|
GENERAL INFO:
Home
About Us
Contact Us
Frequent Questions
Client Testimonials
Book Your Wedding
SERVICES:
Officiating Services
Elope in Colorado
Packages for Destination & Intimate Weddings
Photography
Flowers
Cakes
Proposals
PLANNING:
How It All Works
- MMIC's Booking and Service Process
Planner Tools -Checklists Worksheets & Articles
NEW!
Where To Get Married in Estes Park
Photo Gallery
Obtaining A Colorado Marriage
License
Referrals & Links
Travel Resources
News & Events
____________
Contact Us Today!
970.586.5708
____________
BOOKING
SPECIALS!

Book a wedding this month and receive a FREE garter or
customized wedding keepsake for your special day!
MORE INFO
|
|
News and Events

Jan 12, 2016 - Marry
Me In Colorado Awarded 7th Consecutive "Bride's Choice Awards"
by WeddingWire
National Award for the top 5% of International
Wedding Professionals on Performance and Customer Satisfaction -
5th Consecutive Year Recipient
|

|
January 5, 2016 -
Marry Me In Colorado Awarded 4th Consecutive "Talk Of The Town Award
for Excellence in Customer Service"
National Award for Excellence in Customer Service
- 4th Consecutive Year
|
 |
May, 2015 -
Tips From Your "Fairy
Godmother Extraordinaire"...
Planning Your Estes Park Destination Wedding
Published in the Estes Park
Trail Gazette's Wedding Planning Guide
|
 |
"Everything Estes - Top Spot 2012"
Marry Me In Colorado Featured Article and Photos in 2014 Issue of
Rocky Mountain Bride
See Articles HERE
|

Announced February 23, 2015 - Marry Me In
Colorado is selected as The Knot's 2013, 2014 and 2015 Pick for Best
of Weddings!
__________________________

Estes Park, Colorado – January 23, 2015 – WeddingWire, the
nation's leading online weddingmarketplace, is thrilled to
announce that Marry Me In Colorado has been selected as a winner
of the prestigious WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards® 2015 for Weding Planners, Officiating, Floral Design and Photography in
Colorado!
The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top five
percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire Network who
demonstrate excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and
professionalism. Marry Me In Colorado’s selection as a Bride’s
Choice Award 2015 winner was selected based on the positive
experiences expressed by past clients on WeddingWire, the
world’s largest wedding review site with over one million
reviews. While many industry awards are given by the host
organization, the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards® winners are
determined solely based on reviews from real newlyweds and their
experiences working with Marry Me In Colorado.
The WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards® 2015 are given to the top
local wedding vendors in more than 20 service categories, from
wedding venues to wedding photographers, based on professional
achievements from the previous year. Award winning vendors are
distinguished for the quality, quantity, consistency and
timeliness of the reviews they have received from their past
clients. As a Bride’s Choice Awards winner, Marry Me In Colorado
is highlighted within the WeddingWire Network, which is
comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals throughout the
United States, Canada and abroad.
“Each year, WeddingWire looks forward to celebrating the success
of the top-rated wedding professionals within the WeddingWire
Network,” said Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Now in its fifth
year, the Bride’s Choice Awards® program continues to recognize
the elite wedding professionals who exemplify a commitment to
quality, service and professionalism. These businesses were
chosen by our bridal community for their responsiveness and
dedication to their clients over the past year. We are honored
to recognize Marry Me In Colorado for their impressive
achievements within the wedding industry.”
Marry Me In Colorado is thrilled to be one of the top wedding
planners, officiants, photographers and floral designers in
Colorado in the WeddingWire Network of sites, which include
leading wedding sites such as WeddingWire, Project Wedding,
Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee. We would
like to thank our past clients for taking the time to review our
business on WeddingWire. We value all of our clients and truly
appreciate the positive feedback that helped us earn the
WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards® for 2013.
To learn more about the Bride's Choice Awards®, please visit
www.WeddingWire.com/brides-choice-awards.
_____________________________________

