meredith & steve {married}

they were friends first, meeting while working at the student bookstore on their college campus. this foundation of friendship is prevalent in their relationship in the way they are so intimately connected & truly best friends. steve & meredith tied the knot in a beautiful, moving ceremony on july 10th. the backdrop of copper mountain set the stage for their i-do's and we were so blessed to be witness to their day!

the intent was to be married at the top of the mountain so we all rode the lift up...

and meredith did her preparations in the lodge at the top.

her gorgeous shoes & dress...

mer, you are so classically beautiful!

despite the impending rain, she was so calm & collected :)

LOVED her flowers. and the ring shot jen captured!!

we set up a first-look between meredith & steve and i just love how these shots turned out. to give some background, the rain had just picked up on the mountaintop, along with some friendly lightening & thunder {haha}, and there was a subsequent flurry of decision making between the event staff & these two about where to hold the ceremony. but the second mer & steve were finally together, they were both so incredibly calm and relaxed about however their day was going to unfold. i loved witnessing how they truly support & complete each other.

so......decisions were made and we headed down the mountain for an inside ceremony. thankfully a bus came to get us as lightening had closed the lift we took to the top. how cute is she with her raincoat over the gorgeous dress!

once inside, there were just a few minutes to prepare for the ceremony and meredith took it all in stride. she has such a gentle spirit about her and it helped everyone else relax about the day, too.

love this shot jen captured between her and her sweet dad, just about to walk down the aisle.

their ceremony was light-hearted and fun, but incredibly moving as well.

yay! married at last!

miraculously, the rain cleared by the end of their ceremony and we headed out for their portraits.

i mean, seriously! there was not a cloud in the sky! we all wondered aloud whether this was even the same day :) such beautiful lighting for their mountain-backdrop photos!

after wandering the resort grounds for awhile, we headed back in for their reception. which was a BLAST. love the emotion during their toasts...they have such a great group of loving family & friends.

the details & colors were amazing.

i especially loved that their centerpiece arrangements were displayed in different beer glasses as a nod to their tastes.

their sweetness together was never more openly displayed than during their first dance. it was beautiful and i may or may not have teared up ;)

and oh, my! the father-daughter dance was tender at first and then just a blast when they busted out some moves to "the twist."

steve with his mom, who was just so wonderful and warm to us (can i say any more how great their families are!).

and then....then the party really began. these two are dancing fools and apparently, so are all their friends :) so great!!

of course, there was some checking out of the new bling.

and i'll wrap up with one of my favorite shots. you can't tell in this picture but this was while they were out on the dance floor with several other couples but still having their own private moments. what an honor to be able stop time for them in the midst of their busy reception.

steve & meredith, thank you thank you thank you, for allowing us into your celebration and your perfect day. when we say we are honored, it still doesn't quite express our gratitude. y'all are wonderful, beautiful people and we wish you all the best in your journey!!

*check out their online gallery {HERE}....coming soon!