Surf Hotel Wedding Photographer in Buena Vista, Colorado | Cassie + Noah
Cassie and Noah got married at one of the most beautiful wedding venues in Colorado called the Surf Hotel right in the Arkansas Valley in a little town called Buena Vista. Buena Vista is known for being right in the middle of the largest concentration of 14,000ft mountains in Colorado so it has naturally staggering views of really gorgeous nearby mountains. More about where to explore, shop, eat and relax in Buena Vista is linked here.
The Surf Hotel is a boutique hotel right on the river with a restaurant, wedding venue, and hotel all in one. The design of the entire venue is so well thought out and very European inspired but make it Colorado river town. They used river rock as the building material for much of the exterior of the building that helps it fit right into the vibe of the location in Buena Vista. The wedding venue itself is also a concert hall so naturally they have amazing lighting and acoustics for a great reception. Options for smaller ceremonies or larger ceremonies let you select different areas around the property to host your ceremony.
The Surf Hotel boasts many areas to host your guests.
The Chateau - there are some private rooms on the edge of the property you pass through an elegant river rock archway to a stunning aspen tree-lined corridor that perfectly frames the scene for a small ceremony or some couples portraits.
The Beach - just out front of the hotel there is a sandy area above the river that is a perfect ceremony space for your wedding day. The ceremony for this wedding was hosted here and the guests loved the ambiance. It is slightly shaded for your guests to enjoy the sounds of the river rushing by and the view of Mount Princeton peak alongside you getting married.
The Courtyard - another great option for your ceremony space, cocktail hour, and/or an extension of the reception space. A stone woodstove and river rock stone courtyard with open air (or the option to enclose it with a tent!) is another amazing option right on site for a gorgeous and flexible wedding event space. This space was used for late-night marshmallow roasting and cocktail hour. The flexibility and proximity of this courtyard to everything on site is perfect!
The Ivy Ballroom - I mentioned this before but this ballroom is really intentionally built with kick-ass sound and lighting for big-time concerts. You really cannot go wrong with your reception here if you rent the space out for your wedding night. For this wedding, we danced the night away to some awesome tunes and there is a bar in the back of the space so guests have all the ease of getting drinks and getting back to the dance floor.
Welsley and Rose - the really yummy upscale restaurant for amazing New American-style food and delicious cocktails. They cater all the weddings at the venue and have absolutely fantastic plated dinners for your guests. They also have a private dining area in their restaurant if you want a very small and intimate dinner for a micro wedding! In our case C + N got a plated dinner served in the beautiful Ivy Ballroom.
There is a designated getting ready room near the courtyard that I met with Noah in, while Cassie had a hotel room to herself to get hair and makeup done upstairs. The balcony of the hotel room overlooked the river and the mountains so we could not resist using this area for our first look. But first! We pulled a little prank on Noah and had the flower girl come out and tap him on the shoulder instead of Cassie. It was such a funny way to ease the tension of the anticipation of him seeing her.
The beach along the river was a lovely ceremony spot because guests were able to be shaded, while taking in the sounds and views of the Arkansas river on their left, and the view of the collegiate peaks on their right. Their heartfelt vows didn’t leave a dry eye in the whole audience. The whole ceremony was so intimate and personal, with the father of the groom officiating, and very close friends and family making up the wedding party. You could tell that every single person in attendance meant the world to the couple. They looked so elated and proud as they were pronounced a married couple and walked down the aisle together. I loved how much their faces just lit up walking down the aisle and seeing all their guests smile back at them and cheer.
We chose to do our portraits with both the mountain backdrop of the collegiate peaks as well as hop around the surf hotel venue to show off all the gorgeous lighting and architecture the hotel has to offer. I had so many options I scoped out a few of my favorite spots around Buena Vista and the Surf Hotel. I feel so lucky that Cassie and Noah trusted me to guide them around the town and have fun riding around a bit to take portraits. I really felt like their own personal paparazzi at a certain point. Letting them go back to take a break to be alone but then seeing the perfect lighting and making them stop for just. one. more…. okay two more photos!?
I love listening to speeches because you can really learn a lot about a couple’s story and their background. Cassie and Noah have both had such vibrant and full lives, living and traveling all over the world. I think of all the weddings I have been to they have family and friends travel the farthest to come out to celebrate their love. It was such a special thing to witness their first dance and the speeches of their siblings, and closest friends.
Okay okay, so we absolutely NEED to talk about this outfit change!!! Cassie changed out of her full wedding dress into a silk high-neck dress and even did a hair change with a high ponytail. I don’t know about everyone else but my jaw was on the floor! She looked so stunning and classy. I also love the outfit change idea because it gives the couple the option to be in something more comfortable to dance and mingle in.
The party continued in the Ivy Ballroom throughout the night with DJ Stag Entertainment turning it up and getting everyone dancing and having fun. The guests were absolutely having the time of their lives and nearly everyone stayed to celebrate with the couple all night. They had a final private last dance while guests funneled out front for a send-off and a perfect and magical end to the night was a gorgeous sparkler exit. Everyone gathered around with sparklers and cheered Cassie and Noah into their first night of marriage as husband and wife.
Venue: The Surf Hotel
Florals: Beet and Yarrow
Planner: Anna Trio Solutions
Dress: Vera Wang
Feel free to take a nice, slow scroll through the whole wedding day!