Marry Me In Colorado Receives
the 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015 Talk of the Town Awards
Estes Park, CO (January 10, 2015):
Marry Me In Colorado
has been named a recipient of the 2013 Customer Satisfaction
Award for Excellence in Customer Care for the third year in a
row, presented by Talk of the
Town News, Customer Care News and Celebration Media.
The
award honors companies and professionals that provide excellent
customer service, as reported by their customers through
no-cost, user review websites. The reviews are analyzed by a
team of researchers who calculate a star rating system based on
these data, which determines a business’ award eligibility.
To
determine 2013 award recipients, Celebration Media’s dedicated
team of researchers spent more than 6,000 hours analyzing data
from multiple websites that detailed customer’s experiences at
organizations across the U.S. and Canada. Among the types of
organizations and professionals eligible to receive these awards
are hospitals, dentists, accountants, physical therapists,
veterinarians, optometrists, insurance, chiropractors, lawyers,
financial planners, restaurants, bakeries, event centers, home
improvement companies, florists, spas, salons and mortgage
companies, in addition to several other categories.
This is the fourth year
Celebration Media, Talk of the Town and Customer Care News have
honored companies with its Customer Satisfaction Award for
Excellence in Customer Care, and the third year in a row for Marry Me In
Colorado to receive this award.
Marry Me In Colorado is an Estes
Park based wedding business that orchestrates over 200 weddings
each year. Owned by Kevin Cooper who performs all of MMIC’s
ceremonies and Lorie Cooper, 28 year wedding industry veteran
who provides wedding coordination, floral design and photography
services, and featuring the photography art of Mark Hinwood,
native of Poole, England and now residing in Allenspark. In
it’s 8th year of operation, Marry Me In Colorado has
appeared in numerous local and international publications
providing articles on wedding planning, and has been featured on
local news and Colorado CBS affiliates as well as nationally
syndicated The Montel Williams Show, and featured on Ophra
Winfreys’ Discovery Network’s Miracle Weddings.
For more information
about the award or its sponsors, please contact CMUS and Talk of
the Town News at 877-498-6405.
To contact Marry Me In
Colorado, please email
lorie@marrymeincolorado.com or call 970-586.5708.
# # #
______________________________________

{Estes Park,CO} – January 22, 2012
– WeddingWire, the nation's leading wedding Marketplace, is
excited to announce Marry Me In Colorado has been selected to
receive the prestigious WeddingWire Bride’s Choice Awards™ 2012
for Flowers & Decor!
The esteemed annual awards program recognizes the top local
wedding vendors from the WeddingWire Network who demonstrate
excellence in quality, service, responsiveness and
professionalism within the wedding industry. While many industry
awards are selected by the organization, Marry Me In Colorado
was selected based on its stellar reviews from past newlywed
clients.
Marry Me In Colorado is recognized as part of the top five
percent of wedding professionals in the WeddingWire local vendor
community, comprised of over 200,000 wedding professionals
throughout the United States and Canada. The Bride’s Choice
Award recognizes the best local wedding vendors across 20
service categories, from wedding venues to wedding
photographers, based on their overall professional achievements
throughout the past year.
“WeddingWire is thrilled to honor the success of the top-rated
wedding professionals within the WeddingWire Community,” said
Timothy Chi, CEO, WeddingWire. “Since the launch of the Bride’s
Choice Awards™ program four years ago, thousands of outstanding
wedding professionals have been recognized by the bridal
community for their supreme service and dedication to the
wedding industry. It is with great pleasure that we congratulate
Marry Me In Colorado for their continued professionalism and
commitment to enriching the wedding planning experience for
engaged couples.”
We are happy to announce that Marry Me In Colorado is one of the
very best Flowers & Decor within the WeddingWire Network, which
includes leading wedding planning sites WeddingWire, Project
Wedding, Brides.com, Martha Stewart Weddings, and Weddingbee. We
would like to thank our past clients for taking the time to
review our business on WeddingWire. Thanks to their positive
feedback we were able to receive the WeddingWire Bride’s Choice
Awards™ for 2012.
For more information, please visit our WeddingWire Storefront
today at http://www.weddingwire.com/biz/marry-me-in-colorado-estes-park/d2727cf524d18a33.html.
To learn more about the Bride's Choice Awards™, please visit
www.WeddingWire.com.
About WeddingWire, Inc.
WeddingWire™, the nation's leading marketplace serving the $70
billion wedding industry, is the only online wedding planning
resource designed to empower both engaged couples and wedding
professionals. For engaged couples, WeddingWire offers the
ability to search, compare and book over 200,000 reviewed
wedding vendors, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.
WeddingWire also offers a comprehensive suite of online planning
tools for weddings, including wedding websites and wedding
checklists, all at no charge. For wedding professionals,
WeddingWire is the only all-in-one marketing platform for
businesses online and on-the-go. WeddingWire offers one simple
solution to build a professional network, improve search
visibility, manage social media and reach mobile consumers.
Businesses that advertise with WeddingWire appear on
WeddingWire.com, ProjectWedding.com and other leading sites,
including MarthaStewartWeddings.com (NYSE: MSO), Brides.com and
Weddingbee.com.
###
______________________________________
Tips From Your "Fairy
Godmother Extraordinaire"...
Planning Your Estes Park Destination
Wedding
by Lorie Cooper, Marry Me In Colorado
Published in the Estes Park Trail Gazette's 2012 Wedding
Planning Guide
- November 1, 2012



