A Romantic Rocky Mountain Wedding in Aspen

When you know, you know (or so they say). For Rocco, that’s exactly how it was when he met Carley in kindergarten. Having become fast friends, it seems like his intentions evolved by the time they entered second grade. When they were assigned to write a letter to their future selves, Rocco confidently wrote that he would marry Carley at the age of 28. True to his word, Rocco proposed to his lifelong friend during a private evening of champagne and caviar on his rooftop. And thanks to Rocco’s mom, that prophetic second-grade letter would feature in their wedding day program!

In planning their wedding, Carley and Rocco wanted to celebrate Aspen’s natural beauty while infusing elements of their personalities. After an outdoor ceremony under market lights, their historic hotel venue was dressed to the nines with floral-printed linens, mirror signage, and warm candlelight. Roses and dahlias in shades of blush, magenta, and crimson were filled in with greenery, adding rich fall-inspired hues to every corner of the space. For guests, a custom newspaper told Carley and Rocco’s sweet love story and featured vintage photos of the two growing up. Ever the fun-loving couple, the newlyweds revisited their childhood together by wrapping up the night with a good old-fashioned pillow fight. Talk about happily ever after!

We wanted our wedding to be authentic and true to our style and energy. We wanted to celebrate Aspen’s natural beauty while adding elements of our personalities.

I found my dress by accident. The week after our engagement, I was walking with my brother-in-law to lunch, and he suggested that we go into a bridal boutique for fun. I spoke with the receptionist, and she said that they were having a trunk show that was beginning the next day, but the dresses had arrived, and if I could come back in an hour, I could try them on first. We came back in an hour with my sister, and I tried on five dresses for fun, each in a different style, so I could get an idea of what I liked. The 6th dress that I tried on was selected by the bridal consultant and didn’t have much hanger appeal, but it was the last one in the dressing room, so I decided to give it a shot. I put it on and said, “whoahhh…” My sister and her husband agreed that we did not need to look any further. I put on a veil and facetimed my parents, and the rest is history!

We loved being together with all of our closest family and friends in our favorite city, seeing everyone sharing in our joy and emotions and feeling so much support. Knowing how present everyone was made us feel even more special.

We loved walking into the ball room and antler room for the first time. As we did not participate in the wedding planning, we were seeing all of the decor and details with our guests for the first time.