Last month I visited Telluride, Colorado for the first time and I absolutely fell in love. There was inspiration everywhere I looked… the gondolas zig zagging through the quaint Mountain Village, the town of Telluride tucked between the towering San Juan Mountains, and the endless roads and hiking trails with breath-taking views. I thought, Telluride is an amazing place to get married! So if you are hosting a wedding there, take a look below at the custom Telluride-inspired wedding save the dates and invitations I designed recently. I hope these ideas will encourage you to create paper goods that incorporate your unique wedding location into your designs.

One of my favorite experiences in Telluride was taking the gondola from the Mountain village to the town of Telluride. 
​The views of the town when coming down from San Sophia station are stunning! This is a perfect scene to include on your save the date card or wedding invitation because it will no doubt get your friends and family excited about going to your wedding.

My husband and I hiked like crazy while staying in Telluride.
​We were there for peak fall foliage and our walks were surrounded by rows of golden aspens. Save the date cards are an opportunity to be less formal, so use your favorite “together activity” as inspiration. I’m finding many couples are now moving away from the typical engagement photo save the date and including a custom drawing or painting of themselves instead. Generate a little mystery for your guests by using latitude and longitude coordinates in lieu of the town and state. This will have them looking up your location and doing research online right away!

Our final hike in Telluride was Bridal Veil Falls.
​It is the tallest free-falling waterfall in Colorado. What a fantastic location for a small wedding ceremony or elopement! Create a keepsake invitation suite or elopement announcement by including a wedding day story to coincide with the eye-catching imagery of your unique ceremony location.

As mentioned, the Telluride gondola is a major attraction—and it’s free to ride!
​I get requests constantly for ticket themed invitations and save the dates. A gondola ticket save the date is a super fun idea that works no matter what Colorado ski town you are getting married in. Having a winter wedding and inviting friends and family who love to ski and snowboard? Design a ski lift ticket save the date. Customize the card even further by punching a hole in the top and tying some ribbon or twine around it to act as the lanyard.

There are memorable sites at every wedding venue or destination.
​Maybe you want to show off the town your venue is located in, or maybe your ceremony is on the balcony of an historic mansion overlooking the mountains. Pick your favorite and ask your invitation designer to paint that picture for your guests. I encourage you to also try some out-of-the-box verbiage for your invitation suite, like using roman numerals for the year instead of writing it out. There are endless ways to customize your wedding stationery to make it stand out from the rest. I know you have some awesome ideas—go get started!

​WEDDING ENTERTAINMENT
David M. Smith  |  Shindig Entertainment
myshindigdjs.com

• Having an experienced MC with a commanding presence is significantly more important than most would think. The entertainer you choose, has to be well-spoken, well-trained, well-dressed, and charismatic enough to command the attention of your family and friends. An experienced entertainer will have no problem confidently directing everyone and leading your entire celebration. In fact, it is the DJ’s responsibility to do so!
• It’s no secret that many venues are 86ing the dance floor. Therefore, we need to utilize our 2020 imagination to ensure the show goes on! Here are three ideas for alternate wedding entertainment:
  1. Trivia: everyone loves trivia! Find a company that will not only provide an awesome game, but will also customize the game around YOU.
  2. Music Bingo: this is a great way to social distance, yet still hear your favorite tunes throughout your special night, while entertaining a diverse crowd.
  3. The Shoely-Wed Game: This a quick one, but if it is done right with a great entertainer, it can please any guest list.

​​WEDDING HAIR & MAKEUP
Alexis Alba  |  Muse Modern Salon
musemodernsalon.com

• Now that most of us are working from home and don't need to style our hair, I am very familiar with tying our hair back everyday. But be careful not to grab the scrunchie too often because it can lead to hair breakage. 
• I know this pandemic is super stressful and plans are constantly changing day to day; however stress can relate to hair loss. My biggest advice is to try to do something to relax—if that is pouring a glass of cabernet and indulging in your favorite tv show or getting outside to get some exercise—this will save your precious hair!​ ​

Jade Darrough  |  Jaded Beauty
jadedbeauty.co

• Make sure your beauty team follows DORA guidelines. This requires both clients and beauty service providers to wear masks during services at all times. When it's time for foundation, blush, contour, and lips during the makeup service, the client can then remove their mask. The service provider should wear a shield along with their mask for extra protection. Since that is the end of the service, the client is free to walk away, mask-less and gorgeous!
• Book in advance for both 2020 and 2021 weddings! Since beauty isn't a massive vendor category, like venues or photographers, we typically fall within the middle or end of a couple's booking agenda, but with an immense amount of rescheduling from the 2020 season, our 2021 calendar is already at 70% capacity and 2022 is starting to fill up.

Since the coronavirus took hold of our world, more and more 2020 weddings are turning into 2020 elopements. Couples are opting for private wedding ceremonies at memorable and romantic locations. This means you can avoid the traditional paper goods like save the dates, invitations, rsvps, seating charts, etc. So what kinds of stationery and signage should be on your elopement checklist? I have some ideas below…

1. ELOPEMENT SIGN
A small “we eloped!” sign is a great item to have for elopement pictures. It can be a simple poster print mounted on foam core with your names, wedding date, and location. This makes for the perfect image to post all over social media. My pick is the “just married”sign. Go old-school and have a fabric sign made to hang on the back of your getaway car. Then you can enjoy all of the congratulatory honks on the highway after you say, “I do”!