 |
___________________________________________________________
Featured
Article - Everything Estes
Article and Photography by Marry Me In Colorado
Rocky Mountain Bride Magazine
Winter 2012 Edition

Click on Thumbnails Below to View Article

On News Stands January 2012
______________________________
Marry Me In Colorado Featured
Article with Photos
in the Times-Call Occasions Section
"A Spot To Tie The Knot" - Unique Wedding
Locations
December 25, 2010

Click on Thumbnail to See Full
Size Articles
______________________________

Publish
Date: 3/25/2010 - Loveland Reporter-Herals
Witness a ‘Miracle’
Loveland couple’s story to be featured on
Discovery wedding show about inspiring stories
of love
After Army Sgt. Travis Vendela was wounded in
Iraq and lost his legs, the community came
together to give the soldier and his fiancée,
Tiffany Black, a free $30,000 wedding in
Loveland. The Wyoming couple’s
May “fairytale wedding” will be shared with the
nation when it’s featured on “Miracle Weddings”
on the Discovery Health channel. “It’s a story that deserves to
be told," said Lorie Cooper who helped coordinate the
event, along with her husband, Kevin, with Marry Me in Colorado.
Vendela lost his legs and
suffered a broken pelvis, a broken arm and a
fractured vertebra in his neck when an
improvised explosive device struck his Humvee on
Feb. 7, 2006. Before the accident, he had
planned to marry Black in March 2007, but the
wedding had to be postponed.
The Montel Williams show got
word of the couple’s story, and its producers
contacted the Coopers to help put together a
wedding for them. Lorie and Kevin were able to
rally 20 Northern Colorado businesses to assist
with the wedding. “Everybody just pulled together
and did an awesome job,” she said.
On May 24, with cameras rolling,
Vendela and Black were married in their dream
wedding at The Fountains of Loveland. “The wedding was phenomenal,”
Lorie said. “It was absolutely beautiful. It was
fairytale.”
(Los Angeles,
Ca.) The Discovery Health upfront slate for
combines top-quality content,
true-life stories and esteemed experts to
deliver viewers content that matters. Up through
its transition to OWN: THE OPRAH WINFREY NETWORK
later in 2009, Discovery Health will continue to
provide audiences with relevant, premium
programming that they can look to for
entertainment, information and inspiration.
Miracle Weddings
(March, 2010)
Two couples. Two incredible love stories. Two
weddings that needed a miracle. Mercedes was off
to celebrate her promotion with her fiancé,
Jake, when the bridge she was crossing in
Minneapolis collapsed. Travis and Tiffany were
planning to be married when Travis returned from
his second deployment in Iraq. Only weeks before
he was scheduled to return, Travis’ Humvee was
hit with an explosive device that blew off his
legs. This special follows the inspiring stories
of love and perseverance that brought them down
the aisle.
|
______________________________________________________________
02/11/20012
You're Invited: The Ultimate
Eagles Wedding
The Colorado Eagles would like to
cordially invite you to the Ultimate Eagles
Wedding of Michael Melvin Horst and Shannon Lee
Twing! The lovely couple will be wed during the
first intermission of the Colorado Eagles game
against the Mississippi RiverKings in front of
5,289 of their fellow Eagles fans.
When: Saturday, February 14, 2012
(Valentine's Day)
Where: The Budweiser Events
Center
About the Couple: Michael and
Shannon met in 1995 while he was a freshman and
she was a junior at Platte Valley High School.
After graduating, Shannon joined the Navy, while
Michael joined the local fire department where
he served as captain for six years.
In 2003, Shannon received an
honorable discharge from the Navy and stayed on
the East coast until 2007 when she decided to
return to Colorado. On August 18, 2007, Michael
and Shannon's paths crossed once again through a
mutual friend and they have been together ever
since.
After a year of dating,
Michael took Shannon -- along with her family --
to a local dive shop to share his passion for
scuba diving. It was at the bottom of the pool
where he presented a white board to Shannon with
the words "Will You Marry Me?" inscribed on it.
Without hesitation, she nodded yes!
|
August, 2008
 |
|
Kevin Cooper and Marry Me In Colorado...
Featured in
the Fall 2008 Issue of
Bride's Colorado Magazine
2
Articles:
Feature Story 1 - Featured Wedding - Bonnie and
Erin - Steamboat Springs - March, 2008
Feature Story 2 - Unique Officiates in Colorado |
Feature Story 1 -
Featured Wedding

