salida colorado wedding photographer
Bella Vista Wedding Photos | Molly + Brad | Haley Allen Photography | Steamboat Springs Wedding | Colorado Wedding Photographer
Where to start on describing Molly & Brad’s amazing Bella Vista Wedding in Steamboat Springs, Colorado? It was such a fun, emotion packed day. Last time I had been to Bella Vista, there were fires in California creating a haze over Yampa Valley. This being a similar time of year had me concerned again, but the sky brought Molly & Brad a near cloudless, clear day.
Vendor List
Venue – Bella Vista Estate in Steamboat Springs Colorado
Dress/Bridal Shop – LUV Bridal
Makeup – Caroline LaLive
Shoes – Jimmy Choo
Hair – Stephanie Lechnir
Florist – Last Call Floral
Planner – Last Call Events
Caterer –Marnos Custom Catering
Cake – Mountain Brew
Band – Raising Cain
Video – M and A Film
Photography – Haley Allen Photography
Molly & Brad’s Rocky Mountain National Park Engagement Session
Bella Vista Wedding
I loved the simple elegance of Molly’s lace bodiced dress and details.
Molly & Brad both had the best friends in their wedding party. Such a fun group!
When I first met with Molly & Brad, they described their personalities to me as Brad being the puppy in the relationship and Molly being more of the cat. Molly had let me know Brad would be crying on this day (and boy did we capture it! haha) but there were a few moments where Molly herself got choked up. Reading Brad’s note was one of those times. I think she had me choking up the most!
Bella Vista Wedding Ceremony
Brad seemed pretty certain when we first met that he did not want to see Molly beforehand. And I’m so happy they stuck with that decision and waited. His reaction was so perfect!
So these groomsmen – Brad is a musician & as I learned on the engagement session, a huge Billy Joel fan. He & his groomsmen went to Tennessee for this bachelor party to see Billy Joel live. They cracked me up all day long by breaking into “Whoooooaaaa, for the longest time” randomly.
I loved how the blues of the bridesmaid dresses and the blue & grays of the groomsmen suits popped in this location. The group had so much fun with every thing I asked them to do. I want every wedding party to have their energy!
When they asked what they should do with Brad, I threw out a few ideas and then jokingly said, “Oh you could do the Dirty Dancing lift?” Before I knew it, these amazing ladies had him in the air! Loved it!
When it was finally time for some photos of Molly & Brad, I knew we’d want to escape back up to the aspen grove to give them a moment to breath after the whirlwind of family & bridal party photos.
Bella Vista Wedding Reception
After being announced into the reception, Molly & Brad rolled right into their first dance. You may remember from their engagement session that the movie 10 Things I Hate About You and by proxy the Franki Valli song “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You” carries special meaning for them. Naturally, they pulled off an amazing choreographed dance to that song.
Following their dance, they had everyone get on the dance floor before dinner for an awesome mashup. I’d never seen this done before!
The cloudless sky brought this beautiful yellow light at sunset coming through. We knew it was time to steal Molly & Brad away really quickly for some of those must-have Colorado sunset photos.
Time for open dancing and this group brought the party! Raising Cain cranked up mash up songs like you wouldn’t believe and everyone was up on their feet dancing. Loved getting to photograph this party!
Some in the bridal party kept coming up to us and saying they were going to jump in the pool. I’ll be honest, I’ve seen a lot of these ideas fizzle as the night wears on. Not this group! The guys went to change out of their tuxes and Molly changed out of her dress, but the bridesmaids stayed in their dresses. We popped Molly’s veil in and the rest was history. I’ve never had such a large group jump in before, so I knew I had to deliver on this shot. Thankfully everyone waited for my count and they nailed it!
Congrats Molly & Brad! Also major thanks to my partner in crime & second Savannah Chandler for shooting alongside me this day!
– Tell me the story of how you met.
“We met during college at University of Denver band while we knew each other for those 4 years, we didn’t become friends until graduate school. Once in a small 1-year MBA program together, we became close friends. We would spend time at Jordans together hanging out after class and playing Life on Brad’s iPad. It wasn’t until April that year that Brad asked Molly to dinner but she thought it was just as friends until halfway through, Brad mentioned he would pay, which never happened. And the rest is history!”
– What is your favorite memory of your wedding day?
“Our favorite memory from the wedding was Brad seeing Molly walk down the aisle and Molly seeing Brad at the end of the aisle. We also loved our first dance!”
– Will/Did you take a honeymoon? If so, where?
“Iceland, we took a helicopter tour, hiked and ice climbed on a glacier, zodiac boat tour in a glacier lagoon, went to the blue lagoon, and saw lots of waterfalls.”
– What advice do you have for other couples planning their wedding?
“During the planning process, go out on dates and do fun activities that are separate from the planning but also enjoy the process. We took dance lessons 1-2 times per week for our first dance and it was a blast spending the time together and doing something fun! During the wedding, enjoy all the guests but also take moments during the night to spend time with your new husband/wife. Say thank you to your family and friends for being there.”
What was it like working with Haley Allen Photography?
“We have only good things to say about you and the pictures! It was a fantastic experience and we are so lucky to have someone so talented to have been there to document the day!” – Molly & Brad
If you made it this far, thanks for reading! Before you go, if you’re wondering how I feel after a day of crushing it, here ya go. haha
