Crestina wore a crown of wildflowers so bright it looked hand-painted, and then she climbed out onto a rock ledge over the foothills in her wedding dress without a second thought. That’s the short version of this Boettcher Mansion wedding in Golden, Colorado. The long version has a Tudor lodge on top of Lookout Mountain, a ceremony arch covered edge to edge in flowers, and a rainstorm that nearly cost us sunset.
A Boettcher Mansion Wedding on Lookout Mountain
Boettcher Mansion sits on Lookout Mountain above Golden, about twenty minutes up the road from town. It was built as a summer lodge, and it still feels like one: Tudor half-timbering, heavy stone walls, ponderosa pines taller than the roofline, and gardens full of lavender and wildflowers.
The building does a lot of the work for you. The ceremony patio has a herringbone brick floor and a low stone wall with the pines right behind it. Every doorway is a thick stone arch that frames whoever walks through it. Inside, the reception hall has timber trusses, lantern chandeliers and a stone fireplace. And the edge of the mountain is a short walk from the mansion, which matters more than anything else on this list, as you’ll see.
A Flower Crown and a Lot of Twirling
Crestina got ready in a suite with yellow walls, teal doors, and old wood floors that soak up the window light. Her veil was already hanging from the window frame when I walked in, which is always a good sign. The details came on a teak tray: the invitation, a save the date from their photo on a lake dock, the rings, and a gold locket. Her bouquet was hot pink, marigold yellow and deep purple all at once, with no interest whatsoever in being subtle.
Then the flower crown went on. I am a sucker for anything whimsical, and my god, was this crown good. Roses, ranunculus and little blue and purple blooms, packed tight and sitting right on top of her curls. She laughed the whole time it was being pinned in, and she spent the rest of the afternoon twirling in that dress every chance she got.
They did their first look under the stone pavilion out front, pines on every side. She walked out, gave the skirt a spin, and Trevor just grinned. That turned out to be the theme of the day. These two are silly together. They kept making faces at each other all day to keep each other laughing, and it worked every single time.
The Wildflower Arch
The ceremony arch was just as loud as the bouquet, a full frame of flowers with string lights running overhead from the pines. The bridesmaids wore emerald green. Put that green next to the arch and a Colorado sky that blue, and you get the reason I care so much about true-to-life color. Those greens and pinks should look exactly the way they looked standing there, and they do.
Two tiny flower girls stepped out of an arched stone doorway with their baskets, with a little help getting down the step. Crestina laughed through most of her vows. After the kiss they danced back up the aisle through a cloud of bubbles, and a guest in the front row was blowing them right along with everyone else.
Twenty Minutes of Dry Sky
Here’s where it almost went sideways. Right around sunset, a rainstorm blew up the mountain. Dancing was about to move indoors and sunset portraits were about to be off the table, which is my actual nightmare. I’m a Midwestern photographer. I don’t get mountains very often, and I was not about to lose these ones to a cloud.
Then, at exactly the right moment, the clouds parted. We had about twenty minutes of dry sky, and we used every one of them. Crestina and Trevor climbed straight out onto the rocks at the edge of the mountain, gown and suit and all, without a flicker of hesitation. The wind grabbed her veil and held it straight out over the valley. The storm was still sitting on the range behind them with a line of gold light underneath it, and I couldn’t have planned that sky if I’d tried.
She also had a denim jacket with flowers across the back. Her mom made it by hand, and then made one for every bridesmaid too, which might be the sweetest thing I saw all day.
Back Inside for the Party
Crestina made her grand entrance through a stone doorway with both arms in the air, and her bridesmaids completely lost it. Her dad gave a toast in front of the fireplace that had both of them laughing, and later he was out on the dance floor clapping harder than anyone.
What I’ll remember most is how they spent the night. They were so happy to be in a place like this with their closest friends and family, and they moved from group to group making sure every person there felt important, loved and seen. People had traveled to a mountain for them, and they made sure every one of those people knew it. The first dance happened outside under the string lights at blue hour, and Crestina spent most of it with her head thrown back, laughing.
Planning a Boettcher Mansion Wedding?
A few things I’d tell any couple getting married up here:
Plan for the afternoon storms. Summer storms roll up Lookout Mountain fast, and they usually blow out just as fast. Leave some slack around your sunset portraits and have an indoor plan for dancing. The reception hall is all stone and timber with a big fireplace, so moving inside isn’t a downgrade.
Walk out to the overlook at sunset. The edge of the mountain is a short walk from the mansion, and that’s where the big Front Range views are. Wear shoes you don’t mind scuffing on a rock.
Do your first look at the stone pavilion. It’s covered and surrounded by pines, so the light under that roof stays soft even in the middle of the afternoon.
Stay in Golden. The Hampton Inn Golden is about twenty minutes from the venue. Getting ready in town and then heading up the mountain was easy, as long as the drive is built into your timeline.
Crestina and Trevor, thank you for bringing me out to the mountains, for climbing out on that ledge without blinking, and for the flower crown. I’m still thinking about the flower crown.
Planning a wedding at Boettcher Mansion, or anywhere else in the Colorado mountains? I travel, and I’d love to hear about it. Take a look at pricing or get in touch.
The Team
- Venue: Boettcher Mansion
- Coordinator: Harper Bond Events
- Florals: Side Effects Flowers
- Catering + Bartending: Encore Catering
- DJ, Lighting + Photo Booth: Quality Mobile Sound
- Hair + Makeup: Glam5280
- Officiant: Pastor Bryan Robinson
- Alcohol: Argonaut Wine & Liquor
- Cake: Whole Foods
- Custom Denim Jackets: made by the bride’s mom
- Rentals: Colorado Party Rentals
- Transportation: D&D Transportation
- Photography: Humbly Hewn Photography