Feature Story 2 - Wedding Officiates


May, 2008
Jennifer Moore, Windsor Now
May 31, 2008
Even without power and a lot of emotions running through
the town, Sherry Mascarenas and her staff in Windsor
made sure one bride's day started off just right.
Tiffany Black was scheduled to marry the love of her
life, Travis Vendela on May 24, and she and her six
bridesmaids had appointments for hair and makeup at
Rumors On Main Salon & Spa, 612 Main St., that same
morning. The devastating tornado on May 22 left most of
Windsor without lights, power and functionality,
including Mascarenas' salon, but that didn't stop the
salon owner and her staff from doing what they do best.
"It was a feat for Superman I
think," Mascarenas said. "And we pulled it all
together."
"I didn't sleep much the nights
after the tornado because I was so worried about pulling
this off," Mascarenas added.
Three generators where donated to
the salon, and the staff spent the night before making
sure the outlets for each hair station could hold the
amount of current for curling irons, hair dryers and
other tools. Windsor resident Diane Ransom and Little
Caesars Pizza in Fort Collins donated food for the
wedding party. When it was all over with, the seven
women received a new do and makeovers.
"The girls were all grateful for
what we had done," Mascarenas said.
Travis and Tiffany, who are from
Wyoming, had been engaged for more than two years and
their story was picked up by the Montel Williams Show.
Travis lost his legs in February when his convoy was hit
while on duty with the United State Army in Iraq. His
injuries postponed the wedding.
The producers of the show contacted
Kevin Cooper, wedding officiator with Marry Me In
Colorado and his wife Lorie Cooper, a master wedding and
event planner with Fountains of Loveland, for help with
coordinating a worry-free wedding for the couple. The
Coopers did some calling to Northern Colorado wedding
vendors, including Affordable Catering Co. of Northern
Colorado, Fountains of Loveland, Agapé Photography,
Finishing Touches, Palmer Flowers, La Quinta Inn and
Suites and more. Before they knew it, they had more than
$30,000 worth of goods and services donated for the
wedding.
"When you look at him (Travis) you
are like 'Wow, you sacrificed for me and my daughters,
so we can continue the way we are living,' " Lorie
Cooper said. "I can't thank him enough."
Lorie said the vendors all felt the
same way she did.
"There wasn't even a question. It
was amazing the people out there who did (step up) to
make this a beautiful wedding," Lorie said.
Tiffany and Travis were married in
front of 150 people at the Fountains of Loveland. Lorie
said Tiffany arrived like a princess on a carriage, ice
sculptures decorated the reception and 50 doves where
let loose at the end. She said the neatest thing,
however, was watching Travis stand, walk and dance with
his new wife on his prosthetic legs.
"It was a very touching story,"
Lorie said.
"Enough to make you cry," Kevin
Cooper added.
________________________________________________________
BY VIMAL PATEL
Loveland Connection • Coloradoan
May 25, 2008
Community Supports
Military Couple
Travis Vendela lost both
his legs when his Hummer was struck by an improvised
explosive device while serving in Iraq, setting off
more than a year of rehabilitation that continues
today.The
blast near Balad, about 50 miles north of Baghdad,
also caused a broken pelvis and arm, fractured
vertebrae and shattered jaw.
But beyond the
excruciating pain and lifelong implications of the
injuries, he had a more immediate concern: How and
when he would marry his sweetheart, Tiffany Black?
Financial reasons
forced the delay of the wedding, which they had
planned before Vendela's injuries in February 2007.
But with the help of
businesses from Loveland and the rest of Northern
Colorado, the Wyoming couple married Saturday at the
Fountains of Loveland.
"We just pulled
together as a local community and made it happen,"
said Lorie Cooper, general manager of Fountains of
Loveland. "We called our friends in our own backyard."
The effort started
with a phone call from "The Montel Williams Show" to
Lorie's husband, Kevin, who is a wedding officiant.
The show, which had
the couple as guests, sought assistance for the
couple.
The Coopers began
soliciting donations from local businesses.
With the community's
help, about $30,000 in donations and services were
raised for the wedding.
About two dozen local
businesses pitched in.
Agape Photography in
Fort Collins shot free photos of the event.
Affordable Catering
in Greeley provided a complete buffet dinner for each
of the expected 200 guests.
And Black Steer in
Loveland provided a full rehearsal dinner for 35
people Friday night.
"It's a feel-good
story," Cooper said. "You hear so much negativity and
sadness. To hear something happy is refreshing."
Now, the Discovery
Network, owned by Oprah Winfrey, plans to produce an
hour-long program about the couple's story called
"Miracle Wedding" that is expected to air in the near
future.
The couple was
traveling to Colorado Springs to pick up family and
couldn't be reached for this story.
"This couple is
having to endure something that no young couple should
have to endure," Cooper said. "The love that comes
from them is absolutely amazing."
_________________________________________________________
Written by Rebecca Boyle for NEXTnc
Friday, 06 July 2007
Brides and gambling
aficionados have one definitive thing in common this
weekend: They're both hoping for a stroke of luck.
July 7, 2007, a date that only comes along once a
century, is likely to be one of the biggest wedding
dates in history. Plus, casinos in Las Vegas and in
Colorado are bracing for huge crowds, and even
retailers such as Wal-Mart are hoping to cash in on
the lucky day.
For wedding professionals like Kevin Cooper, owner of
Marry Me In Colorado in Eaton, the lucky date means
huge business.
"For our sales all over the state, where we would
normally do two weddings on a Saturday, we have five,"
he said. "Every facility has been sold out for a
year."
Cooper is an officiant and agreed at the last
minute to preside over a wedding in Colorado Springs
Saturday evening -- only a few hours after doing one
in Estes Park at noon.
"It is going to be crazy, most definitely," Cooper
said.
He said brides have had several reasons for picking
the fortuitous date, including the number seven's
importance in several religions. Couples are toasting
the day with their wedding favors, using white pairs
of dice or other luck-themed trinkets, Cooper said.
Couples can buy all kinds of 777 wedding-themed items
online, including T-shirts and other souvenirs. A
Google search on "777 wedding" on Thursday yielded
14,200 results.
"In Colorado, most of them are just taking advantage
of the date, and sticking with their own concept,"
Cooper said.
He does have one wedding, however, that is taking the
777 concept all the way. "I have been helping
plan a wedding at 7:07 p.m. on 7/07/07," he said with
a laugh.
Cooper believes Saturday will be a banner day for
engagements, too -- it's a lucky day for guys to pop
the question.
At Weiss Jewelers, 955 52nd Ave. Court in Greeley,
Rich Weiss said he wasn't sure if the date will mean
more engagements than usual, but he's hoping for some
luck.
"I'm looking forward to July 7 as being a real lucky
day. We're anticipating great things," he said.
So are casinos. Several Vegas casinos are planning
mass weddings, and the Wall Street Journal reported
last month that hotels are booked at six times the
rate of the previous weekend.
Kay Kosmicki at Cottonwood Travel in Greeley said some
travelers mentioned the lucky day, but many had wanted
to go to Vegas anyway.
"People are always looking for a reason to go to
Vegas," she said. "People just make mention of it, and
say, 'Gosh, it's fortunate that I'm traveling that
day, this is a lucky day.' "
While 7/7/07 sounds luckier, Aug. 8 next year is
already shaping up to be a big wedding day, too. The
Stanley is already booked for 08/08/08, Cooper said.
That goes with her theory that many couples didn't
pick this Saturday just for luck.
"For a couple girls, the date sounded fun, but they
also knew he would never forget," Cooper said with a
laugh.
_________________________________________________________
Eaton
couple give Iraq veteran a proper wedding
Bill Jackson,
(Bio)
bjackson@greeleytribune.com
December 24, 2007


