When I first met Tara and Jake, they were so excited about planning their wedding on Jake's family ranch east of Denver and including their Belgian draft horses, Duke and Blaze, in the festivities. We talked about doing engagement photos at the ranch as well and in February had a blustery dry winter session there! If you missed it, you can catch up here.
Tara and Jake shared their first date almost two years ago at Sushi Yume. They didn't want the evening to end so they decided to go to a movie. The only movie playing was A Charlie Brown Christmas and they were both perfectly happy being a little kid again. Less than a year later, they were enjoying a day at the zoo. Jake bought Tara a stuffed wolf and put the ring on its tail. Tara got so frustrated when Jake wouldn't give her the wolf, and finally spun around to face him and demanded "give me my darn wolf!" Jake responded, "you are marrying me" and handed her the wolf. There was no asking haha! Tara even asked him if he was going to ask, he said "nope, I'm just telling you."
They decided to have their wedding at the family ranch. As the planning process continued, we discussed timeline, shot lists, and details. When their wedding day arrived, it was a typical hot summer day in Colorado with hardly a cloud in the sky. Tara was all nervous smiles while hanging out with her beautiful bridesmaids. Jake was as chill as ever (as is typical for him haha!) and when they shared a First Look, it was emotional and beautiful.
Their families transformed the ranch into a bonafide wedding venue, it was incredible! With a ceremony site facing the mountains and a view of their ponies, small barn decked out for dancing, and beautiful shades of purple and gray as their colors, it was perfect for these two to begin their forever. During the ceremony, one of the ponies got out of their pen, which in turn spooked another pony. Very quickly, all six ponies had escaped the area and were running free around the property! We all got a good laugh from their shenanigans and got back to the task at hand: Tara and Jake vowing their lives to one another.
The crazy smoky haze that blanketed Colorado that week made for the most epic sunset photos ever as the air cooled down and guests settled into celebrating the happy couple.
Tara and Jake love reading and walking their doggies together and look forward to starting a family, owning a ranch of their own, and getting their Master's Degrees.
When asked for their favorite wedding memory, Jake said "The boys coming up and photobombing us, or the ponies trying to run away". Tara's response: "Most memorable wedding moment was our ponies escaping and Jake taking off after them. That right there is something I love about him, the horses are so important to him."
Without further ado, here are a few of my favorites from their wedding day.
Venue: Buzzitta Ranch, Carriages of Colorado
Flowers: Vickies Flowers
Cake: A Cake Occassion
DJ: TH Entertainment
Hair: Teresa Self
Makeup: Shaya Campbell
Catering: Famous Dave's Catering
