Carly and Elliot are beyond thankful that they were able to hold their dream wedding at C Lazy U. Located in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, their luxury dude ranch venue served as the perfect setting for exchanging “I dos” and creating an unforgettable experience for their guests. However, due to one of the largest Colorado fires in history and the pandemic, their big day almost didn’t happen. The East Troublesome fire broke out in October of 2020 and wreaked havoc in Colorado for over a month. Not to mention that the couple already postponed their wedding because of Covid. “There were a few times we almost said screw it and eloped, but Elliot was actually the one who kept pushing to make it happen,” says Carly. Adding, “He knew we would regret it if we didn’t have the wedding we had planned.” Luckily, the fire was finally contained at the end of November and the couple was given the “okay” to move forward with their wedding plans. “We are just so freakin’ grateful that we were able to have this celebration,” says Carly.
Photographer Stephanie Fisher of From The Daisies, captured the romantic day and says that even though most of the area was torched, due to the fires, they were still able to make it a beautiful place to celebrate. Stevie with Wildly Collective worked with the Carly to help transform their venue into a setting that really represented the couple. From the wildflower-filled altar, which was built by florist Bri from Hazel Avenue in the middle of an epic rainstorm!) to the table cards featuring whimsical drawings of couple’s favorite neighborhoods, every detail from the wedding was intentional and thoughtful. “The best thing we did was let our talented vendors take our story and just do their thing,” says Carly. “Oh, and the Negroni bar. That was also A+.” See more of their chic dude ranch wedding below!
The Dress: Carly says she was feeling really indecisive when she was shopping for her wedding dress, up until she walked into Sarah Seven’s bridal salon. “I ended up going with just one girlfriend on a random Sunday afternoon and it sounds cheesy, but all I can say is the moment I put that dress on, I knew,” says Carly. Adding, “It was the first dress I tried on that didn’t feel like a costume—I just felt like the most badass version of myself. Plus the cape. I mean, c’mon!”
The Dress continued: Carly says the next weekend she had her grandmother, mom, and sister come back with her to see if they felt the same way. “My grandmother held me close and told me that my grandfather (who was in the fabric business before he passed away) would have loved to see me in a dress with such gorgeous fabric. That was definitely one of those sweet little memories I’ll have forever,” says Carly.
The Venue: “We half-jokingly said our goal was to have an “adult summer camp with an open bar” vibe for the weekend,” says Carly. Adding, that “the biggest piece of that was choosing C Lazy U as our venue, where our friends and family could show up on Friday and not have to worry about anything until Sunday. We really just wanted everyone to be able to let go, eat delicious food, and have a good time getting to know one another in a beautiful setting. Of course, we had no idea just how much we would all need that after 2020.”
Fun fact: As a surprise for the ceremony, Elliot and Carly picked each other’s processional songs. Elliot walked down to Raider’s March by John Williams from the film “Indiana Jones” where Carly processed down to the “Sweet Child O Mine” cover from the “Captain Fantastic” soundtrack. Note Carly’s face above to see her sweet reaction!
The ceremony, hands down. We had our mutual friend Noam officiate and while we knew he would be great, he honestly blew us away. The ceremony was hilarious, heartfelt, and captured us and our love so perfectly. He also surprised us by having literally everyone in the audience ask us those final "do you..." questions in unison, which was an unexpected and amazing moment.
As a groom, get involved! This is your day too, and working together on the wedding brought us closer and only helped to strengthen our communication and relationship as a whole. Be direct with each other about expectations. Set each other up for success. For example—if you're expecting a gift or card from your groom before the ceremony, let him know! Nothing about this day should be a test for one another. Beforehand, we also decided that Saturday from the ceremony on, we would stick together and experience it all by each other’s side. It seems obvious, but it's easy to lose track of one another with so much going on!
Another tip from the couple: “Hire a planner at the very least to help with day-of coordinating so you can relax and enjoy the ride! There was a full-on storm right before our ceremony and not sure what we would’ve done without our planner Alaina from Root + Gather Events to make sure everything still went smoothly.”
Processional: Recessional: Dolce Vita by Ryan Paris First Dance: Stuck on You by Meiko
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Carly says they decided to forgo a lot of wedding traditions, to add some personalization to their event. “We skipped anything that didn’t feel important to us, like a big wedding cake. We had the ranch make us a delicious cheesecake instead and then had a mini pie bar. Because who doesn’t love mini pies?”
Congrats to Elliot and Carly! We’re sending them all the best. For more inspo, check out our real weddings’ page #onGWS!
photography: from the daisies // venue name: C lazy U Ranch, Grandby, Colorado, USA // event design: Wildly Collective // florals: Hazel Avenue // wedding dress: Sarah Seven
So dreamy!!! What an epic setting with such beautiful details.