With family scattered all over the East and West coast, it was an easy choice for Shawn and Alexa to have a destination wedding right in the middle where they could celebrate with their loved ones. Finding the ideal distance for everyone, the couple felt their perfect wedding setting would be in Aspen.

“We knew we wanted the mountain [views] and had never been to Aspen before,” the couple says. “After visiting the first time, we fell in love with the town and knew that was where we wanted to have our wedding.”

With family members and friends excited to visit a place most hadn’t been to, everyone in the wedding party was supportive of the couple’s Aspen decision. A few guests took advantage of the trip, made a longer vacation out of it and visited other places in Colorado.

But the decision to have a destination wedding wasn’t something they took lightly. “We thought about it a lot,” the couple says. “We look back on [our wedding] and feel that we had our closest family and friends surrounding us and are really happy with our choice of choosing a destination wedding.”

Hosting 80 people in a beautiful and intimate setting, the couple feels that their wedding wouldn’t have been the same if held at home. With a monopoly board that doubled as a guest book, the lovebirds kept their wedding as close to home as they could and they attribute their success to their wedding planner. “Christine Follin was absolutely outstanding…if we hadn’t had a planner it would have definitely been a difficult task,” says the bride. “Bluebird Productions made the experience effortless on our part.”

As a special treat for our readers, we asked the bride to share any advice she has for couple’s planning their own destination wedding. “Get a planner!” Alexa says. “We also realized early on that it was about the experience, rather than the details, that mattered.” Despite spending more on a destination wedding, the couple is honored to have had their friends and family join them in such a beautiful location and still talk about the amazing time they had. 

Vendors: Photographer: Laura Murray Photography, Wedding Planner: Bluebird Productions, Ceremony/Reception Site: Aspen Meadows, Florist: Carolyn’s Flowers, Hair & Makeup: Heather Curtain and Vanessa Vieni, Gown Designer: Jenny Packham, Video: Smashbox Productions, DJ: Kickin’ Aspen Entertainment