Aspen Destination Wedding
David and Heifara’s Aspen destination wedding was one of the most unique and eclectic weddings I’ve ever photographed. The couple attended Jaime and Olga’s beautiful wedding in Napa last year. Afterwards, Jaime’s brother David and his partner of over a dozen years, Heifara, got engaged. As a result, they invited me to Aspen. to document their own celebration. While in Aspen, parts of the celebration took place at the historic (and possibly haunted) Hotel Jerome.
Aspen Destination Wedding
Just getting to this Aspen destination wedding was an adventure, because the transportation options are limited. There are two ways to get into Aspen: either drive in from Denver for about 4 hours, or fly in on a very small plane. The second option is much faster, but because the plane is so small, it cannot accommodate heavy photographic equipment! So, as you can imagine, I took the long – but scenic – drive. Most of the guests who attended the Aspen destination wedding stayed at the hotel. The rehearsal dinner was held in the hotel’s storied J-Bar and its grand ballroom. The following day took us to the private residence of family friends, where the couple had their emotional ceremony and a luncheon followed.
Aspen Wedding at Chaparral Ranch
In the evening, chartered limousine buses ferried the guests to Chaparral Ranch. It’s an expansive ranch-style venue tucked away in the mountains. Incredible decor greeted the guests when they arrived. The groovin’ music of Soul Alive (a New York-based band that also played at Olga and Jaime’s wedding) created an instant party atmosphere. The guests basked in the warm Aspen evening and partied the night away. At the end of the night, a surprise awaited: A nightclub had been set up next to the ballroom, and the party continued! Documenting ‘Dafara’s’ Aspen destination wedding was an incredible experience, and quite challenging initially because we were at 8,000 feet of altitude! Even though I do CrossFit, it wasn’t possible to acclimate to such altitude in only one day.