Eaton resident Lorie Cooper has seen
a lot of people in love in her 25 years of wedding
planning.
But she has never seen the undying
love and commitment that she sees between Travis Vandela
of Wyoming and his wife-to-be, Tiffany Black.
About a year ago, Vandela lost both
his legs and suffered other serious injuries while
serving with the U.S. Army in Iraq. It was just a month
before he and Black were to be married.
Since then, the wedding has been on
hold.
It was on hold, that is, until a
television talk show host teamed up with Lorie and Kevin
Cooper and dozens of other northern Colorado businesses.
They'll all be part of a special "Montel
Williams Show," which will be aired today on Fox
television.
Williams, who is a graduate of the
Naval Academy at Annapolis, Md., contacted the Coopers
to see if he could help the young couple with their
wedding plans as part of his tribute to the military
Christmas show.
Lorie is the general manager of the
La Quinta Inn and Suites and the Fountains of Loveland
and Event Center; Kevin is a pastor who operates Merry
Me in Colorado out of the couple's Eaton home.
Lorie said that within 24 hours of
their initial contact with the talk-show host, they had
assembled a group of wedding professionals in the
northern Colorado area who have donated their services
and products to provide the couple with a wedding valued
in excess of $25,000.
The wedding is scheduled for May 24,
as that's the date Vandela has set to be able to stand
on his prosthetic legs. He wanted to be able to see his
bride come down the aisle and dance with her at their
reception.
Last week, the Coopers, along with
the intended couple, were flown to New York to tape the
Williams show.
"It was so amazing," Lorie said. She
said Tiffany thought she was there just for the salute
to the military show and was not aware of the wedding
plans.
She said the couple's original plans
were to be married in a VFW with a cake because of the
medical expenses.
But now it will be at the Fountains
of Loveland, thanks to the Coopers and more than 25
other businesses from the region who are supplying the
wedding and reception, full catering, wedding
photography, cinematography services, flowers, formal
wear, a wedding cake, invitations, rental items, a horse
and carriage, entertainment, bridal party jewelry, a
chocolate fountain, ice carving and a host of other
specialty items.
She said Vandela and Black are
spending Christmas in Cheyenne, then he will return to a
hospital in San Antonio, Texas, for more treatment. In
addition to losing both legs in the attack on the Hummer
he was in, the Army sergeant suffered a broken pelvis,
broken arm, fractured vertebrae in his neck and had to
be revived three times by medical personnel.
"This man has a definite purpose for
his life that he was able to survive and conquer what
would have been the demise for millions of others,"
Lorie said.
ON AIR
"The Montel Williams Show" will air
it's special Christmas Salute to the Military show at 1
p.m. today on Fox 31.
_________________________________________________
|
May,
2008 - Cover Story and 4 Page Spread
NEXTNC
Warning! A dangerous season is quickly
approaching where sweet lovely ladies
transform into frightening beastly creatures.

