As told to Kate Donnelly
Images by Tara Marolda Photography
In 1996, I moved to Aspen from Vermont where I’d been working in events and wedding planning. My first job in town was at the Hotel Jerome as their Catering Manager. After about three years, I decided to go out on my own and started my business, Creative Weddings.
Back then, most of the weddings I planned were either at the Aspen Mountain Club, on The Sundeck, or inside The Little Nell. So naturally, I became familiar with the properties and the top-notch people who ran them. About ten years ago, I joined The Little Nell team as the Director of Events. I loved my time in that position.
About six years ago, I returned to Creative Weddings once again. I really missed being intimately involved in every aspect of planning. I missed the weddings themselves.
I love the top of Aspen Mountain. You really can’t get a better view of the Elk Mountain Range. Whether it’s the wedding deck, the overlook, or the meadow, you’re looking out over Aspen’s famous Highland Bowl. That’s the best skiing in the universe right there. You simply can’t beat the location.
As a full service planner, I spend almost every day working. These days, because weddings are so enormously time consuming, I’m only taking on a few. At the minimum, I’d say I spend about five hundred hours per wedding. The time adds up because I ensure every single detail is tied together thematically. Each event at Aspen Mountain Club looks and feels different. We work hard to make everything personal.
People certainly have a stigma when it comes to weddings. And while we love including traditional aspects, we also love bending the rules. For instance, we recently did a wedding atop Aspen Mountain and we didn’t order a cake. And instead of flowers, we only used candles. The mother of the groom walked her son down the aisle. It’s always fun to do something that isn’t expected.
I also plan social and corporate events. We design all sorts of creative outings. This winter, we’re putting together a vintage ski theme. I’ll head over to Vintage Ski World Warehouse and pick up skis, sleds, old posters and vintage chair lifts. It’s a really fun part of my job. And no matter where the gathering is being held, it’s all about making the guest experience memorable.
Logistics are important. It doesn’t matter what season, because you always have to think through what you can get up the mountain. A couple weeks ago, we brought up aspen trees for a ceremony. They don’t fit into the gondolas, so we had to drive them up. And afterwards, we drove them back down and planted them. It’s about considering all the little details.
I like to get to work early. This morning, I talked to my client in New York and we ran through their winter event. I do a lot of creative planning myself. This means coming up with the design, welcome gift ideas and event branding. I love coming up with ideas. For instance, if you want to create a monogram or logo, I do that myself. And then if it requires another step, we hire a graphic designer to help finish the product.
These days, we plan more mountain themes over ski themes. Of course, planning events in the winter poses its own unique challenges. There’s always a fun challenge you’re not totally ready for. So you’re always leaning into trying something new.
Fall is my favorite season in Aspen. I’m from New England, and always remember watching the changing foliage. I love when the twinkling aspen trees turn a golden yellow. They look like floating clouds of gold. It’s so magical. Of course, I’m an avid skier and also love winter too.
I’m 56 and I’d like to work until I’m 70. The idea is to do one event a month, and do an incredible job. A strong work-and-life balance is important to keep the creative juices flowing. I have horses I ride everyday, and when it snows, I like to get out and ski. Yes, I still work nearly everyday, but for some portion of my day, I make sure I can enjoy all that Aspen has to offer.