoning her bustle as the bridal party looks on.
  • The matron of honor leans in close as she uses the nearly invisible loops on the skirt to put the long flowing wedding dress into a bustle.
  • A bride reaches out to her husband to be during their wedding day first look.
  • A man reacts to seeing his soon-to-be wife for the first time during their first look reveal.
  • The groom leans in to the bride and kisses her on the forehead during their first look photo session.
  • Right after their first look moment, the groom looks at the camera while the bride holds him at his side and takes a moment with her eyes closed.
  • Close up of the wedding rings placed on a rock in a park. The ring of the groom is silver with an inlay of blue and aquamarine stones. The solitaire engagement band of the bride is accented with a copper color wedding band with sapphires.
  • The bride and groom touch their head and noses together as they share a moment at FlyNB Park in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.
  • The groom straightens his tie in the mirror in the getting ready area at Ashley Ridge.
  • The groom goofs around with his best man and messes with his hair.
  • The groom and best man give each other fist bumps in the waiting room before the wedding.
  • The groom flanked by groomsmen and father figures.
  • The bride sits on a sofa surrounded by her five attendants in the Ashley Ridge getting ready room.
  • Exterior view of the entrance to Ashley Ridge event center.
  • A reserved sign marks the honorary spot where the deceased father of the groom would have sat during the wedding.
  • Rows of white chairs set up for a wedding. The farthest chair on the right is wrapped with fabric and bears a sign stating that it is reserved in memory of the father of the groom.
  • The mother of the groom in the front row of a sunny Colorado wedding.
  • Best friends of the wedding couple walk arm in arm down the aisle during the processional.
  • The father-of-the-bride walks his daughter down the aisle at Ashley Ridge.
  • A man and woman hold hands together under an archway draped with their dusty blue wedding colors at an outdoor spring wedding held at Ashley Ridge.
  • The bride covers her face as she laughs during the recitation of vows.
  • The groom squints his eyes from the bright sun and manages to gaze at his wife as she recites her vows.
  • The bride looks down at her slip of paper that contains her wedding vows.
  • The sister of the bride holds the bridal wedding bouquet and watches the ceremony.
  • The bride carefully holds the wedding ring and gets ready to place it on the finger of the groom.
  • A woman wraps her arms tenderly around her husband as they prepare for their first kiss at their wedding.
  • A second first kiss midway down the aisle at this outdoor spring wedding at Ashley Ridge.
  • Beautiful crystal chandelier ringed by modern LED lighting that changes colors at Ashley ridge.
  • A prop for the photo booth reads, "Take me to the Mountains."
  • Instead of a traditional guest book, the bride and groom placed postcards for guests to sign with instructions to place cards in a nearby decorative mailbox.
  • The bride and groom, still holding glasses after their champagne toast kiss each other in the privacy of the getting ready room.
  • Table numbers at a wedding show various hiking spots throughout Colorado that were memorable to the bride and groom. This placard shows Cupid Peak where they had their first hike.
  • The best man gives a toast as the groom starts to smile.
  • The sister of the groom gives an entertaining speech that touches the newlyweds.
  • Close up of a wedding table that includes a card labeled "Chicago Lakes" one of many sites where the bride and groom hiked. They used locations instead of numbers to identify where guests should be seated.
  • The bride and groom share a first dance as the guests look on.
  • The father of the bride brings his hand up to his eyes to wipe away tears during the Father/Daughter dance.
  • Mother and son share a dance at a wedding.
  • The groom wraps his arm around his mother and holds her during their dance.
  • The bride and her father enjoy a dance together.
  • The groom enjoys a cigar outside in the near darkness.
  • The father of the bride and his other daughter stand cheek to cheek and smile for the camera.
  • The bride enjoys celebrating her wedding by dancing amid a colorful light show.
  • Wedding guests retrieve their photos printed at the photobooth.
  • An older couple dance together at a wedding.
  • Motion blur of a woman dancing at a wedding.
  • A group of women and the bride hold a cut out photo of someone who could not be a the wedding.
  • Guests fill the floor and dance at a wedding.
  • A motion-blur exposure of the bride and groom dancing creates swirls of purple, pink, and amber lights for a high-energy feeling.

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Photographer

Anne Stephenson is a Denver, Colorado photographer who captures honest, unscripted moments rooted in connection and story—reflecting who you truly are at weddings, mitzvahs, and beyond.

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