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Deer Creek Valley Ranch Wedding Photos | Colorado Mountain Wedding Photographer | Colorado Wedding Photographer | Haley Allen Photography | DJ + Alli
These Deer Creek Valley Ranch wedding photos are so near & dear to my heart, I’ve actually struggled to come up with adequate words to describe DJ & Alli’s wedding day. I probably won’t do it justice, but here it goes anyway! You may recall from Alli & DJ’s engagement session, that I went to college (Auburn) with DJ. War Eagle baby! We met at the very beginning of our freshman year. I even remember one night in the first month of school when a big group of us went out to dinner at the local Mexican restaurant Acapulco’s, DJ told me that he knew I was one of those girls that was going to get married before we graduated college. Of course, I accepted the challenge and made sure his prediction did not come true by waiting two whole days after graduation before getting married. haha! But DJ & I have always quickly understood each other & I felt the same when I met Alli & her family.
It’s such a fulfilling experience to get to see this friendship come full circle, just 14ish years later, in getting to witness & document Alli & DJ’s wedding. The day was as heartfelt and surprise dance filled as I would expect from these two genuine, fun-loving souls….
Vendor List
Venue – Deer Creek Valley Ranch
Dress/Bridal Shop – Danelle’s Bridal
Makeup – Ally Triolo
Shoes – Converse
Hair – Preslee Hair Style
Florist – Pam from The Holly Berry
Planner – Chandler from Ansley Event Design
Caterer – Biscuits and Berries
DJ – Kody from DJ Maestro
Photography – Haley Allen Photography
These two had the sweetest gifts for each other – the note DJ wrote for Alli with her pearl necklace. Alli made them matching Converse shoes with their wedding date & names in the Disney font, since their first date was to watch the Lion King musical.
Of course, we needed to capture the Championship rings. 🙂
For their first look, I laughed at the “are you kidding me?” face DJ gave me when I made him wait to turn around when he knew she was right there. Once they saw each other, I loved how they took their time taking in each other and every little detail.
Look at their adorable flower girls! We couldn’t get enough of them!
These girls wanted to blow off steam before the ceremony & of course Alli with the royal flush.
All of the bridesmaids dabbed at the altar for DJ during the processional. Such a fun group!
Candid family formals are one of my favorite things to capture! This group made it easy for me.
The bridal party’s grey and pink contrasted perfectly with the green field surrounding the ceremony.
Alli’s sister couldn’t make it to the wedding since she was due very soon with Alli’s nephew, but she created a surprise video toast for everyone to watch and it was such a sweet surprise for Alli.
Alli’s mom emailed me the week of the wedding and said they got a bubble machine for their exit, but I have always loved bubbles during a first dance especially if it’s still light out & I’m so glad she decided to go for it with their dance. Alli & DJ didn’t even notice at first, but then they spotted the bubble source & died laughing.
One of the first things I learned about DJ was his love of music & being around him for more than a few minutes would teach you he also loved dance, so it was an epic moment when he and his mom’s slow song broke into a full on Whip & Nae Nae.
Then DJ broke into one more surprise dance for Alli once we were back inside for their (decadent donut holes) dessert! It wasn’t until then that everyone else got to see his Auburn sleeves!
The bouquet & garter tosses provided some laughs because the bridesmaid who caught the bouquet ripped her dress in her lunge for the catch. Then, since this was a destination wedding for both of their families, DJ’s brother Steven was the only eligible bachelor present for the garter, so he just handed it over.
Alli told me she would really like to have a horse or horses in the pictures at some point. Up until this point, the horses hadn’t been around, but once they caught wind of her dress & bouquet, they sauntered over to check her out. One nibble on her dress later though and we were out of there! Sometimes you forget how big and powerful horses are until you’re shooting right next to one or it’s trying to eat your clothing! haha
– Tell me the story of how you met.
Alli and I met through a mutual friend at work. I was working a briefing for the military unit she just came from. She was helping me with the brief and the whole time I was telling myself how beautiful she was. I had thought she was dating a new member of my unit and she had thought I was married. Our mutual friend quickly cleared the air and I invited Alli to see the lion king traveling broadway musical. The rest is history!
– What is your favorite memory of your wedding day?
DJ: My favorite memory of the wedding day was getting to see her for the first time that day. She was stunning.
Alli: My favorite memory was the matron of honor speech from my sister. I knew my brother wouldn’t be there with his drug addiction, so it was hard not having my sister there either, but that video she sent made the day extra special. (Those are the pics that made me tear up). I was so glad she could share a part of the day through her video:)
– Will/Did you take a honeymoon? If so, where?
We ended up going to Barbados for our honeymoon. It was AMAZING, we snorkeled with sea turtles, went sailing, and just relaxed on the beach.
– What advice do you have for other couples planning their wedding?
I would tell other couples just enjoy the moment and don’t get caught up in the little things. Your wedding day is such a blur that the things you stress out about will seem to be nothing. And the things you thought people would notice, they won’t. What they will notice is a happy couple and just the fun that is had. You bring the energy and people feed off of it.
What was it like working with Haley Allen Photography?
DJ: You were amazing. As a friend I already knew the kind of person you are. As a professional I couldn’t speak any more highly of you than I already do as a friend. Your work is ART and you are one of the best artist with your eye for a great shot and capturing our emotion in your photos.
Alli: You were a blast to work with! Taking the pictures was probably close to my second favorite part of the day. You two are just the best!
Congrats Alli & DJ and even bigger congrats on your baby boy coming this spring! Also major thanks to my partner in crime & second Savannah Chandler for working with me this day!