Erin and Ryan were married on the slopes of the Winter Park Ski Area in a festival of radness. Erin invested a ton of blood, sweat, and tears into putting together a dream wedding in her beloved Colorado mountains. This wasn’t an easy task while currently living in Virginia with Ryan! So we started the day in my usual manner with some detail shots in the lobby of the Zephyr Mountain Lodge.
One of the fun parts about being me is that I’m never quite sure what style my photos will turn out like until they are composed, or even edited. While I usually lean toward lots of colors . . . today I’m all sepia! 
Similarly, sometimes I’m all about using strobes to create great lighting. But on this overcast day I employed natural light techniques . . . for the early part of the day anyway! I placed Erin in between the two windows for some really cool split lighting. Then I just sat back and let the photojournalist magic unfold while her Mom helped her into her stunning dress!
Dr. Ryan and his boys, documented in not-so photojournalist style while chillin’ out front of the hotel.
Erin and Ryan chose to do a First Look and see each other before the ceremony. I was getting a little tired of the same old routine, so I came up with a new idea, where the bride would come up behind the groom and put her hands over his eyes. The main idea was to capture the moment of anticipation, when she is there, touching him, but he hasn’t seen her in the dress yet. I think it was a smashing success!
We had big plans for a ski lift ride up to the top of the mountain on the Zephyr ski lift, but the weather was looking a little too sketchy to risk a rainy ride. So we stayed near the buildings at the area base for the Couple’s Portraits.
And it was a good thing that we did, because the rain did come. Umbrella shot with 100% bona-fide Colorado mountain summer rain. Completely different than that fake Orange County photoshopped-in rain LOL!
And while we were hopeful that the rain would stop before the outdoor ceremony on the slopes at the Mary Jane ski area . . . that wasn’t the way that it worked out. Erin did a great job of just letting it go despite tons of planning, dreams, and hopes. That’s just the way it goes in the mountains in the summer . . . you never know!
The ceremony was instead held inside the Club Car restaurant in the reception location. And the beauty and emotion of the ceremony far outweighed any locational physical beauty. Mix in two tablespoons of tilt shift lens magic and the resulting dish is quite tasty.
If you know Erin, then you know that High Kicks are a big deal! Here is Erin physically and metaphorically high kicking her way into the next phase of life . . . HK!!!
So despite my dubious comedic attempts, I sincerely wish Erin and Ryan the best in their future life together. All of those coincidences and happenstance meetings have surely led you on your true path into the future. Cheers!
Wedding Vendors
Venue/Caterer .:. Winter Park Resort .:. 800-731-6906 ext. 4
Cake Artist/Florist .:. Whole Foods Market .:. 303-477-3556
Gown Boutique .:. Alfred Angelo .:. 307-637-6623
Wedding Officiant .:. Kevin Cooper .:. 970-454-0787
by Steve Z
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