While there’s no escape from the wedding
season, you can protect yourself from brushes
with bridezilla, or mutating into one of these
dreadful monsters yourself.
“It’s the little things that cause the most
stress,” said Lorie Cooper, owner of Colorado
Celebrations, a full-service northern Colorado
wedding planning company. “It’s an emotional
time for everybody.”
And
with June being the peak of the wedding season
in Colorado, many emotions soar higher
than the white doves released to the sky.
Cooper, who has 24 years of experience in the
wedding industry, said even being a guest adds
extra stress to a person’s life.
If someone is single and suddenly see all
their friends get married, they might worry
about when it will be their turn. In addition,
gifts can get costly, especially if you will
be attending several weddings.
Those who are truly put to the test by the
elements of the wedding season are those most
closely affected: bridesmaids, parents, best
friends. They are the real survivors, if they
make it out of the chapel alive.

So whether you are always the bridesmaid, or a
financially exhausted father of the bride,
what it all comes down to is remembering what
the day is about.
Mandy Sullivan, 21, of Gill, and Jon Peggram,
22, of Greeley, tie the knot Saturday in
Greeley. The couple and their families have
made it through some of the tougher
wedding-planning obstacles, and they will be
celebrating with about 400 people.
What helped them to hold it all together?
Hiring their wedding planner, Lorie Cooper.
“Something will always go wrong. It may be
small and it may be big, but never lose sight
of the fact that at the end of the day you are
getting married,” said Lorie.
Cooper has a measure for Jon and Mandy: How
fond the wedding memories are will be based on
the ability to adjust.
“It’s only one day so don’t go absolutely
crazy trying to make everything perfect,”
Mandy said. “And leave bridezilla at home.”
SURVIVAL FOR
GUESTS
-
When buying gifts, go for something
sentimental. You don’t have to break the
bank to show your support. Make it as simple
as an engraved picture frame. If the couple
is wedding savvy, the gift registry will
cover a wide price range.
-
R.S.V.P. in a timely fashion. Response cards
are for a reason.
-
Focus on the couple and the celebration at
hand. Use their wedding to get ideas for
when your turn comes.
-
Arrive 15 minutes early to the ceremony.
There’s nothing worse than walking in late.
You don’t want to steal the attention from
the ones who are supposed to walk down the
isle.
-
Mail the gift ahead of time, if possible.
This makes it easier on the bride and groom.
Otherwise, place them on the gift table at
the reception.
-
Turn your cell phone off to prevent awkward
distractions.
-
Have fun, but not too much fun. If there is
alcohol, drink in moderation.
Pre-wedding
stress relievers: Women get fitted, men get
outfitted...with shotguns
THE TROOPS
Mandy Sullivan and Jon Peggram are at the
center of a wedding the happens
Saturday, with their families and 400 guests
in attendance. We meet the troops that have
helped organize the event, and give you a
taste of what it takes to be a wedding
survivor.
No. 1: Mandy
Sullivan, bride - aka First Captain in
Command
Mandy Sullivan is already a survivor in her
own right. Her wedding day will not only be
a celebration of her and Jon’s love, but
also of her life.
Two winters ago, she came near death during
a snowboarding accident that ripped her
spleen in two.
“I was rushed to the hospital and went into
surgery right away,” Mandy said.
Jon was with her at the time of the accident
and stayed at the hospital with her. “That’s
when I knew he loved me,” Mandy said. “He
wouldn’t leave. He cried and told me he
loved me. He would read to me and watch me
while I slept. You know someone loves you if
they will change the bag that has your urine
in it. He kept telling me I was beautiful,
even though I wasn’t very beautiful.”
A year after Mandy’s accident, the couple
got engaged. Mandy said she knew she was
going to marry Jon from the first time they
talked.
Because Mandy has such a strong relationship
with her mother, it was easier for her
mother to plan the wedding while Mandy
focused on finishing school. Her
survival tip to brides is to be sweet.
