Washington Park Denver Wedding | Jessica and Elise

Heather and I met Jessica and Elise a couple of years ago when Heather joined Denver’s Black Ice Rugby team.  Heather has been playing rugby since college and she’s found a team in every city we’ve lived in for the last 7 years.  Joining a team was a great way to make connections in our new city and we quickly connected with Jessica and Elise, who also met on the rugby team.

There can be a lot of dating drama on a rugby team (or any sports team for that matter), but Jessica and Elise built a calm, solid relationship pretty quickly.  About two years ago the two moved to Atlanta so Elise could pursue her law degree, but when they got engaged they knew they wanted to come back to Colorado to celebrate.

We were so excited when they asked us to photograph their Washington Park Denver Wedding! Wash Park was only about a mile from our very first apartment in Denver so we were super familiar with the area and knew that the park would be the perfect setting for their DIY crafty wedding.

They chose to exchange their vows in the gardens at Wash Park, then took a bike cart over to the boathouse where they had perfectly styled their vintage inspired crafty reception.

The entire evening was full of laughter and energy and almost every person in attendance made their way to the packed dance floor.  There were lots of rugby friends in attendance and to continue to support the team that brought them together, Jessica and Elise hired current Black Ice players to help with the decoration labor and the catering service.

A big congratulations Jessica and Elise!  Heather and I had a great time celebrating with you!

Cynthia Mazzara did an awesome job on both Jessica and Elise’s make-up.  They had to get make up done in the same space, but had to avoid seeing each other–not the easiest in a hotel room!Elise had a cuff around her flowers that was from her mother’s wedding dress, which was made from her grandmother’s wedding dress.  I love sentimental details like that–it really shows connection, love, and support.Before the first look at Wash Park we did portraits of each side of the bridal party.  Jessica is super crafty and made the pinwheel bouquets for all of the bridal party.Jessica and Elise chose to do their first look along a less-used path by a tree that they’ve always loved.  It was sweet and full of excitement.  We love when couple’s choose to do a first look because it gives them more time to spend together on their wedding day.  Shortly after the first look we had a 20 minute rain storm which flooded their ceremony site.  Luckily the skies cleared and the hot summer day dried the site in minutes.  Avery from VOWS Event Planning did a great job keeping the ceremony on track and ready to go as soon as the rain stopped.I love that Jessica and Elise had a private ride around the park to their reception site.Jessica worked really hard to design the perfect summery details for their boathouse reception.Guests blew bubbles during their first dance, just before sunset.
Right after the sun set we snuck outside the boathouse to take advantage of the gorgeous evening light. Then it was time for a full fledged dance party!