Leading up to the wedding day, typical brides are down right narcotic about what the weather just might be.  Stressing over a storm system on the other side of the country, freaking out about cloud cover that they can not control.  Rain is typically the end all be all of the worry producers.  Joey Walker & Stephen Collins’ wedding day was graced with rain, graced because up unto that point, the area had been having a super dry summer.  As life would have it, the skies opened, the couple & guests embraced the quenching of the earth and rain was celebrated along side the couple.  Yellows & grays supplemented the already lovely Lyon’s Farmette, while rustic elegance was the overall feel for the day.  The couple cemented their day, binding their love in a Buddhist ceremony while rain drops kissed the tops of the heads of those their to celebrate.

Novella of the Bride…

Joey has her MA in Counseling Psychology, and loves NY Times Crossword Puzzles, yoga, hiking, cooking, and meditation. Stephen is the CEO and founder of a 3D software company in Boulder, who loves to study history,  to be active, hike with the dogs, and he makes a mean Margarita! Our relationship began when Joey was a hostess at The Kitchen Cafe in Boulder, CO, and Stephen was a regular patron. We slowly got to know each other, and over time (and one marathon conversation), found that we had many shared passions, similar worldviews, and both had the hope to start a family someday. We share a deep love of our families and friends, and find that spending time with those we love enriches our relationship and gives us lots of support.

The theme was really taken by the beautiful natural atmosphere of the Lyons Farmette. We wanted a rustic elegance, that was very simple and beautiful. The colors were yellow, cream and grey, and stripes kept showing up as a stylistic theme. We wanted our wedding to feel like a cozy and intimate gathering, although we had about 150 guests. Food is a major shared passion of Stephen and mine, and we wanted the meal to play a big part of the night. Our caterer was fantastic and incorporated produce from The Farmette, as well as sourced all ingredients locally. Special touches were our Buddhist wedding vows, and the fact that it poured rain from our cocktail hour on into the night! It had been a notoriously dry summer in Colorado, so we like to think that our wedding rain helped out the land! The farmers had tears in their eyes because they were so grateful for the rain. Our guests said that the rain was actually their favorite part- so thank goodness we had rented a tent at the last minute, or else everyone would have been drenched!

We chose the Lyons Farmette because we wanted to be outside and enjoy the natural beauty of Colorado, as well as giving our guests a unique experience. We loved the Farmette because of the precious animals, luscious vegetables and colorful flowers. But honestly, what made the location so special, was the kindness of Betsey and Mike, who are the owners. Not only did they invite us in their house when we toured, we sat with them as they ate their pancakes and eggs, and then got a tour of their home, which is on the property. They were engaged and loving from the start, and we felt that we had such true supporters in them. They helped us so much, and we will forever be grateful to them!

Joey’s {bride} mother passed away not two months before the wedding, so it was a very painful time- although the paradox of joy was also felt, by the support of other family members and friends.It seemed as though everyone who could offer to help, did so.  Afternoons were spent around the dining room table, filling goodie bags with jelly beans for the guests, and folding the handmade programs. Also, one of the bridesmaids offered Salsa dance lessons to the bride and her father for their special father/daughter dance. It was a lesson to remember and brought lots of laughs.

Bride’s Favorite Moment: “When I close my eyes and envision my favorite moment, I recall the feelings that I had when my father walked me down the aisle. It was such a pure, emotional moment, and I felt that my mother was there too. When I walked down the aisle and saw Stephen’s face smiling at me, I felt full of love and joy, and so happy that we had our closest friend’s and family there to witness us on that day. It was a profound experience of letting go and feeling so grounded during my transition to becoming a wife!”

We loved each and every one of our vendors so much- and the lasting friendshps that we made with them is truly what aided in making our wedding such a huge success. We felt so connected to everyone that was with us, and are so grateful that we can call them our friends. Choosing to go with vendors that we had instant connections with really made planning so much easier. We felt like everyone had our back!

Vendor Love

Venue: Lyon’s Farmette
Wedding Dress: Monique Lhuillier
Bridesmaid Dresses: BHLDN
Shoes: Tory Burch
Hair Stylist: SideDoor Salon
Caterer: eat PRIVATE CHEF & CATERING co
Baker: Nathan Miller
Florist: Living Interiors
Musicians: Kevin Sousa
Band: Conjunto Colores
DJ: DJ Michael Jones
Photographer: Ashley Davis Photography

When a wedding is a group effort, it truly is that much more special to the couple.  Such is the case for Tanya Gutierrez Vazquez & Eli Vazquez, whose family members & friends all came together to make their wedding day as customized & true to who they are as a couple as could be.  Having a natural vintage hipster vibe, our gorgeous couple embraced this very feel from everything from their choices in fashion, transportation, to the lovely Hoosier Grove Barn where our couple was married.  Both sides of the families helped, making the dinner & desserts, while friends pitched in with the music.  Tanya & Eli’s local pastor officiated the wedding, while friends & family gifted Tanya with various brooches which she combined into her hand made brooch bouquet.  Our sweet couple let who they are lead them & did not deviate, leading to a gorgeous wedding day celebrating exactly who they are as a couple!

What Storyboard Likes…

The Emotions- The emotions are an unsung hero in this wedding feature.  The love & joy that Tanya & Eli hold  for one another is so evident it practically jumps off the page at you!  We love the multiple pictures where Eli looks as if he could not wait one more second to kiss his sweet bride, while she has that certain gleam in her eye when almost bashfully at times looking back at Eli.  Their emotions are a standout start to me & I love how much I as the viewer get caught up in it!

The Groomsmen- Whether these guys are naturally hams {we’re prone to think so!} or just doing an ace job of playing the part, these boys came to play when it came to picture  time!  We love a good bridal party who isn’t afraid to really make the portrait session something memorable, taking the opportunity to hoist up the groom on their shoulders, hold our groom back wide eyed, even jump a bit for joy.  We give big props to the boys, you brought it!

The Fashion- From start to finish our vintage hipster couple covered all the bases & we couldn’t be bigger fans of the outcome!  We love everything about gorgeous Tanya’s fashion choices from her pill box hat birdcage veil, to the the perfectly fitted lace dress.  We must say though, our favorite touch just might be the bracelet heavy arm party she’s rocking, though the ”Toms” altered owl shoes are pretty hot!  Eli’s simple easy going suspender chino look is an old school classic & we love that the groomsmen paired perfectly, while the bridesmaids were dressed in easy breezy mix matched summer yellows.  Each area of fashion was allowed to be unique, while smartly chosen themes tied it all together.  We looooove it!

Vendor Love

Venue: Hoosier Grove Barn
Photographer: Estanislao Photography