My cousin’s wedding was the true motivation for our trip. A wedding at a mansion, twenty-two years to the day after our wedding at a mansion.
Tony and I spent the weekend reconnecting with some of my favorite people. After flying in on Friday, we rented a van (“the bus” as I called it) so we could drive some of the older-than-us folk around town. Our hotel – Denver Marriott South at Park Meadows – was the perfect landing spot, close to everything. [If you ever find yourself staying here in the future, be sure to make your way down to the front desk around 4:30/5 pm. Better yet, just hang out in the lobby. You will be rewarded with freshly baked cookies stuffed with macadamia nuts, milk chocolate, and toffee. The key is getting there early because these cookies go fast.]
There was a rehearsal dinner at Seasons 52 Friday night.
Saturday morning breakfast at Toast in Littleton, a favorite from our last visit to the area.
And lots of time to relax before the evening wedding at Highlands Ranch Mansion which was breathtakingly beautiful. The outdoor ceremony was unplugged (no photos or video by guests) and included a lovely blending of both Christian and Jewish traditions. The reception – very much the same (minus the unplugged part). I was in awe of the speeches, made-from-scratch challah at each table (thanks to the family of the bride), the most incredible wedding cake ever… also made-from-scratch by the mother of the bride.
On Sunday morning, we met for a hosted brunch at the hotel before taking in a few sights in the area.
Our weekend ended with a truly lovely dinner hosted by my aunt and uncle, the groom’s parents. I’ve written about my Aunt Deb before, it’s things like this that make her so special to me:
Seriously. We shared a meal that began with a prayer and a toast – you can’t get any closer to IF:Table than that.
[As a side note, I rented a lighter wide-angle lens for this trip. And left my flash at home. NEVER AGAIN. The lens caused a great deal of distortion at the edges and processed differently than my usual lenses. That’s why I always say rent before you ever buy!]