2. VOW BOOKS
These are the absolute best keepsakes from your wedding! Visit a local stationery store to inquire about handmade notebooks for you and your partner to write your vows in. Maybe ask a calligrapher to inscribe your vows on a scroll, handkerchief, or an antique mirror; or hire a graphic artist to design and print booklets that reflect your elopement day theme.

3. ELOPEMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
Share your beautiful wedding day with the friends and family who couldn’t be there to celebrate with you. Hire an invitation designer to create custom elopement announcements for you. This ensures your own personality and style will be included into the overall design. You could show off an image or drawing of your elopement site on the card or write a little story about the special day.

4. THANK YOU CARDS
Even though you didn’t have a big fancy wedding with tons of guests, you may still receive gifts when everyone finds out you eloped. Have a handful of thank you cards created with your favorite wedding day pic on the front. Leave the back of the cards blank so you can write personalized messages.

I asked some of the top wedding planners in Colorado to share the wedding trends they are loving this year.

• Sustainability is top of mind
  From things like recycled paper invitations with a digital RSVP, compostable china and flatware, reusable silk florals, and locally sourced catering, the future of the world can start to be saved with one event at a time!
• ​Color, color, color! Don't be afraid of color!
  While we still swoon over a blush and pink and greenery filled design, we love it when our couples really want to bring in some personality to their wedding with bright and bold colors. We are thrilled that a few of our couples this year have embraced the happy and warm classic blue Pantone Color of the Year for their celebrations!

Aimee Palifroni  |  Owner, Prisma Events
​​prismaeventsllc.com

• Floral wedding gowns
  Some brides are choosing to wear dresses that are completely floral, while others are wearing white dresses with colorful flower appliques.
• Adding bold textures and colors to your decor
  The days of basic color palettes like the standard white and green, all blush, or neutrals-plus-metallic weddings are GONE! 2020 is expected to bring pops of color, new palettes, print mixing, and statement hues that weddings haven't seen before. This is really tapping into couples' personal style and not what everyone else is choosing. You will start to see a wide range of shades and tones get highlighted and mixed. If you love one particular color, go for it and bring in patterns, colored glassware, linens, etc.​

Kelly Karli  |  Owner, Kelly Karli Weddings + Events
kellykarliweddingsandevents.com
​
​

• Mixing table size, shape and type
  Couples are creating far more interesting floor plans, mixing wood farm tables with rounds covered with tablecloths, or arranging the head table in the shape of an X or a "winding" table.​
• Micro Weddings
  ​I am booking more and more small, intimate weddings of 40 or less guests. Brides are spending more on the guest experience by providing a custom upscale menu, fine wines, a champagne wall and gorgeous centerpieces.​

Wanda Bonner  |  Owner + Founder, Blue Linden Weddings + Events
bluelindenweddings.com

• Cocktail style receptions
  ​We are seeing weddings that feature open seating and casual food service. Guests are still having dinner portions, but in a variety of foods served over a longer period of time—combining passed hors d’oeuvres, themed food stations, and late-night snacks.

• Variety with guest seating options
  In addition to a standard dinner table, you can play with cocktail tables, lounge setups, and even cool floor seating with rugs, low tables, and floor pillows. This is for the couple that is really into the experience of the reception by allowing guests to dance, mingle and have a good time all night.

Natasha Tuccitto  |  Owner + Creative Director, Sugar Willow Events
sugarwillowevents.com

• Out-of-the-Box Tosses
  ​Want a more modern or fun version of the bouquet and garter toss? In 2020, look to see fun alternatives to these traditions, like a garter or bouquet pinata (garter/bouquet inside the pinata, first person to break the pinata gets it!), football garter (instead of taking the garter off of the bride, it's on a football that the groom throws into the crowd), or a scattering bouquet (instead of being tightly wrapped, the bouquet scatters into the crowd, allowing multiple flower recipients!)
• Pop-of-Color Bridal Wear and Patterned Bridesmaid Dresses
  ​In 2020 we expect to see a lot more color, and not just in the flower arrangements! Whether the bride has colorful details on her dress (or veil!) or the bridesmaids are rockin' bright floral or vivid geometric patterned dresses, 2020 is sure to be a treat for the eyes!

Adrienne Coffey  |  Owner, A Touch of Bliss Events
touchofblissevents.com

• Charity Donations in lieu of a gift registry
  A lot of our couples are choosing to give back through their registry versus receiving wedding gifts. 
• No wedding party
  We have seen an increased trend of our couples choosing to not have bridesmaids and groomsmen or just having one person stand up with them on either side (usually a sibling).

Meghan Sibert  |  Owner, The Collective Events
thecollectivevents.com

• Funky florals
  Couples are ditching the traditional rose bouquet to incorporate funky florals that allow for more texture and create a really fun look. This even extends to incorporating grasses, greenery, and even feathers.
• Dessert alternative that reflects your own personal style
  If you're not a fan of cake, why serve it at your wedding? From handheld fruit pies to donut walls, assorted dessert bites (ranging from sweet to savory, or even ice cream (be it rolled or scooped)—providing something that YOU enjoy as a couple s a way to easily personalize your event and be an easy crowd-pleaser.

Patricia Zutman  |  Owner, All Four Seasons Events
allfourseasonsevents.com