For their outdoor adventure wedding, Malory and Z chose an intimate and secluded venue in the mountains of Marble, Colorado; a VRBO called Marble Lodge on Beaver Lake Retreat Campus. The town of Marble sits in the Crystal River Valley on the backside of the Maroon Bells Wilderness. This range holds some of the most iconic mountain views within the state. The town is known for it’s namesake, the Marble stone that is quarried here. Although the town is quite quaint, its mountains have layers of the highest grade Marble in the world called Yule Marble. This stone stands as the official state rock of Colorado and rivals the quality of classic Greek and Italian Marble in purity. A little known interesting fact is that many famous projects have used Colorado’s Yule Marble including the Lincoln Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The Marble Mill is a National Historic site in town where you can learn more about the history of the area. I was truly fascinated by all of this and had to stop in town to check it out for myself. Although I had never photographed a wedding at this venue before, I knew it had to be gorgeous with where it was built amidst the Elk mountains. White Marble rock was strewn throughout the river as I drove in from Carbondale. When I arrived I found the Marble Lodge tucked away, above the town, with an absolutely stunning view of the surrounding mountains! The best part? No cell service! This meant each and every guest was present, had no distractions of our often busy lives, and were able to relax and enjoy time together in celebration. This beautiful space is where Malory and Z vowed their lives to one another, danced the night away with fire, and even got naked in nature on a whim (several times, see photos)! Before I get too far into the story, let me hit rewind and tell you how they began this journey together.

Z and Malory met in Golden, Colorado, through mutual friends, and quickly became adventure buddies. They spent time together snowshoeing, climbing, hiking, and running (Malory is an Ultra Runner and killing it on the Ultra scene! Check out her last race here). Life ended up taking them separate ways and the two stopped talking for almost a year. They both admit that they constantly wondered what the other was up to and Christmas of 2014 they reconnected. Soon, they realized that their connection was more than just friends and they began dating. Within that same month, Z graduated from the Navy, and Malory moved with him to Hawaii to begin their greatest adventure yet.

Z was deployed for a good chunk of wedding planning so while he was away, Malory worked on every detail designing their wedding day. The theme for their celebration was a Tribal Frontier Festival and their colors were Sage, Terra Cotta, and Turquoise. And let me tell you, I was incredibly impressed with how everything came together. During planning, Malory made a point to have a green and environmentally friendly wedding. This included using online invitations to reduce their paper waste and they also used compostable dinnerware for their reception dinner. All of the decor they purchased was bought second-hand or found in thrift stores and the centerpieces for each table were boxes of potted herbs. The boxes were hand made, re-purposed from old fencing, and the herbs and succulents all came from Malory’s mothers garden. The skulls and antlers were from her family’s own personal collection (her father and brother are involved in Zoology and hunt for sheds). Amongst the decor on the tables there also sat beautiful pieces of pottery, rocks, crystals, and colorful geode slices. Malory and Z were able to gift many of these items to guests along with hold onto several pieces to decorate their own home with fond memories of their day.

Wedding day began with Malory going on a morning run that ended with a dip in the Beaver Lake Reservoir. I’ve had many brides wake up to be active on the morning of their wedding days; whether that means going for a run, stretching out with yoga, or taking a long walk to relax. It’s a great way to get out all of the jitters and boost your endorphins! When I arrived to the Marble Lodge, the guys were showering and just beginning to get ready. I asked Z if I could get a few photos of him shaving and as I stepped into the bathroom I realized there was someone else there, in the shower with the curtain closed. I let them know that I was in the room and to not get out until I was finished taking photos. As my finger touched the shutter I almost doubled over laughing as two of his groomsmen peeked their faces out from the shower curtain to be in the photos. Turns out, this tub had double showerheads on opposite ends and the men were cutting down on time so everyone could clean up quickly. This group kept me on my toes and the resulting photos are some of my favorite moments that I’ve ever captured.

Above the Marble Lodge is a large parking area with plenty of space for guests who made the drive in from afar. Many guests arrived the night before and set up tents, RV’s, and vans to camp out in for the weekend. Everyone who had camped the night before gathered for breakfast in the main lodge mid morning and afterwards began their prep for the wedding celebration. Malory and Z spent time getting dressed in the separate rustic wood lodges. Afternoon arrived and we were blessed with a gorgeous blue bird Colorado day for photos. We packed the bridal party into multiple jeeps to venture up a rocky dirt 4wd road for portraits. Malory and Z had their first look on a ridge-line overlooking Beaver Lake and the town of Marble, Colorado. Portraits ended in quite the surprise when the groom and his men began taking off all of their clothes. This was quite the shock to the ladies who were walking back towards the cars. Nate, their videographer, and I turned around and watched as the groomsmen ran buck naked out to the ridgeline to get a photo together in the wild. I mean, who doesn't love getting naked in nature? The videographer and I turned our cameras back on while trying to control our laughing and did the best we could to capture their good side! (Be sure to scroll to the end to watch their video!)

Malory and Z’s ceremony began with siblings and friends serenading the guests. Rijan, sang an original piece he wrote for the wedding and Collin and Heidi sang "Atlantic City" and "If I Were a Carpenter". Malory walked down an aisle made from varieties of colorful woven rugs and cow hide. As the ceremony began, the bride and groom met underneath a gorgeous natural wood teepee arch that Z had hand crafted; cutting the wood, notching the top to stabilize it, and setting it up on the deck of the Marble Lodge. Their vows revolved around a non-religious ceremony with readings of Carl Sagan from the Pale Blue Dot, Cosmos, and Billions and Billions. The ceremony wording was extremely special to Malory and Z, who spent a lot of time discussing which readings/ceremony language they wanted to include and what would be the best fit for representing their love and worldview. Their vows ended with a long kiss, Z dipping Malory to all of the guests whistles and cheers!

Cocktail hour hosted excited smiles, happy tears, and all of the hugs. The ceremony site switched to reception seating for dinner and the dancing and drinking began! As the sun slowly set behind the mountains, the DJ called everyone to the dance floor for Malory and Z's first dance. The first dance was followed by the most incredible father daughter and mother son dances I've ever seen. Both revealed impressive swing dancing skills and while one ended with the bride being flipped, the other ended with the groom back flipping himself. These two really know how to celebrate and have endless party tricks to keep guests smiling from ear to ear! As the music slowed and the evening came to a close, Malory and Z asked all of the remaining guests to take a seat in order to enjoy one last dance. Soft music began as two mysterious dancers walked out with small flames of fire lit on the ends of the metal bars that they held in their hands. Malory and Z wanted to entertain their guests while also honoring their new life in Hawaii so they hired Lumina Entertainment to dance with fire for the crowd. It was fascinating to watch them move, sway, and swing fire together while avoiding the bright flames that followed them gracefully around the stage. When the movement wound down to a gentle display, they asked Malory and Z to join them on the stage. The fire dancers framed the bride and groom as the newlyweds kissed behind the flames. This resulted in my favorite photo I took of the night. (Make sure to scroll to the bottom so that you don’t miss it!) Guests hugged and congratulated the happy couple once last time before walking to their cars. The bridal party took one last photo together before making their way towards the glowing campfire. Malory's brother, Collin, pulled out his guitar and the last few guests took turns singing songs and sipping wine that was passed around the circle of friends. I sat near Malory and Z and watched them smile happily at one another. From adventure buddies to husband and wife, they spent the last of their wedding day with their closest friends, hearts full as the evening dwindled away.