Crested Butte Wedding Photographer
Crested Butte Wedding Photographer | Alan and Thao Tsuda
We’re so excited to share this wedding from one of our favorite mountain towns in Colorado: Crested Butte. As a Crested Butte Wedding Photographer, we thrive off the gorgeous landscape, wildflowers, and people. Thao and Alan’s story is certainly one a lot of folks dream of! Would you believe that they ironically met at a wedding nearly 6 years ago? Thao made the first move by asking Alan to dance with. She spent a good chunk of the night hitting on him in hopes that he would ask for her number. Unfortunately, Alan did not ask for her number that night. (For those who know Alan, he is quite the gentleman, and he did not want to give off the “Wedding Crasher” vibe.) Lucky for Thao, Their mutual friend and groomsmen, Gordon, suggested that they be Facebook friends after the wedding. From there, their love blossomed.
Their proposal story is one for the books! Alan is a bit of an admitted technophile, while Thao is not. For her 27th birthday, Alan mentioned that he wanted to get her a new phone. However, she adamantly told him not to get her a phone since he needed to save his money for other things *hint, hint*. Weeks prior to her birthday, much to her dismay, Alan watched Youtube videos comparing smartphones before bed. A couple nights after her birthday, she was cooking dinner when Alan came in and said that her birthday present had finally arrived. He asked if she wanted to open it and she exclaimed “Yes!” Alan told her to put her hands out and close her eyes. He placed a box in her hand and when she opened my eyes… she saw an iPhone box. She started to yell at Alan and told him to return the phone! Quick to think on his feet, Alan said that he couldn’t return the phone because he got a special engraving on it. He told her to open it because she would love the message on the phone. And there it was…a stunning shiny engagement ring! At that moment, Alan went down on his knees and proposed. She obviously said yes.
Crested Butte is Thao and Alan’s favorite mountain town in Colorado, and they try to make it out there at least once a year. So for their wedding they wanted to share this special place with their guests, since most of them have never made it up there before. Thao said, “As absurd as it may sound, there are only two events in which all of your close family and friends gather into one location for you…your wedding and your funeral…and only one of those events you get to enjoy! So we wanted to give them a reason to visit Crested Butte.”
One of the most memorable parts of their wedding was their ceremony. Alan’s dad was the officiant, and they worked with him to write the script. They each picked a poem/reading and wrote their own vows. They were able to put their personal touch on the ceremony, and said that they felt like it truly reflected their relationship. Also, the ceremony site had a breathtaking backdrop which added to heightened emotions, tears, and laughter!
We adore couples who are true to themselves, and they had opted for a s’mores bar instead of a cake. Thao and Alan had pictures of themselves roasting marshmallows and feeding each other s’mores! They told us, “This was another highlight of the day and our guests raved about it. No one missed the cake, and guests thought it was cute and fitting with our mountain wedding.”
That and Alan are like two peas in a pod. Their shared love of photography, hiking, and exploring the wonderful state of Colorado makes them one of the coolest couples around! Their stunning mountain wedding was nothing short of amazing and was filled with lots of family, friends, and even a hike in heels to their first look spot overlooking the Elk Mountain Range. We so adore this couple and are so honored we got to spend the day with you!
Love,
Mike and Tay
