This wedding was an absolute dream! This couple is so special and I knew it the moment I met them that we were a perfect fit. I hadn’t been to Steamboat Springs since I was a child and it was completely different than I remembered. The evening my second shooter Kyla and I arrived it was cold, foggy, and rainy but thankfully the sun rose on the most sunny September day for Sari & Jamie’s wedding. Sari picked Perry Mansfield for their wedding venue because she grew up going to the camp during Summer. Perry Mansfield is a whimsical stunning dance camp and wedding venue. I’m so grateful that Sari hired the ever talented Alaina with Root + Gather Events who helped us out so much through out the entire day! Also can we talk about her stunning bouquet created by Steamboat Floral. Please let your eyes ravish all the stunning details and pretty colors in this memorable Perry Mansfield wedding day!
Perry Mansfield had the cutest cabins! 
What was the favorite part of your wedding day?
It is hard to pick a favorite moment, as there are so many we both love; however, if there was one thing that we truly loved it was having all of our friends and family there to celebrate with us. When we were planning, the thought of being the “center of attention” made both of us a little nervous, but on the day of the wedding, we both were overwhelmed by how many people had traveled to be there to celebrate with us. It was this beautiful melding of friends from different parts of our lives, families, and even animals (Splinter, our dog, made several new best dog buddies). I jokingly would tease Jamie leading up to our wedding as to whether or not he would cry, well I happily won my bet, but between the two of us, I totally cried way more than I thought I would. I like lost it. It is hard not to when everyone is sharing in your love. It makes your wedding day feel like this never ending bear hug.
If you could give one piece of advice to other brides who are planning their weddings, what would it be and why?
I know, this is three, but I had a time narrowing it down! The best piece of advice I got was, “every wedding is perfect for the couple.” I loved that, and would constantly go back to that. Jamie and I picked the 3 things that we both really wanted which were (1) a great band; (2) a great photographer; and (3) a great cocktail hour. Once you settle on those core things it makes it easy to plan around that.
Jamie and I both grew up around music, so having live bands was really important to us. We ended up having two bands one for our reception, and one for our ceremony/cocktail hour. It was great to have bands that blended our love of funk, blue grass, jazz, and a little rock’n roll.
Hire Kimberly. But really. I think I Instagram stalked Kimberly for months. She is so incredibly talented, and captures your day in such vivid and beautiful detail. Not only that, she has the best energy. She has that amazing ability to make people feel comfortable in front of a camera, which is so lovely. My wedding guests and party continue to rave about her, and I will too, because she is truly incredible. We are so lucky to have had her as our photographer, and I will continue to gush over these photos for years to come.
Cocktail hour is, to me, one of the best parts of the reception. You are just on this “wedding high” post ceremony, people are hugging, chatting, and celebrating, it is the best. Jamie and I; however, both didn’t want our cocktail hour to just be that block of time where photos get taken. We intentionally extended our cocktail hour to an hour and a half. It was perfect. It gave us time to mingle, chat, and say hello to people, while also still getting amazing photos. Our caterer for our cocktail hour was amazing, and I am still having dreams about the tuna poke.
What was your favorite thing to design/plan?
I really cherish the small details. I loved working with our invitation artist. I looked for months for the right invitations, I don’t think I’ve scoured Etsy so much in my life, but when you find that one thing; that one detail, it just makes it feel like everything is coming together. Jamie and I both; however, loved planning our cocktail menu. Steamboat is special to both of us. We spend a lot of time on the mountain. All of our cocktails were named after ski runs, and per our sense of humor, we wanted our cocktails to be gauged in skill and complexity. It was really fun to hear people at our wedding say things like, “Well I started out aggressive with the double black, but I’m mellowing with a blue right now.” We had a lot of fun with it, plus having friends over to try and make cocktails; do wine tastings wasn’t so bad either!
Where did you go for your honeymoon? What was the best part?
We went to Costa Rica. We found a private house called “Villa Blanca” in Samara. We stayed there for a week and it was perfect. We walked to the beach every morning to get coffee, did a little surfing, snorkeling, and kayaking. For Jamie, the best part was drinking fruity cocktails and taking 4 naps a day. For me, I loved our pool. We had this beautiful private pool that was surrounded by gorgeous flowers and the resident iguana and monkeys. We’d get back from the beach as it would start to rain, but being in the jungle, we’d just swim in the pool in the rain.It might have been a little Nicholas Sparks, but we didn’t care. It was romantic and beautiful.
Anything else you’d like to share with KMitiska Photography readers?
Take time after your wedding to go somewhere. It can feel really traditional leaving for your honeymoon right after the wedding, but even if its just for a few days, it is so lovely to just be a married couple, replay the wedding, laugh, and reflect and relax with your partner, or as we like to say “best buddy.” That time right after your wedding comes once in a lifetime.
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