A mountain wedding at Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort in Nathrop, Colorado, is more than just an event; it’s an experience that combines natural grandeur with the celebration of walking into marriage with your best friend. With its awe-inspiring vistas, luxurious amenities, and a variety of venue choices, the resort sets the stage for a wedding that is both magical and memorable. For our couples seeking to give their guests an unforgettable Colorado experience, nothing compares to saying “WE DO!” in our backyard. Mike and I moved to Nathrop, just outside of the charming towns of Buena Vista and Salida, Colorado, almost 8 years ago. Immediately, we fell in love with the staff, views, and planners at Mount Princeton Hot Springs. Not to mention we go there like 2 days a week with our sons to swim and enjoy the spa.

Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort offers a plethora of enchanting backdrops. From the rustic charm of the resort’s lodges to the panoramic views of the mountains, every angle is a photo-worthy moment waiting to be captured. The changing light throughout the day and the dramatic colors of the surrounding landscape at Brittany and Jarod’s beautiful summer wedding provided us with endless possibilities to create stunning imagery. (Seriously, just take a look below!)

We are so excited and honored to have been a part of the Carlsons wedding day! Congratulations to you both. We cannot wait to see where marriage takes you.

Love,
Mike and Tay

Tell us about your wedding venue. How did you decide to have your Colorado wedding at Mount Princeton Hot Springs?

While trying to choose a location for our wedding, we had a hard time selecting between a few other venues along the Front Range between Longmont and Denver.

We decided to table the conversation for a few days and head out on a long weekend ski trip, over President’s Day weekend in February 2022. We stopped and stayed a night at Mt. Princeton Hot Springs on our way from Breckenridge to Crested Butte.

While sitting in the pools watching the sun set over a cloudless sky, surrounded by steam and snow, we had the same epiphany at the same time. We looked at each other and said, “this is it!”.

For us, the Hot Springs gave us everything we wanted in a venue: a spectacular view of the mountains, a rustic and down to Earth feel, not too big, not too small, and enough of a trek out of town that we didn’t feel like we were marrying in our backyard.

It was also important to us to offer our guests from out of town an experience that would give them a sense of why we love Colorado so much. We met and fell in love in this state, and we’d like to share as much of that “Colorado” experience as we can with our friends and family.

How did the two of your meet?

In September of 2018, a group of friends known collectively as “The Flock” organized an evening of fine dining and merry-making in a small ghost town in the hills to the west of Boulder. The evening was centered around a dinner mystery theater, presented by a local troupe of actors.

As the “dinner” and “murder” portions of the evening passed, “mystery” took hold, and Jarrod became increasingly enamored with a beautiful young woman upon whom he had never before laid eyes. Curious as to her connection with The Flock, he mustered the courage to introduce himself to Brittany, and immediately the two hit it off.

The evening soon drew to a close, and Brittany announced she would take her leave. Worried that the lovely lady who had caught his eye would slip away from him as quickly as she had appeared, Jarrod found just a little more courage and offered to walk Brittany to her car. Upon reaching the car, he asked her to accompany him on a future date. Nay! This would not be just an exchange of contact information, whereupon each party would wait out the requisite three days before commencing conversations! It was now or never!

Fortunately, Brittany agreed.

Share your proposal story with us.

For a few years, the Jarrod and Brittany dated, skied, biked, ate, drank and shared their affection for one another. Together, they visited such incredible destinations as Telluride, Jackson Hole, Park City, Savannah, Crested Butte, Atlanta, and of course, Cape Cod.

In the Fall of 2021, Jarrod found he could resist the urge no more and had to make Brittany his bride! Having sourced an elegant and classic token of his affection (a diamond ring), he invited Brittany up onto the recently renovated rooftop haven of their Denver townhome. After a few moments of hinting at a future spent together, Jarrod knelt down on one knee, and asked Brittany to be his wife.

Fortunately, Brittany again agreed.

The rest is, as they say, history.

What was your favorite part of wedding planning?

We both really enjoyed the process of choosing a venue that was both close enough to home to feel like a “local” destination, but also far enough away to feel like a destination vacation. This also allowed us to work with vendors that we could build a personal relationship with as we planned our wedding. This was especially true of our photographer, Taylor, who we met with several times for planning. We really enjoyed the experience of doing an engagement photo shoot with Taylor in the beautiful vista of the Arkansas river valley.

What was the most memorable moment from your ceremony?

Without a doubt, the thing Jarrod will NEVER forget is the totally unscripted, unplanned last dance at the end of our reception! Several guests even asked us afterwards if we had choreographed the dance, but we hadn’t, it was completely organic, and I’ll probably never dance that well again in my whole life! And Brittany will never forget the on-his-knees rock-star slide to end the dance at her feet.

Brittany and Jarrod both also fondly remember reading their vows to each other. They were filled with genuine laughter, both from each other, and lots of friends and family. Following the ceremony, both of us were flattered by how many people complimented us on our vows.

What are you most looking forward to in marriage?

We both look forward to focusing on each other and enriching each others lives. Marriage opens the doorway to a whole new chapter of life that neither of us had any access to before meeting each other, like starting a family, and growing old together. It has been a wonderful journey thus far getting to know each other’s families, and we can’t wait to see how much stronger that bond can grow with the new family members we each brought to the relationship.

What advice do you have for couples planning their wedding now?

Relax!

A friend advised us before our wedding that no matter how well we plan, something will go astray. You won’t know what it will be until it happens, but it will happen. So it’s important to just accept that the things that don’t go perfectly according to plan will be some of the most memorable moments of the day. So embrace them! No matter what happens, at the end of the day, you still love each other, and you’ll still be married.

Don’t be afraid to plan your wedding as far in advance as you need to in order to feel comfortable. Go at your own pace! This is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, so take the time to savor and enjoy it. There will be moments where you’ll feel overwhelmed by all the last minute decisions you’ll have to make, so remembering to have grace with each other is important.

Please share your awesome Colorado wedding vendors!

Planner/Coordinator https://gracefulweddings.co/about

DJ https://www.shavanosoundz.com/

Hair/Makeup https://www.avowtoartistry.com/

Flowers https://www.growingwildbv.com/your-florist

Venue/Catering https://mtprinceton.com/

Transportation https://www.coloradoadventuretours.com/

Photography https://taylorjonesphotography.com/