Granby Wedding Photographer | Alyssa and Kyle | The Lodge at Crestview Ranch

Alyssa and Kyle | The Lodge at Crestview Ranch Wedding

 

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Savannah Chandler Photography | Granby Wedding Photographer

 

 

 

I met Alyssa and Kyle through another Denver wedding photographer.  We initially met for lunch in the DTC area at a golf club where Kyle golfs often at.  I was so excited to hear all about their Granby wedding at one of the area’s newer wedding venues – The Lodge at Crestview Ranch.  I had heard of Crestview Ranch from some fellow colleagues, but had yet to photograph there myself.  After discussing their wedding day and details, I knew that it would be a stunning, full of personal details day.

We arrived early in the afternoon while the gals were getting ready (and the guys were playing cornhole).  I knew that Alyssa would have some stunning details – and some that were very personal.  One of my personal favorite items were wine glasses that said “ex girlfriend, ex fiance, wife/husband”.  I’m not quite sure why, but I think it’s absolutely hilarious and one of my new favorite ways to introduce a partner – “Oh is that your Fiance?” “Yes, this is my ex-boyfriend and soon be ex-fiance”.  😆

Of the more personal items, Alyssa was gifted a stunning necklace that belonged to Kyle’s grandmother.  Kyle’s sister told us that 4 years ago, before she passed, Kyle said he knew that he had found the person that he was going to marry and asked if he could gift the necklace to Alyssa on their wedding day.  Four years ago.  Before he proposed, before many of life’s ups and downs.  That right there brought a tear to my eye behind the camera.

As the sun continued to beam down upon Granby, Alyssa and Kyle’s ceremony was full of sun, love, humor, and tears.  I always try to remember bits and pieces of what was said at my couple’s ceremonies – I really, truly love to hear your personal vows.  As a married person, I also love hearing vows that remind me of why I personally got married and the things that mean the most on your wedding day.  I remembered that in our initial conversation, Kyle and Alyssa had told me that they had been together a long time and would have many, many people celebrating with them.  And to recede from their ceremony, the many people celebrating would be tossing paper airplanes at them.  Of all the weddings I’ve photographed, a paper airplane recessional was a first.  And was SO MUCH FUN.

After walking around the property for a while capturing their family, bridal party, and couple’s portraits the sun began setting behind the horizon and the entire sky filled with color.  One think about September in Colorado is that we tend to get a lot of wildfires.  Which is such a sad, sad thing.  But makes for the most amazing sunsets.  The skies turn amazing shades of orange and pink.  This past September was no exception – there were wildfires raging and the sun put on the most spectacular show in the sky.  Above Rocky Mountain National Park, the entire sky filled with bright orange and pink clouds.  Alyssa and Kyle were (beyond) troopers and set out into the marshy field across the pond to capture reflection photographs.  Just as the sun went down, we finished our time before the reception in the small Aspen grove just behind where they’d be doing their grand entrance from.

Then… the party began.  I love live bands.  There’s something SO FUN about live music at a wedding.  All the guests, of all ages, get out of their seats to boogie.  Alyssa and Kyle’s reception was no exception – everyone was having a grand time enjoying the band.  One other thing that I found out about the bride and groom is that they are exceptional dancers.

To end our time together, everyone gathered round to say goodbye in a grand exit and sent Alyssa and Kyle off with a bang.

Thank you for inviting me to celebrate with you and your loved ones, Alyssa and Kyle.  It was truly and honor.  I wish you a lifetime of happiness, travel, and many nights of Northern Lights <3

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Venue: The Lodge at Crestview Ranch
Secondary Photographer: Jerry Blackwell

 

Savannah Chandler Photography | Granby Wedding Photographer
Based in Denver Colorado | Available for Travel Worldwide

Servicing the Rocky Mountains and Beyond
Keystone | Aspen | Granby | Winter Park | Breckenridge | Ouray | Silverton | Telluride | Durango | Steamboat | Dillon | Arapahoe Basin | Silverthorne | Buena Vista | Leadville | Twin Lakes | Alamosa

Boulder Wedding Photographer | Rachel and Keith | Wedgewood on Boulder Creek Wedding

Rachel and Keith | Wedgewood on Boulder Creek Wedding

 

