Yes, you read that right: today’s couple, Tema and Brad, really did hold their Jew-ish wedding on top of an actual mountain at 11,420 (!) feet. How high is that exactly, those of you from flatter locales may be wondering? So high, guests could only attend via chairlift, that’s how high!
The couple’s whimsical boho wedding style was the perfect fit for their mountaintop surroundings — rustic enough to work for the extreme location, simple and sweet enough not to distract from the natural grandeur of the surroundings.
Tema, who provides sustainability consulting services to commercial real estate owners, and Brad, a business analyst, had the sweetest birch chuppah, keeping it simple with just a touch of floral dà©cor draped over the top and Tema’s mother’s wedding veil as the canopy (aww!) — this is a great example of how you can pull off a beautiful floral chuppah while keeping things subtle!
And the couple’s delightful ketubah from Smashing the Glass Recommended Vendor Tallulah Ketubahs, adorned with whimsical watercolor succulents, is so on point we just cannot even. Have you seen a sweeter ketubah?
Rockstar photographers Shaun and Shannon Menary got THE most stunning captures of the day, from Tema’s fab boho bridal style — did she rock that Sincerity Bridal dress + flower crown combo, or what? — to the majestic mountaintop views.
Oh, and did we mention Tema and Brad have one of the cutest how-they-met stories of all time? Prepare to be charmed…
How We Met
Tema, the bride: The story of how we met is very unusual and funny. We both had our cars towed and met at the impound lot picking up our cars! We stood in line for 3 hours and Brad was there with his dad.
A Wedding at 11,000 Feet
We got married at 11,420 feet on the top of a mountain (Kachina Basin) in Taos Ski Valley, New Mexico. Guests could only attend the ceremony via chairlift. Taos is where Tema, the bride, grew up, and Taos Ski Valley is where she learned to ski and snowboard since the age of three. Knowing how special this place was to Tema, Brad, the groom, proposed to Tema one year earlier in the exact same spot where the ceremony was held.
Whimsical Mountaintop Vibes
We had an amazing wedding planner, Kaela Gillum. She works at Taos Ski Valley and was able to coordinate everything perfectly. Our ceremony was up in the mountains around noon and the reception was about 20 minutes away at the KTAO solar powered radio station. The ceremony didn’t start until later in the evening so it required a lot of organization!
The theme and decor came from a combination of inspirations. We wanted a more casual, boho vibe and we incorporated a mixture of whimsical, New Mexican, mountain, outdoors…. The color scheme was succulents – sage green, wisteria purple, and mystic blue. There were 2 bridesmaids in each of the colors and they wore different style dresses.
The florist provided succulents for the bridesmaid’s hair, and succulents were incorporated into the bouquets and boutonnieres. The food was eclectic – the appetizers were catered by a close friend who made amazing Asian appetizers served in a Chinese take-out box. The main meal consisted of New Mexican classics such as green chile enchiladas, guacamole, and brisket.
Art by Friends
The invitation was designed using Minted with a photo of a custom, hand-painted watercolor of the Taos Mountain. Local artist and good friend Malia Reeves painted the mountain for us and coordinated all of the decorations. Most of the decorations were handmade. Another local artist and friend, Aaron Garlick, made laser cut wooden signs and mandalas.
Hair + Makeup
One of my best friends and bridesmaids, Lydia Chisholm, does hair professionally in Winter Park, CO. She amazingly offered to do my hair and all of my bridesmaids’ hair. Her friend Brenna did all of our makeup.
A Sincerity Bridal Dress
I absolutely LOVED my Sincerity Bridal dress! My favorite part was the back, which had buttons going all the way down to the train. I purchased the dress at The Blushing Bride Boutique in Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas.
Heirlooms and a Flower Crown
Tema’s mother’s wedding veil was used as the chuppah canopy. Tema’s favorite accessory was her flower crown, made from fresh flowers – including gardenias, which smelled amazing! Tema wore a gold bracelet that was given to her by her grandmother many years ago. She wore it in memory of her grandmother.
