A Wedding at The Ritz-Carlton Bachelor Gulch: Kelly and Ryan
Skiers know that Beaver Creek is “the sh*t” when it comes to skiing. I just hope brides know that it’s also “the sh*t” when it comes to weddings. What a wonderful place to have a wedding, especially in September, right as the leaves are changing. My God. How awesome are those golden aspens?!?
I have had many a lunch on the patio at the Ritz-Carlton in Bachelor Gulch (for those who are confused, Bachelor Gulch is a connected mountain to the Beaver Creek ski area… it’s part of the same thing) while skiing the bumps, but I regret to say I have never been there in the Summer or Autumn. To see this amazing hotel without it’s customary layer of thick snow and apre skiers was stunning.
Anyway… the hotel is completely different in the warm months, and I adore it for weddings. It’s a very large hotel, but it still feels quite intimate and private, somehow. I think “cozy” is the appropriate word. But posh-cozy. It is The Ritz, after all. Let’s not lose sight of that! ; )
But like all good mountain luxury spots, while it may be The Ritz, there’s still a certain laid-back chill to the place. I think it’s just part of the mountain culture as a whole, at least it was when I was a boy growing up in the high country, skiing my weekends away. I don’t care how fancy you think you are, when you’re in the mountains, you just chill a bit. It’s required.
Kelly and Ryan’s wedding took full advantage of all these aspects. It was incredibly polished and posh in the details, the ambiance, the style and the planning, but the vibe was definitely one of pure love, joy and celebration. I mean, it was a cowboy wedding, after all. And we all know that cowboys and cowgirls know how to party. And boy howdy, did they ever.
