Danielle & Devin’s Intimate Mountain Wedding at The Little Nell in Aspen, Colorado

Danielle and Devin’s wedding at The Little Nell in Aspen, Colorado was everything. It was filled to the brim with happy tears, big emotions, amazing views, and SO SO SO MUCH LOVE.

I actually went to high school with Danielle, and we also attended college at the University of Northern Iowa at the same time, although Danielle was a year ahead of me. We weren’t super close in college but I knew she liked to do Next Level Extreme Fitness, and she told me that’s where she met Devin. It didn’t take them long to fall in love with each other, and when they did, it was a love they had never known before.

On their wedding day, they got ready at a hotel in Aspen, and we took a thirty minute gondola ride to the tippy top of the mountain. On the way up, there were gorgeous vistas and lush green pine trees in every direction. Although it was a summer day, and about 80 degrees at the base of the mountain, the ride up was cloudy and when we made it to the top and got off the gondola, I actually put on a jacket because it was a chilly 65 degrees! There was rain in the forecast, so everyone was a little nervous about the weather, but so far, it was holding off for us.

Devin had three young kids when he and Danielle met, and she told me she fell in love with his kids before she fell in love with him, so they planned a special first look with the kids on their wedding day. First, Danielle walked down the aisle at The Little Nell to see Devin, and then, they waited together for all three kids to walk down the aisle to see them together for the first time that day. Danielle and Devin turned around and EVERYONE was crying. I was definitely crying behind my camera, too.

The Little Nell is an absolutely stunning venue with simple and elegant details, and just a hint of a rustic vibe. The decor is minimal, because you really don’t need much up in the mountains. The views in every direction are breathtaking. The whole day was so intimate, and hands down the most emotional wedding I’ve ever shot. Danielle and Devin said their vows surrounded by just 30 immediate family members and close friends. Everyone who was there knew and loved them so much, and were so excited to see them come together as a family. Their vows were so sweet, and Devin was dropping tears for the entire ceremony.

As the ceremony went on, tons of clouds were floating over the tops of the mountains, coming closer and closer to us. They said their “I do’s,” and right when Devin and Danielle shared their first kiss as husband and wife, the rain started. They turned towards their guests and walked down the aisle in the pouring rain, while everyone else grabbed blankets and anything they could find to take shelter from the rain. We all hurried inside to wait out the showers during cocktail hour.

Right before dinner, the showers ended, the clouds parted and moved past the tops of the mountains, and the sky opened up into one of the most beautiful sunsets I’ve ever seen. Pinks and oranges washed over everything and lit up the sky with a golden yellow hue, so I grabbed Danielle and Devin to run outside for a few more photos. A rainbow appeared in the sky behind them and it was just the icing on top of the cake for this seriously BREATHTAKING day.

Even though we were late for dinner and their wedding planner was nudging us to get back inside, I told Danielle and Devin to just wait outside a little longer, take in the view together, and enjoy a quiet moment to themselves to let it sink in that they were now husband and wife. I walked away from them with more tears in their eyes, and they sat together, watching the last few moments of the golden sunlight vanishing behind the mountains. After dinner, Danielle and Devin cut their cake and did the CUTEST choreographed first dance with all the kids. You could see plain as day all the love this little family shared together.

All in all, it was a very laid back and chill wedding, but also the most heartfelt and emotional day ever, with ALL the happy tears you could imagine.