This Intimate 70’s-Inspired Colorado Mountain Wedding Featured TWO Retro Wedding Dresses

Majestic mountains. Fall foliage. A 70’s-inspired retro vibe. 

Those were the priorities when Marissa + Adam started planning their intimate Silverton, Colorado wedding. These two old souls live in Durango, CO and love all things vintage, thrifted, and antique, so they built their outdoorsy day around disco balls, handcrafted elements, and a warm, groovy color palette.

The hip Wyman Hotel was the couple’s home base, and the scenic celebration took place at the Kendall Mountain Recreation Center, surrounded by the San Juan Mountains.

“We wanted a wedding that looks like it was held in the 1970s,” say Marissa + Adam, and photographer Hanna Wilson was key in achieving that vision. Hanna shot a dreamy mix of editorial and documentary style images that perfectly captured the time travel element of Marissa + Adam’s big day while adding an eccentric Wes-Anderson-style flair.

Let’s get into this magical, retro wedding!

A Morning In The Mountains

The morning of the wedding, Marissa + Adam snuck off into the mountains to exchange private vows. The first snow of the season had just dusted the Colorado mountaintops with white, and the clouds were hanging low above the vibrant, newly changing leaves.

Intimate 70's inspired fall wedding in the San Juan Mts

“It was one of the most beautiful mornings I’ve ever seen in my life,” says bride Marissa, “which made our vow exchange all the more special.”

This bright and warm-toned bridal bouquet was the work of Adela Flora.

How much do you love Marissa’s hip vintage-inspired white ankle boots!

This pair from Lulu’s is super cute if you’re eager to recreate the look.

Intimate 70's inspired fall wedding in the San Juan Mts

Really digging the vintage textured vibe of Adam’s green velvet blazer. Check out this emerald one from Indochino if wanna rock this look.

We ADORE Marissa’s short puff sleeve wedding day look! Take a look through our fave short and tea length wedding gowns for more inspiration!

Intimate 70's inspired fall wedding in the San Juan Mts

If you’re loving the beautiful vistas and private elements of these morning mountainside vows, take a peek at our roundup of places to elope with mind-blowing scenery.

Intimate 70's inspired fall wedding in the San Juan Mts

Getting Ready

“Something simple and elegant with a vintage flare within an affordable budget” was what Marissa set out to find when she began her wedding dress search. Nothing she tried on at bridal boutiques felt authentic to her. So she began the online hunt. That’s when she fell in love with Reformation’s bridal collection and the Sarabeth Dress in particular. Her fave details (and ours!!) are that gorgeous sweetheart neckline and the super-fun throwback-vibes fringe along the bottom!

Marissa + Adam requested that all of their guests wear 70’s-inspired attire, and these bridesmaids absolutely understood the assignment.

The groomsmen are rocking their retro menswear looks. Love that the whole wedding party got to take a choose-your-own-adventure, mismatch approach to their ensembles.

The Ceremony

Our Musical Choices

Processional: "Wouldn't It Be Nice" by The Beach Boys

Recessional: "Tomorrow" by Wings

First Dance: "I Love You For Sentimental Reasons" by Nat King Cole

Intimate 70's inspired fall wedding in the San Juan Mts

The way that Marissa’s marigold floral crown matches Adam’s suit 😭

Intimate 70's inspired fall wedding in the San Juan Mts

Afternoon rain had threatened to move the entire wedding indoors, but the clouds parted and the weather cleared up just in time. Marissa remembers: “As we exchanged our vows, a ray of sunshine peeked out from behind a passing cloud, shining a beam perfectly over us. It looked heavenly and felt like a pretty good sign.”

Picturesque Portraits

What a squad 💛

Take a look at our lists of the best floral bridesmaid dresses, the best terracotta bridesmaid dresses, and the best rose gold bridesmaid dresses if you want to pull some inspo from this mismatched palette.

The stunning floral embroidery on the bodice of Marissa’s gown was done by Marissa herself!! Check out more of this super-talented bride’s work at Southwest Stitch Co.

Intimate 70's inspired fall wedding in the San Juan Mts

Sometimes the best move is to skip posed portraits with your wedding party in favor of some shots like this one that really capture the vibe of your crew!

Our Advice To Those Planning Now

From Marissa: "When you know your vision, stick to it. Weddings bring a lot of different people from your life together for the first time ever, and most folks are looking to contribute in some way. While this is ultimately very helpful, it can also bring a lot of different voices and suggestions into the mix. I think there are ways to kindly guide loved ones to help you create the day you're dreaming of. If not, maybe find a friend who's willing to boss everyone around on your behalf. Just kidding :) Honor and appreciate the help you receive, and remember to communicate your needs and vision for the day!

Don't be afraid to be thrifty or take a DIY approach to your planning. My family, friends, and I made many thrift store visits in the months leading up to the wedding. We were able to find great options for antique glass, wicker trivets, vases, vintage blankets, and accent decor. Older pieces that are one-of-a-kind are always more fun. While I did order some items online for consistency, having a lot of reused goods helped us take our decor budget further. I also collected and dried out flowers for months leading up to the wedding, which I made garlands out of, used as supplemental decor, and is what our flower girl used when she walked down the aisle. I made my flower crown with fresh marigolds, a headband, and fishing wire in the hours before the wedding. I hand painted signs, created a custom design for our cups, etc.

Also, purchase as much Instax film as you can afford and a few instant cameras. We purchased 400 slides of film and passed around the instant cameras. People took photos home with them, left a bunch with us, and included them with their guest book signatures. They're so fun and make me very happy every time I have a chance to go through them."

Adam’s marigold yellow suit with totally groovy floral embroidery details on the lapels is from ADDICTEDbespoke.

Intimate 70's inspired fall wedding in the San Juan Mts

Loving this motorcycle moment.

Sneek a peek at Marissa’s super-cute white mules from Nasty Gal.

The Reception

Intimate 70's inspired fall wedding in the San Juan Mts

This groovy, 70’s-inspired cake by April Seelbach paired well with even more desserts from Jean Pierre Café.

Our Favorite Memory From The Wedding

From Marissa: "Our first dance was special because it brought things full circle for us. Two weeks after we started dating, we got stopped on the street by people filming a promo for their upcoming play. They asked us what our wedding song would be, and Adam answered I Love You For Sentimental Reasons by Nat King Cole. They rolled out a giant speaker, blared the song, popped a veil on my head, and asked us to slow dance. It was awkward at the time, but 8 years later, we decided to do our first dance to it.

Also, during the reception, I strapped on my roller skates and went out to the dance floor. Adam twirled me on my skates under the disco ball while Dancing Queen was playing and everyone circled and danced around us. It was GROOVY."

So happy for you, Marissa + Adam! Can’t get enough of your dreamy retro mountain wedding! All the very best from GWS!

photography: Hannah Wilson Photography // venue name: The Wyman Hotel, Silverton, CO, US // event design: Bride // planning: Bride // florals: Adela Flora // wedding dress: reformation and Emboidery by bride // wedding suit: Addicted Bespoke // bride's shoes: Nasty Gal // bride's ring: vingtage // handmade details: Bride // catering: Chefs Prives // cake: April Seelbach // desserts: Jean Pierre // officiant: Zarina Karapetyan // ceremony/reception location: Kendal Mountain Recreation Center

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