St Julien Wedding Photographer Boulder, Lost Gulch wedding portraits, Colorado wedding photographer, mountain wedding photos

Karen + Sebastian’s St Julien Wedding

Karen and Sebastian found me from the preferred vendor list at Flagstaff House restaurant, before they had decided on a St Julien wedding ceremony. Our original plan was to head up into Rocky Mountain National Park for an intimate ceremony with just the two of them, before going back to Boulder for a small reception dinner at Flagstaff House.

Then they decided to do their ceremony at the St Julien instead, and it’s a good thing they did! With the government shutdown starting right before their late December wedding, we wouldn’t have been able to do the Rocky Mountain National Park wedding ceremony anyway as all the roads into the park were closed.

We started the day at The St Julien Hotel & Spa in downtown Boulder, where the couple were staying for the weekend. Karen was getting her hair and makeup done at the spa, and her hairstylist Jillian is one of my favorites in Boulder! I love shooting getting ready photos in the hotel rooms at the St Julien, because they have the most beautiful light coming through giant windows.

Karen and Sebastian knew they wanted to do a first look before their St Julien wedding ceremony, but they weren’t sure of where to do it. We decided that it made sense to do it at the hotel so that we could go together in my car for their portraits after. There isn’t a lot of greenery outside the hotel in December, but since the couple love all things Christmas, we had a better option. They did their first look in front of the big Christmas tree in the hotel lobby!

Their two children came along for the first look, and the look on their daughter’s face as she carried her mom’s train was so precious. And their son was so excited about the big day, and how big the dress was! Karen and Sebastian told me later, as we drove to do their portraits, that they had talked about getting married before having kids. Then they decided they would rather wait until the kids were old enough to remember the day, so they could see how much their parents love each other and have a good example of a happy marriage. It really was the sweetest thing!

Karen and Sebastian had set aside a lot of time for portraits before heading back downtown for their St Julien wedding ceremony. We started off on the trails at Chautauqua, where they attracted a lot of attention and congratulations from hikers. Chautauqua is such a beautiful place for Boulder wedding photos – it really is the most iconic view in town! Afterwards we headed up the road to Flagstaff, and stopped at a pullout where we could get into the trees for some photos out of the sun.

The St Julien wedding ceremony was short and sweet, and afterwards everyone celebrated with champagne and teary-eyed toasts by friends and family, before heading to Flagstaff House for dinner. Karen and Sebastian and I made a detour to Lost Gulch for sunset portraits overlooking the mountains. Karen was smart enough to bring a pair of comfy boots for these, since Lost Gulch is very rocky – not an easy thing to navigate in high heels. And with the winter winds, we almost lost the veil when it flew off her head. I had to run across the rocks to catch it before it went over the edge! Never a dull moment in Boulder 😉

If you are planning a St Julien wedding, or want photos at all the best venues in Boulder, I would love to chat with you. I’ve lived and worked in Boulder for ten years, and can give you all the local insight. Check out my wedding collections, then get in touch and let’s talk about your big day!

Shoutouts to the vendors who helped make Karen and Sebastian’s St Julien wedding such a beautiful day!

Ceremony venue: The St Julien Hotel & Spa
Reception venue: Flagstaff House
Florist: Boulder Blooms
Hair stylist: Jillian Guzzo at the St Julien Spa
Officiant: Jess Drawhorn

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