A Colorado Same Sex Wedding Next to Clear Creek

How I juggled photographing my sister’s lovely creekside lesbian wedding while also being present and enjoying the day with her.

My sister married her partner, Meghan, at a beautiful outdoor Colorado same sex wedding ceremony in Golden, Colorado last fall.  There’s an ongoing debate among photographers about whether to photograph close friends and family weddings or not.  On one side, you have those who would rather attend the event as a guest so that they can fully participate and be truly present for their loved one.  It’s also true that no matter how much you love photographing weddings, it’s still a lot of hard work to do it right. Plus, will your close friend or loved one be sad if you aren’t in any of the photos because you’re on the other side of the camera working all day?  On the flip side of that coin, it can be hard to trust someone else to take care of your family the way you know that you can. And for some family and friends, budget is a concern. They may not be able to afford the photographer that you know you can trust.  I definitely fall into both camps when it comes to this issue. There is no one right answer for each and every situation.

There can be a happy medium for photographing your closest friends and family.

If my sister, Gabby, was in a position to hire whoever she wanted for her same sex wedding, I think the choice would have been clear to hire another capable photographer and allow myself to simply be her sister at her wedding.  But as we all know, you get what you pay for and I was not about to allow her to go cheap on her photographer for her wedding to Meghan. I know I’m biased but I think the photography is high up on the list of things to not skimp on at your wedding.  A good photographer can make your budget wedding look much nicer with the photographer tricks up their sleeve. And I wanted to do something nice for her and Meghan. So we began to devise a plan for how to make this happen.

Hiring a Second Photographer is imperative!

This is where I need to give a huge shout out and thank you to Katie O’Docharty, the awesome second photographer who I encouraged my sister to hire to allow me to step back during some parts of the day and enjoy the wedding as her big sister.  Knowing that I could ask Katie to take over a little more at the reception was such a huge relief for me. I was able to enjoy a couple drinks with family and friends, dance a little, and I was also able to give a toast and know that it was all being covered by a capable second photographer.  It also meant that I was present in the photos so that when Meghan and Gabby look back years from now they’ll get to see me in some of their pictures with them.

Let’s talk about what made Meghan & Gabby’s Colorado same sex wedding special!

My sister and Meghan have been together for 4 years now but in stereotypical lesbian fashion they were smitten and moved in together quite quickly after first meeting.  (I laugh as I say that because my husband and I did exactly the same thing! So, I know that this phenomenon not just for female same sex relationships and I say that in jest.  Sometimes you just know someone is right for you!) Meghan has three awesome kids already and it’s been truly beautiful to see Gabby join their family and become such a wonderful step-mom for them.  There is so much love and patience in their busy household. Gabby and Meghan truly want to give those kids the best life possible and they have built a beautiful life and family together.  I love seeing their teamwork together!

Lucky Brides at Their Colorado Same Sex Wedding 

Getting married the last weekend in October can be a little risky here in Colorado, especially the higher up in elevation you go.  Gabby and Meghan were lucky though because their same sex wedding day at the Golden Hotel ended up being a beautiful warm day. They were even walking barefoot down the path next to Clear Creek!  Perhaps it’s because of the lucky horseshoes that Meghan’s sisters bought for her and Gabby?  That is an Australian wedding tradition that their family keeps alive at their family weddings.  I love the way that the Golden Hotel has their ceremony site set up on the patio with beautiful views of the mountain with the “M” laid out in rocks from the School of Mines students. It’s a quintessential Golden Colorado wedding location for sure.  It’s nestled right next to Clear Creek and it’s just bustling with energy from all of the locals and tourists enjoying the great outdoors and local shops. They hosted a smaller, more intimate amount of guests and I thought the Golden Vista room for the reception was perfect.  It still had a ballroom feel with a dance floor and a bar, but the size wasn’t overwhelming for their smaller amount of guests.

Love to this lovely same sex couple!

Gabby & Meghan,

Thank you both for being patient for your photos.  I wanted to make sure I had the time to give them a lot of care and truly tell your wedding story well.  I love you both! Congratulations!

 

Venue: The Golden Hotel Golden, Colorado

Officiant: That handsome man standing up there is my husband, Geoff 🙂

Florist: Pretty Petals Littleton, Colorado

Cake: Happy Bakeshop Denver, Colorado

Gabby’s Dress: The Green Bride Littleton, Colorado

Meghan’s Dress: David’s Bridal Nationwide

DJ: A Music Plus Denver, Colorado

 

I believe that love is love and want to live in a world where couples are free to openly love each other no matter who they are without discrimination.

Interested in seeing some other same sex weddings in Colorado? Check out this RUSTIC EVERGREEN LESBIAN WEDDING and THIS PRETTY CONIFER COLORADO BACKYARD WEDDING, and THIS PRIVATE PROPERTY MOUNTAIN WEDDING, and THIS SWEET CHRISTMAS WEDDING too!