Fort Collins Ranch Wedding

Fort Collins is such a great place to have a ranch wedding whether you rent a venue or have it on a friend’s property. Josie and Jeff really wanted something intimate with their closest friends and family on their own ranch. They wanted to make sure that all felt welcome and the group was small enough that everyone took a special part in their wedding day.

As soon as I arrived Josie let me know she had a surprise in store for Jeff. She ordered a different wedding dress than what she had originally planned to wear. She knew it would be a tear-jerker.

The ceremony was set in their barn because we weren’t entirely sure how the weather would pan out. In October in Colorado a wedding can be a beautiful sunny and warm day, or maybe snowing and really breezy! It’s a toss-up. The big garage doors that opened into the barn let in plenty of natural light, and they used hay barrels as a natural backdrop. We love a rustic barn wedding! The arch was hand-made of wood with custom floral arrangements on either side of the altar. When Josie walked down the aisle and Jeff saw her for the first time, he teared up with joy to see his bride walking down the aisle. A tradition during the ceremony that I loved was they poured a shot of whiskey for the family in the front row. Everyone in the ceremony was able to grab a beverage on their way into the ceremony from the tractor ice bucket, which made for a perfect all together cheers during the ceremony.

Concluding the ceremony the couple went to the back of the aisle for a receiving line - I LOVED this! Everyone was able to come to hug and congratulate the couple. Perfect idea for a small ceremony where many folks are eager to give hugs and kisses to the newlyweds.

Family photos and portraits were held on the property with the kids (cows and cornfields) in the background. The car that Jeff proposed to Josie in was there with a truck bed full of flowers. I loved how they decked the whole property out for their wedding day. Another must-have was the tent they had rented. When the rain started pouring down after we finished formal photos (that was lucky!) everyone had a comfortable place to sit for BBQ dinner that was sheltered. I was so grateful to be part of this small wedding with J+J. They really treated me like family and made sure I had a place setting at a table, and that I didn’t go thirsty while I was working. Their hospitality and generosity carried to everyone in the room and you could really tell how much everyone there was family during mealtime and throughout the night.