Libby and Neal

Winter Park, CO

the details

The Venue:
The Lodge at Sunspot

The Bride:
Libby McQuarie

The Groom:
Neal McQuarie

vendor resources

Venue, Catering, Guest Accommodations
Winter Park Resort
Winter Park, CO
skiwinterpark.com
303-316-1564

Flowers
Pick Me
Fraser, CO
pickmewp.com
970-531-2479

Cake
The Cake Lady
Tabernash, CO
970-726-0956

Photography
Beaton Photography
Dillon, CO
beatonphotography.com
970-468-1166

Bride’s Dress
d’Anelli Bridal and Tux
Lakewood, CO
coloradobridal.com
303-980-1400

Continental Connection

It was no surprise that eight-year Grand County locals Libby and Neal decided to exchange vows on the top of a ski mountain; after all, their romance blossomed on Colorado’s snowy slopes.  Throughout their relationship, dates often consisted of snowboarding and skiing jaunts, so they chose Winter Park , surrounded by wildflowers and boasting majestic Rocky Mountain Views, as a fitting location to host their June 2008 wedding. The Lodge at Sunspot - a massive stone and log cabin resting 10,700 feet on the mountain summit - hosted the affair, which began with an al fresco ceremony on the large wrap-around deck overlooking the Continental Divide. The reception followed inside the lodge, where floor-to-ceiling windows afforded endless views of the valley.

After they got engaged and began talking about their wedding, one of the most important things Libby and Neal decided was that they did not want to get wrapped up in infamous wedding-planning craziness.  A laid-back couple, they both admitted they’d rather spend time enjoying the outdoors than fretting over the perfect invitations.  That led them to choose Winter Park over other resorts because the mountain’s wedding specialist Jamie Lillard assured them that everything from lodging to catering to alternative transportation up the hill could be taken care of by the resort.  They wanted to use Grand County vendors as much as possible to support the local economy, so Lillard helped them pick from the extensive list of local partners with whom the resort works on an ongoing basis for things like the cake, taxi service, flowers, and even gift baskets for guests.

“I was able to sit back and relax, knowing that [Lillard] had all the details under control,” says Libby.  “I had little more to do than show up and enjoy my day as the guest of honor.”  Plus, on those days when the couple met with Lillard at Winter Park, they used the meetings as an excuse to get in some mountain biking or skiing time on the mountain.

When the weekend finally came, guests stayed at The Vintage Hotel and the Zephyr Mountain Lodge at the base of the mountain.  The menu, highlighted by a chipotle chicken crepe appetizer and a panko-encrusted Chilean sea bass entree, was prepared by the resort’s own catering staff.  Even Mother nature smiled down the sunny skies and early-summer temperatures as guests rode the Zephyr Express lift to the ceremony.  But the indelible moment came right before the “I dos” were spoken: As Libby and Neal stood in front of each other on the open-air deck with their surrounding friends and family looking on, they knew that their Winter Park wedding personified their relationship and its connection to the breathtaking Rocky Mountain backdrop.