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Savannah Chandler Photography | Boulder Wedding Photographer

 

I met Rachel and Keith back in early 2018, at what was described as a “coffee house”, but come to find out it was actually the coffee shop inside of the local Whole Foods Marketplace.  This ended up being great – for both Keith and myself are Gluten Free.  We ate our “glutenless” yummies and coffee and chatted for quite some time.  I’ve been so very fortunate to meet couples that are such great people and that I mesh so well with – Rachel and Keith are my kind of people.  Rachel is a Pediatrician and Keith is an Actuary.  Not gonna lie, my only experience with the word “actuary” is from Zootopia where the little tiger wants to be an Actuary when he grows up.  Haha.

September rolled around, in quite the dramatic fashion for my family, but I was SO excited to get to see Rachel and Keith again to photograph their Boulder wedding.  I met Rachel and the gals near Flatirons to get some getting ready photos prior to heading to Wedgewood, while my second (the amazing Megan Alvarez) met Keith and the dudes over at the venue.

Once ceremony time came, I knew that we’d be in for some tears, as well as humor.  One of my favorite parts looking back through the ceremony photographs is the look on Rachel’s mother’s face looking at Keith as her daughter approached the aisle – a very loving “look at how beautiful she is” gaze.  After toughing speeches amongst the lovely fall foliage, some dry humor, and lots of touching moments – Rachel and Keith proudly walked down the aisle as man and wife.

Fall foliage was something that was important to Rachel, and we fortunately got the surprise of an early fall this past year.  Though the trees weren’t at peak, we did get unexpected colors of reds and a few yellows.  We took full advantage of this for Rachel and Keith’s couple’s portraits.  We headed down to the creek, and with the cloudy skies I thought we’d be SOL for a sunset – I was WRONG on that front!  Just as we were wrapping up portraits, the sun peeked out and the sky turned a beautiful pink color.  It was a simply stunning way to end our “formal portraits” together.

Thank you for inviting us to celebrate with you, Rachel and Keith.  It was truly a beautiful day.  I can’t wait to go adventuring this year with you to get your adventure photographs!!!

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Secondary Photographer: Megan Alvarez
Venue: Wedgewood on Boulder Creek

 

Savannah Chandler Photography | Boulder Wedding Photographer
Based in Denver, Colorado | Available for Travel Worldwide

Servicing the Rocky Mountain Region and Beyond
Telluride | Dillon | Keystone | Vail | Breckenridge | Winter Park | Granby | Grand Lake | Estes Park | Buena Vista | Ouray | Aspen

Aspen Wedding Photographer | Maroon Bells Elopement | Kendra and Nelson

Kendra and Nelson | Maroon Bells Elopement

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Savannah Chandler Photography | Aspen Wedding Photographer

 

 

I met Kendra and Nelson through a Colorado Wedding Planner, Lily with Sweetly Paired Weddings .  We chatted over Skype about their August Maroon Bells Elopement and all things mountains and alpenglow.  For those that don’t know, the Maroon Bells (on a clear day) turn a bright pink at sunrise… it’s quite the spectacle to witness.  Kendra and Nelson would be flying out to Colorado with their closest family members from a small town in Illinois for their intimate wedding in the mountains near Aspen.

Come the week before their wedding, my son was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor, leaving me to stay in Denver and having one of my very closest friends and fellow photographer, Haley Allen, to head up to Aspen for Kendra and Nelson’s elopement.  Needless to say, this blog post is quite unusual in the fact that Haley photographed, where I edited the images.  Have no worries, my son is doing well and on the road to a full recovery.  We’ve made it through the end of Chemo and I’ve been back behind the camera since mid-September.

Kendra and Nelson’s elopement amongst the mountains was a typical Colorado day – filled with sunshine, wind, rain, and fog.  😬 . Our weather likes to live up to it’s reputation… CRAZY.  During the vows, the wind kicked up off Maroon lake and took Kendra’s cathedral length veil with it.  But like any good gentleman would, Nelson promptly ran after the veil and made sure that everything was just as Kendra wanted for her mountain ceremony.  While they walked in the Snowmass wilderness, the sky darkened, the fog rolled in, and the rain began to come down.  Over the years, one of my very favorite “emergency” items to carry has become a clear umbrella.  I believe that they make for such lovely rain photos.

