Despite its eminence among winter sports lovers, Aspen is ultimately a small town that’s far from any major city, because of which the couple ran into trouble trying to rent certain materials for their wedding. “We ran into a few instances where we were talking to a vendor and wanted to reserve some decor, and since there’s not a lot of options, they sold out quickly,” Tyler says.
Winter is low season for weddings in the area, but Tim and Tyler found themselves competing with folks throwing extravagant holiday parties. Their photographer, florist, and band were relatively easy to book, but securing items like table linens and chairs were more difficult; they had to get chairs from two different vendors in order to secure enough.
Incorporate activities, and a touch of home
Aside from providing a list of their favorite Aspen bars, restaurants, and activities, the couple also negotiated discounts for their guests to take part in winter sports in their free time around the weekend. Given the Saturday wedding, they also arranged a snowmobiling tour with their immediate families on Thursday, and went skiing with friends on Sunday. They wisely avoided skiing themselves before the ceremony, says Tim: “We did not want the bride or groom going down the aisle on crutches.”
Though their wedding was a celebration of all things frosty, Tyler and Tim honored their home base of Texas with a rehearsal dinner held at a Mexican restaurant, Mi Chola, on Friday night of their wedding weekend. “We did a cowboy theme, where everyone was wearing cowboy hats or a western look,” says Tim. For their own outfits, the couple found the perfect pieces to connect them to both places, having hats made at Aspen’s legendary Kemo Sabe store—and printed with their wedding date.
Accept the possibility of a snowstorm, and buy insurance
Protecting the considerable expenditure of a single-day celebration is a solid idea for any wedding, but the couple found it particularly wise for their chosen destination’s weather. “There’s a provision you can add about cancellations and delays, which we definitely bought to cover us,” says Tim. “Lucky for us, we didn’t have to exercise that one, but it was certainly a concern for us in a place like Aspen, where snow storms could ruin the weekend.” Their weekend wasn’t shielded entirely from the impact of Mother Nature, however…
Choosing to get married in a remote location known for its frosty winters is not for the faint of heart. “We had our eyes glued to the weather every day, and it’s such a crapshoot for the weather in the mountains—there’d been a big storm the week before,” Tyler says. They watched a storm roll in on Thursday as they snowmobiled, then “We got really nervous and went back to the hotel to make contingency plans.”
The St. Regis’ event team were accustomed to such interruptions. In addition to keeping the couple apprised of each guest’s arrival, they also had back-up plans in place if the ceremony needed to be moved. The worst of the storm hit on Friday afternoon, but the majority of guests had opted to make a longer weekend of the wedding by arriving that morning or the day before. A handful had to get creative, though. “My family from California had their flight canceled out of Denver. They ended up making friends with someone at the airport and driving together on Friday night,” Tim says. “We had numbers for car services to help take people in the worst-case scenario.”
All in all, just one guest wasn’t able to make it due to weather-related issues. But the snow made the wedding visuals even more stunning. “Saturday, we woke up and it was clear, with the most fresh, beautiful powder we’ve ever seen.”
Embrace the charm
Taking risks (and planning ahead for them) paid off, and the couple made sure to highlight the allure of the setting and season with several delightful touches: A hot chocolate station greeted guests as they walked onto the ceremony space, and hand warmers were distributed. Butternut squash soup was dramatically poured into guests’ bowls as soon as they sat down for dinner, which was a “wow moment” and a “great transition from being outside,” the couple say.
To kick off the party, too, they partook in an evening ritual that’s common across all St. Regis properties—each sabered a bottle of champagne. “We both got it on the first try,” says the bride. “I have a handful of pictures that show my excitement.”