Karen and Sebastian found me from the preferred vendor list at Flagstaff House restaurant, before they had decided on a having their wedding ceremony at the St Julien Hotel & Spa.
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 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 at the St Julien!
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.