The next morning, at the late hour of 6:00 am, Haley met Kendra and Nelson back at the Bells for what we hoped would be an Alpenglow session.  But that good ol’ Colorado weather had different plans… Clouds covered most of the skies, which made for a stunning, dramatic background.

Thank you, Kendra and Nelson, for your love, understanding, and support for me and my family.  I wish you both all the happiness in the world, and a lifetime of adventure.  Cheers, and congratulations on your stunning mountain wedding!

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Associate Photographer shooting for Savannah Chandler Photography: Haley Allen
Wedding Planner and Coordinator: Sweetly Paired
Florist: The Olive and Poppy
Venue: The Amphitheater at Maroon Bells | Aspen, Colorado

 

 

Savannah Chandler Photography | Colorado Wedding Photographer
Based in Denver, Colorado | Available for Travel Worldwide

Servicing the Rocky Mountain Region and Beyond
Telluride | Dillon | Keystone | Vail | Breckenridge | Winter Park | Granby | Grand Lake | Estes Park | Buena Vista | Ouray | Aspen

Denver Engagement Photographer | Cara and Andres | Mt Falcon Engagement

Cara and Andres | Mt Falcon Engagement

Savannah Chandler Photography | Denver Engagement Photographer

 

When Cara and I first spoke on the phone about her vision for their Denver Engagement session, she let me know that they wanted to capture the Colorado feel without it feeling like the dead of winter.  Colorado is such a unique place, that we have SO many beautiful and sunny days year round.  Especially in the front range.  I knew that Mount Falcon in Indian Peaks would be the perfect location – it’s low enough in elevation not to always be covered in snow and has beautiful views of the rolling hills near the Mount Evans Wilderness area.

In the days leading up to our planned session date, I kept checking the weather (as we all know that Colorado weather changes super fast and a cat predicting the weather is about as accurate as a weatherman).  50* and sunny.  We had a FABULOUS day with some sun and basically no wind.

To begin our time together, we headed out to the old ruins along the Castle Trail.  The trail leads out to an old brick mansion that was destroyed by lightning in the 1900s.

Once the sun began to get closer to the horizon, we walked back towards the vista overlook facing Mount Evans.  The trail begins to turn and open up to a stunning view.

Congratulations your engagement, Cara and Andres!  I can’t wait to see the images from your Lionsgate wedding this upcoming September!

 

 

 

Savannah Chandler Photography | Denver Engagement Photographer
Based in Denver, Colorado | Available for travel worldwide

Best Colorado Wedding Photographer | 2018 Year in Review | Savannah Chandler Photography

2018 Year in Review
Best Colorado Wedding Photographer | Savannah Chandler Photography

 

 

2018.  It’s been a year.  One of the best years, and quite possibly the worst year.

2018 started off fantastic.  I typically end my wedding season with a “bang”, traveling outside of Colorado and photographing somewhere amazing.  2014: Asheville. 2015: Iceland. 2016: Sedona. 2017: Virginia.  I did end 2018 off with a bang (more on that later), but I also began the year in some absolutely amazing locations.
In March, I headed to Belize with my good friend Lindsay Lack to photograph what I can only describe as the biggest, craziest party of a wedding I’ve ever been a part of.  Belizeans know how to throw one hell of a party.  We photographed until past 3am, and there were still a good 400 guests in attendance at that point.  Needless to say, laying on the beach drinking frozen mojitos was definitely in order the next day.
In April, I headed back to the land of Fire and Ice – Iceland – to photograph a fellow photographer’s elopement.  It was just the two of them, and me with my entourage of “assistants”, or better known as my siblings.  In all honesty, they were great assistants, sherpas, light holders, navigators… they really helped with everything.  Amanda and Justin’s wedding days was honestly one of my favorite adventures I’ve had – we spent 17 hours exploring Reykjavik, Vik, and the south of Iceland.  We even went spelunking for photos.  That was a first for me.
Once I got back from a personal trip to Ireland, Colorado wedding season came on with a vengeance.  I booked more weddings, elopements, and engagements than ever before this past season.
Photographing all over the great state of Colorado, I had the pleasure of celebrating with some pretty amazing people.  I will say, I’ve never been so reassured of how great the human spirit is as I have been this past year.

