4 Eagle Ranch was the perfect place for two people who fell in love in their adopted state of Colorado, who are addicted to the outdoors, to get married.
Despite living in a small mountain village, where everyone seems to know one another, it took an online dating site to bring Gabrielle and Jesse into one another’s orbit.
They are both avid skiiers and moved to Vail for the outdoor recreation. Gabe, as most people call her, insisted their first date be on the slopes so she could make sure Jesse was a better skiier than she was (this is classic Gabe by the way… surrounding herself with people who will make her better). She was impressed, and so was Jesse – by Gabe’s fun and positive spirit and her incessant smile. Gabe has a way of making everyone around her feel happy and energized. She is fiercely intelligent, hilarious, and a purely good soul. It’s impossible not to love her.
We have known Jesse a long time through the photo industry. He is a fellow wedding and portrait photographer. He is goofy and passionate, loving and loyal. He visits us often here in Charleston, and brings our daughter a gift every time he comes to visit. He stays up late with us drinking wine and talking politics, photography and random gadgets he’s recently learned about. Whenever there is something we’re not sure how to do, Jesse will always help us figure it out. That’s a trait Gabe surely loves about him as much as we do.
The weekend started off with a Friday morning hike (three miles, mostly uphill… I swear, these overachievers) that ended in an impromptu champagne party at the top of the mountain. Friday night’s rehearsal dinner was at an awesome restaurant called Bol Vail that doubled as a bowling alley. Saturday was just this idyllic day of being in the jaw-droppingly gorgeous landscape of 4 Eagle Ranch, which dates back to 1885 – blue skies, mountains, horses and quaint old cabins in all directions. Gabe and Jesse were giddy all day – so happy to be marrying one another, so happy to have their friends and family around them, so happy to be in this beautiful place together, just happy happy happy.
We ended the weekend with a Sunday day-after session in another beautiful spot… one of their favorite places to take their dog Daisy on walks. We left Colorado on a (natural) high from all the beauty we’d seen, all the wonderful people we’d spent time with, and from seeing our sweet friend find the love he so deserves. We were lucky to share this experience with the incomparable Vlad Chaloupka who filmed the wedding. You can see his 4 Eagle Ranch teaser film here.
Planning a mountain wedding? Find inspiration in our past similar weddings here: Mountain Weddings