“I just can’t imagine how yelling at someone
would make them want to help you,” Mandy
said. “Vendors are expecting brides to be
freaked out about everything and if you are
nice, they go above and beyond.”
No. 2: Jon
Peggram, groom - aka Second Captain in
Command
Being on the frontline, Jon Peggram, 22, is
looking forward to his big day. The hardest
part for him has been not getting to see
Mandy much during the last month.
Though he says the wedding preparation
hasn’t been very stressful for him, he too
has taken on several assignments.
Because he wanted to do things the
traditional way, his first operation was to
get permission to marry Mandy from her
father.
While the men were busy moving Jon into his
new house, he finally muscled up the
courage.
“It was really hard to make myself actually
ask him,” he said. “I knew I was going to do
it, but it was hard.”
Mission one completed.
Next, he needed to pop the question to
Mandy. He planned to do it over dinner the
following weekend, but was too excited since
he already had the ring.
He convinced her to go for a walk at
Glenmere Park in Greeley on a frigid evening
in January, where he got down on one knee.
And of course, his bride-to-be said yes.
Mission two completed.
Since then, Jon has been involved in
everything from helping address invitations
to working hand in hand with Lorie Cooper to
have a vital role in making Mandy’s bouquet.
The invitations, which became quite a
nightmare, were printed wrong several times,
accidentally sent to Canada and had the
incorrect address for the church.
As Mandy’s mother Jan was frantically trying
to address all of the invitations, Jon came
over to cook her dinner and help address
them.
His top tip for future grooms: Don’t be
afraid to go to a wedding show because you
can get a lot of ideas,” he said. “You don’t
have to stay all day, but at least walk
through it. It wasn’t that bad. After we all
walked through it once, her dad and I
watched football and drank beer in the hotel
lounge.”
No. 3:
Danielle Sullivan, maid of honor - aka
Bride’s Navigator
Danielle
Sullivan’s mission is to assist her sister
whenever needed. Her long list of duties
included hosting the bridal shower, picking
the bridesmaids dresses, helping with
decorations and planning her toast.
“I’m kind of stressed about the toast,” she
said. “I’ve been trying to think of things
to say.” Danielle, 18, said it has
been difficult balancing work and wedding
stuff, but has tried to support her sister
and mom emotionally. “My job has been
to keep them calm and happy,” she said.
She would tell other bridesmaids to share
their honest opinions but also let the bride
have her day. Danielle and Mandy
talked about being in each other’s weddings
when they were little girls. But being the
maid of honor isn’t always easy.
“Every time I see someone who is invited to
the wedding, I’m asked when am I getting
married,” Danielle said. “I always tell
people, ‘not for awhile because I have seen
what my sister has gone through and how
stressful it’s been.’ I just push it aside
and don’t worry about it too much.”
No. 4: Luke
Epple, best man - aka Groom’s Wing Man
Luke
Epple, 22, enlisted as Jon’s best man to
help guide his cousin through the process.
“We’ve been best friends forever,” he said.
“We’ve done everything together. A lot of my
hospital visits have been with him. There’s
been a lot of broken bones.” In fact,
Luke is a survivor, thanks to Jon.
About five years ago, the guys were on a
camping trip when Luke fell 20 feet off a
cliff. He plummeted to the water below,
breaking ribs and rupturing his spleen,
among other things. Jon charged down the
mountain to save him.
Luke, who is now married, said he is excited
for Jon.
Though Luke hasn’t done much of the
planning, he was in charge of the bachelor’s
party: gathering the guys to rendezvous in
Wiggins to shoot shotguns.
“It’s
something me and my friends like to do,” Jon
said.
Luke said he wanted the party to be
something all of the groomsmen could have
fun doing. Jon has a troop of three little
brothers and Luke wanted them to be
involved.
Luke’s final mission is the toast. “I want
to have everything mapped out, that way I
won’t look like a jackass,” he said.
No. 5: Jan
Sullivan, mother of the bride - aka General
of Planning

