Briana & CT’s Stunning Autumn Wedding at Devil’s Thumb Ranch
This was our first wedding at Devil’s Thumb Ranch and we were so excited to finally get to photograph this famous Colorado wedding venue. We were also stoked to be working again with one of our favorite wedding planners, Ileen Hoekman at Once Upon a Wedding, as well as one of the best DJ/emcees in Colorado, Randy Rodriguez.
When we arrived we were immediately taken aback by the size of the complex. You simply don’t get a sense from anything online how large of a complex this is. We’ve been to many other “ranches” and they are medium to large venues with a barn here, a building for receptions, a ceremony spot. But Devil’s Thumb Ranch was a sprawling complex of luxurious rooms, lodges, restaurants, and multiple ceremony and reception venues. “Resort” is absolutely the correct description. It’s an amazing place.
Even more impressive were the vast swaths of mountain plains butting up against the James Peak & Indian Peaks Wilderness areas. It’s very rare to get un-populated areas in Colorado that vast and scenic without houses breaking up the views. So shooting there was awesome.
Devil’s Thumb Ranch is the Optimal Morning Wedding Venue
Photographer’s tip: the best light at Devil’s Thumb Ranch is early morning. Evening weddings at Devil’s Thumb Ranch look out East, which means to get the amazing backdrops in a photo everyone has to be looking into the sun, which is uncomfortable. To get that amazing streaming light, we had to shoot facing West, away from the mountains.
If you have the flexibility, an early morning wedding would look spectacular with the sunlight streaming in from the mountains behind. Really pretty morning ceremony venues are rare for Colorado’s Eastern Slope. The vast majority of venues face West, which is great for afternoon/evening ceremonies.
A Love Story with Heartbreak
It was an honor to capture this perfect day for Briana & CT. It was the perfect wedding for Trystan Photography with all of the laughter and joy the couple and their family brought to the day. However, there was also a tender emotional side to the festivities as CT had recently lost his beloved mother. The weight of her loss was palpable, but was expressed in this amazing “seize-the-day-live-life-like-there’s-no-tomorrow” mentality. That equaled even more joy, tears, love and laughter throughout the day.
Thank you Briana & CT for honoring Charlotte and I with capturing your wedding day.