Ankle Boots for the Bride
The mountainous, rocky terrain called for ankle boots! Tema rode up the chairlift with her father and had a very long, rocky, dirt path to walk down before she got to the aisle.
The handsome groom
Brad wore a dark grey suit, and all of the groomsmen wore light grey suits. His tie was burgundy to match Tema’s lipstick and flowers. He had a succulent in his boutonniere.
A Birch Chuppah
An Interfaith Ceremony
Our officiant and ceremony were very unique. Ted Wiard, a minister and grief counselor at the Golden Willow Retreat in Taos, was the officiant at our wedding. The ceremony incorporated Jewish elements, spiritual elements, Christianity, and a Native American four directions blessing on the rings.
We had dried flower petals popped on us after we smashed the glass and walked back down the aisle.
We signed our ketubah before we went up to the ceremony. Our ketubah was designed by the talented Rachel Marks of Tallulah Ketubahs. We decided to do a first look before the ceremony and that was one of our most special moments. We both were in tears.
A Whole New World
A local musician and friend, Jimmy Stadler, played the guitar and mandolin at the top of the mountain. As we are both huge Disney fans, we asked our musician to play “A Whole New World” from Aladdin as we exited.
Flowers Delivered via Chairlift
Taos Floral Designs – she did hair pieces, chuppah flowers, table arrangements, bouquets… Everything had to be taken to the top of the mountain via chairlift!
Our Fabulous Photographers
Our photographers were absolutely AMAZING!! Shaun and Shannon Menary. We brought them to New Mexico from Dallas. They shot our engagement photos, wedding photos, and day after photos, where we went out to the Taos Gorge/Rio Grande River and did a photo shoot out in the sagebrush.
All the Desserts
The cake was designed by Lauryn Romero of Sweet Sol Baking Co. – a friend of Tema’s from high school. She made a four-tiered cake with different flavors on each level (Tema’s favorite was raspberry champagne … All in all there were the bride and groom cakes, hand pies (peach, apple and berry), and local ice cream from Taos Cow.
A Live Band
The one thing we knew we absolutely wanted to have was a live band! We were lucky to book local artist Katy P and the Business. We had so much fun with our guests dancing the night away. She surprised all of our guests by showing up in hot pink tights and a dazzling wardrobe, but it didn’t take guests long to approach us and tell us how incredible the band was. They played fun cover songs from various decades: No Doubt, Fleetwood Mac, Bruno Mars, Taylor Swift, and they learned our first dance song Your Song by Elton John.
Honey Favors
We did tiny jars of local honey with a stamped note that said “Sweet as Honey 7/29/17 Tema & Brad.”
A Honeymoon in Thailand
We spent an amazing two weeks exploring Thailand. The first week we were on the beach on the island of Koh Lanta, and the second week we were in the northern part of the country in Chiang Mai. We love traveling the world and Tema absolutely loves Thailand – the culture, the food, the beautiful temples and serene beaches.
Advice to couples currently planning their wedding
Your wedding day will be something that you remember for the rest of your life – not everything will turn out exactly how you imagined in your head, but you will end up loving every moment of it. The week before the wedding we looked at the weather forecast and we were certain that it was going to rain on our wedding day, preventing us from having the ceremony on the top of the mountain. The morning of the wedding, we woke up to clear, sunny, blue skies. Our wedding day turned out better than we could have ever dreamed. Not everything was exactly as we had imagined, it was a million times better!
Tema & Brad’s little white book
Photography – Shaun and Shannon Menary
Ketubah – Tallulah Ketubahs
Venues – Taos Ski Valley and KTAO Solar Center
Bride’s dress – Sincerity Bridal from The Blushing Bride Boutique
Makeup – Brenna Barnes
Flowers – Taos Floral Designs
Cake – Sweet Sol Baking Co.
Dà©cor – Aaron Garlick