Even starting her own business wasn’t as
tough for Jan Sullivan as planning a
wedding.
“If it wasn't for Lorie being by my side
throughout this planning, I know I would be
crying every day,” she said.
When Mandy got engaged, she told her mom she
wanted her in charge of everything.
Surprisingly, it’s worked quite well and
mother and daughter have agreed about 90
percent of the time. “If we don’t,
it’s her wedding. She’s the bride.” Jan
said. Jan has been working around the
clock and has managed to overcome a couple
obstacles such as invitation issues and
caterer catastrophes.
When things get rough, she takes a deep
breath and counts her blessings. "All
this is happening because my daughter has
found true love and we have something to
celebrate,” she said.
Jan’s biggest key to survival has been
hiring Lorie Cooper, a professional
wedding planner. Although Jan has done most
of the work herself, she will be able to
relax and enjoy the wedding, knowing someone
else will be responsible for the little
details.
No. 6: John
Sullivan, father of the bride - aka
Paymaster Finance Officer

Thus far, John Sullivan has survived footing
the bill, all the while being the safety net
for his wife and daughter. But the hardest
part is yet to come for John.
“Walking her down the isle and going through
some of the toasts will be tough,” he said.
“Mandy still lives at home. I think it will
really hit me more when she is gone.”
But John has been preparing himself for a
long time for the day when his oldest
daughter would leave her parent’s barracks.
“Because we approve of Jon so much, it makes
it easier,” he said.
John’s biggest duty has been to keep the
boat afloat.
“If I have any important part at all, it’s
that I found I need to be solid,” John said.
“The girls can be emotional at times. I’ve
been well practiced over the years to smooth
out those areas and see if there is anything
I can do to help.”
As the father of the bride, John’s biggest
survival tip is to get the ugliest part out
of the way early. He recommends tackling the
budget head on and not shying away from it.
“It’s the most uncomfortable part of it all
and hopefully it is downhill from there,” he
said.
Wedding planner Lorie Cooper said the father
of the bride usually feels completely
helpless and that everything is out of
control, especially his wife and daughter.
“The groom’s father tends to be the least
emotionally affected - at least publicly,
although he deals with the concept of losing
his little girl to the new man in her life,
and many times he has a tendency to get left
out,” she said.
Though the bride’s parents have
traditionally paid for the wedding, with
today’s extravagant weddings, Cooper
recommends splitting the bill in thirds.
“Money is the No. 1 cause of stress,” she
said.
While John was putting gas in his car last
week, he found $50 on the ground. Though the
UPS employee has had to write some hefty
checks lately, he turned around and gave the
money to someone who needed it more.
“I relate it to the wedding,” he said. “Life
is tough. Easy come, easy go. The easier it
is to get married, the easier it would be to
let go.”
But all of the hard work they have put into
the wedding will hopefully give the young
couple that many more reminders of love.
THE COSTS
The estimated cost breakdown for a wedding
in Fort Collins is:
A wedding in northern Colorado costs between
$18,000 and $22,000, on average according to
Lorie Cooper, is a Master Wedding Planner
and owner of Colorado Celebrations wedding
service.
|
|
|
Featured Service:
Wedding Photography
by MMIC



Offering hourly rates or custom packages to fit your needs and your budget.
Every photography package includes COPYRIGHT FREE photos on a CD!!
MORE INFO
|