three days. two cities. one very ink-stained dog paw. hannah and andrew did not come to play around with this whole getting married thing and honestly? respect.

DAY 1 : Bear Lake, frozen fingers, and hot chocolate in Estes Park

we started the way all good things should start, outside, a little cold, completely worth it.

rocky mountain national park in winter is something else. bear lake sat still and quiet around us, the kind of quiet that only happens when the world is a little frozen and everyone else stayed home. hannah and andrew looked completely at home in it. unbothered by the chill. just genuinely, annoyingly happy together.

we wrapped up the mountain magic and made our way into Estes Park to thaw out at the birds nest. hot chocolate in hand, cheeks still pink from the cold, it was the perfect bookend to day one. cozy, low-key, exactly them.

DAY 2 : rehearsal day + the welcome party in longmont

day two was the inhale before the exhale.

we moved through the ceremony rehearsal where everything starts to feel real. where you watch two people practice the words they’re about to mean forever and you have to remind yourself to actually take photos and not just watch.

then the welcome party. the gathering of the people who love them most, all in one room, the night before everything changed. those rooms have a specific kind of energy and i will never get tired of being in them.

DAY 3 : The St. Vrain, a pawprint on a marriage license, and the best midnight i’ve ever worked

okay. this is the one.

The St. Vrain in longmont is a dream venue for anyone who believes a wedding should feel like the best dinner party you’ve ever been to, intimate, moody, candlelit, the kind of evening where nobody’s watching the clock because nobody wants it to end.

hannah and andrew got married as the sun went down and the new year crept closer. their ceremony was everything, quiet and full at the same time. and then, right there on the marriage license, their pup pressed his paw print into the page and made it official in the best way possible. i don’t make the rules but that should be legally required.

as midnight approached, the energy in the room shifted. That anticipation of a countdown and when the clock turned, hannah and andrew were already kissing before we hit one.

new year. married. sparklers in the dark. i mean, come on.