Come August 11, I was in Estes Park photographing with an amazing couple in Rocky Mountain National Park.  At home, I knew my son (4 years old) had a headache, but really didn’t think much of it.  The next day, he still had a headache so we brought him into the ER at Children’s Hospital.  That day, August 12, our lives changed forever.

We found out that our son had a brain tumor.  Medulloblastoma, grade 4 with extensive Nodularity.  Cancerous.

Our whole world flipped that day.  Brain surgery was set to be in 2 days.  Everything moved so fast.

Another first happened this year, after 7 years in business, I had to have two of my amazing friends cover 2 weddings for me the week our son had his tumor removed.  Thank you to Haley Allen and Erin Cady, I can’t begin to tell you the depth of my gratitude.  A few of the images in here were photographed by them and edited by myself.  Both couples – Mandy and Nick & Kendra and Nelson – were so gracious, patient, and understanding.  Thank you for that.

Once September 15 came, my husband and I decided that we were at a place that I could resume photographing the remainder of my weddings.  I’m sure that I sound redundant at this point, but I can’t stress enough how amazing the couple’s I’ve come to know and love are.  Everyone was so kind, patient, and just the best all around humans I’ve ever met.  <3   This is as close to a “rooftop” as I’ll ever come, so I want to shout it from the “Blogtop” – THANK YOU.  I LOVE YOU ALL.

In October, after the approval of our Oncology team, I did in fact end my season with a BANG once again.  Iceland for the second time in 6 months.  My brother and sister came once again to assist, and we ventured around Vik and Snafellsness with Kim and Scott for their elopement.  Iceland has always had a piece of my heart, but I really think that I’ve become quite attached with this lovely little island now.

To those of you wondering, my son is doing well and nearly finished with his Chemotherapy.  We end his regimen on February 15th.  That day will be one of celebration.

Here are some fun tidbits to cap off the 2018 Colorado Wedding photography season.

– 4 times out of the country
– Lowest altitude wedding ever photographed: Underground in a Cave in Iceland near Reykjavik.
– Highest altitude wedding photographed this year: 11,991 Feet at Loveland Pass
– Watched a pregnant badass bride outpace nearly everyone at Loveland Pass
– Coldest Wedding photographed this year: the top of Vail ski resort in February at -2*
– Hottest Wedding photographed this year: Allenspark in July at 95*
– Bought 2 new cars, one my dream Jeep to get to all the amazing mountain loations
– Bought a Cabin in the San Luis Valley (which we can host private elopements at, hint hint 😉 )
– Got in a decent amount of hiking (all things considered)
– Longest Wedding photographed: Belize just outdid Iceland at 18.5 hours vs. 17 hours
– Most weddings ever photographed in a week timespan to date: 6 weddings in 7 days (this past September)
– Number of Soft Boxes bought this year: 4
– Number of Flashes bought: 6
– Number of cameras that went Kaput mid-wedding: 1 (and this, ladies and gentleman, is why you only hire people who shoot with more than one camera 😬)
– Number of lenses lost, but never forgotten, due to dings, scratches, cracking, waterfall damage: 3
– First time ever photographing with Horses this year
– Second time ever photographing with Horses this year 😆
– Countless memories made with my fellow photographers
– Number of Amazing couples with the best hearts: 27
(that’s how many weddings/elopements I photographed this year 😍)

Here’s to an amazing 2019.  To HEALTH (for reals though, no more surprises universe… okay??), Happiness, and Photography.

Love to you all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Savannah Chandler Photography | Best Colorado Wedding Photographer | Based in Denver, Colorado | Available for Travel Worldwide

Photographing in the Rocky Mountain region and beyond
Telluride | Silverton | Ouray | Granby | Winterpark | Steamboat | Breckenridge | Keystone | Vail | Aspen | Crested Butte | Durango | Silverthorne

Photography Services Available Worldwide | Destination Wedding Photographer
Ireland | Iceland | Belize | Italy | France | Switzerland

 

 

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Planning an International Elopement?  Available for travel Worldwide!
I’m looking to add the following locations to my 2019 Schedule.  Special pricing for the following countries:
Italy
Spain
Scotland
Greece
France

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