Ben and Kaylee were the most thankful bride and groom I’ve ever worked with! All day long, whenever guests came up to them, the couple took time to express their gratitude and how meaningful it was for them that their guests had come out for their wedding. ​​​​​​​​They got married near Denver at the Wellshire Inn. It was stunning!

I managed to pull them away for golden hour and they stopped me, asked me to put my camera down (I started panicking that something was wrong) and they said that they wanted to take a moment to thank me properly for my time and work. They wrapped me up in a big hug and told me how much they loved having me at their wedding. It was so gosh darn sweet and it gave me a boost of confidence for the rest of the night!

A look into their day…

The morning of the big day came! They decided to Get Ready separately, and for a photographer that is truly a dream to have both bridal parties get ready in different spaces. It makes going back and forth from room to room so much easier! The girls had a spacious area, and that is saying a lot because there were so many of them! They definitely didn’t feel squished in there!

The club provided food and drinks while everyone was getting ready as well which was super nice. The guys also had a huge room with a lot of crazy ornate decor on the wall! A really fun morning to get in the mood and get ready for the big day! 

Then comes the First Look! It was so heartfelt and sweet. They met up in the shade next to a cute bridge that takes you out to the course and has a really beautiful view. Their ‘day of’ coordinator was super sweet as well and made sure that they had the gifts they were going to give to each other. 

They really wanted to take the time to celebrate with family and friends during the weekend, and they were being such great hosts all week long so it was important to set aside about 30 minutes for them to be alone. Just a chance to give them time to talk, catch up, soak it all in together, see if Kaylee’s dress could withstand all the first dance spins, and give each other engraved bibles. It was the first time Kaylee had seen her new last name on something, and she loved it. Such a sweet and meaningful gift! They also decided not to do vows at this moment, and keep those for the ceremony. 

With that said…Now, time for the Ceremony! Woo! The ceremony spot was a white tent connected to the Wellshire Inn and let me just say, it was so great for photos! There was a ton of beautiful outdoor lighting. There was free parking for their guests at the Inn, and it was really accessible for those in wheelchairs, walkers, etc. to get around the area. So that was awesome! 

One thing I really love about this venue is that they have 6 different options for ceremony spaces. Yes, you heard me, SIX! So if weather isn’t cooperating, or if something happens out of the ordinary, there are backups for you right in the same location! That would give me a huge sigh of relief. They were surrounded by family, friends and all their loved ones during this time, and had such an amazing feeling of love and support during their special day. 

We did some of their Portraits right after the first look, and then we planned for sunset pictures that night but a storm hit and we decided not to take them and get soaked. A little disappointing, but we found other things and places to do more photos! We didn’t have to really research too much, or go out of the way to find places to shoot. The Wellshire Inn was AMAZING and incredibly helpful. They had a map/guide that they send to photographers before the wedding day of all the locations I could photograph on. So, everything was ready and planned before we got there so we didn’t have to waste time looking around!

Since there is was a ton of tree coverage on that venue, there really wasn’t a horrible time to take pictures. The whole day had great lighting! But I also had cloud cover up most of the sun almost all day, so I can’t say for sure if it was the trees or just really good luck! We took time to take some Family Portraits as well! They had big families on both sides, so we did pictures in the ceremony space right after the ceremony and then sent the couple to cocktail hour to say hi to everyone! It was perfect timing. 

I always like to make sure everyone is comfortable and having a good time during pictures! I know it can be a bit weird sometimes, but everyone is there to have a great time and capture those memories! So, I like to remind everyone of that, and have a good time with you all! Also, Kaylee really wanted pictures! Which I love! And Ben was just so happy to hang out and kiss Kaylee! The cutest couple.

We also got really great detailed shots, and added in some props to a couple of their shots. Their details were so thought out! Ben took their cat’s favorite toy and hung it off of Kaylee’s bouquet, which I thought was so cute and wonderful. Their cat died a week before their wedding, so it was a really thoughtful memorial to the cat they fostered together. 

Time for the Reception!! They did decide to do an outfit change after the ceremony, which was so fun! Kaylee changed into a dress from Lulus that should could dance in, and you can see that Ben technically stayed in his outfit but slowly took/ripped his clothes off. 

The reception was in its own space off of the bar, but still in the same venue, just a different room. It was huge! They had at least 200 people there and still had plenty of room. They did grand entrance into dinner, and their first dances before dinner started. And then dinner time! The country club catered the whole event! They brought plates out to the tables as well. It was DELICIOUS and really nice. It’s always such a great feeling when you find a venue you love and they also cater food that is super good. That’s not always the case, but I love when it works out like that! 

After that they did the speeches in that space before they headed to the ceremony space which converted into the dance floor! And we danced HARD. It was great. This place was awesome y’all. 

Just to give you a quick Timeline of their day…

• 12:30 pm – Leanna gets there and photographs details
• 1:00 pm – Kaylee gets hair and makeup done
• 1:30 pm – Kaylee gets in her wedding dress
• 1:45 pm – Kaylee does first look with bridesmaids
• 2:00 pm – Leanna photographs the guys getting ready
• 2:30 pm – Ben and Kaylee’s first look
• 3:00 pm – Bridesmaids and Groomsmen pictures
• 3:30 pm– Hide the bride and groom to get set up for the ceremony
• 3:30 pm – Guests Arrive at the Wellshire
• 4:00 pm – Ceremony Starts
• 4:45 pm – Family pictures
• 4:45 pm – Cocktail Hour
• 6:00 pm – Enter Reception Ballroom
• 6:30 pm – First Dance
• 6:45 pm – Dinner
• 7:15 pm – Speeches, Parent Dances
• 7:45 pm – Open Dance Floor
• 8:45 pm – Bouquet and Garter Toss
• 9:00 pm – Dessert
• 11:15 pm – Bride and Groom Send-Off
• 11:30 pm – Final Guest Departures

They decided on this location because it was the easiest for all their family to get to since most of them are from the Denver area. They are both from the suburbs of Denver, so they just picked something in the middle! Plus, it was only a half hour drive from the Denver airport for those who had to fly in. The Denver airport is comically far from Denver…So, I would suggest getting a car to get yourself around. But they do have a new Monorail system to get you to downtown Denver if you’d rather do that! 

The Vendors: 

• Photo: Leanna Joy Photography
• Video: Luxe Wedding Films
• Venue: The Wellshire Inn (Wellshire Event Center)
• Florals: Compass Rose Floral
• Dress: Moonlight Bridal
• Hair: KimJ Beauty
• Makeup: Hannah DeFrees
• DJ: dj Maestro
• Dress Shop: Sweetheart Manor Bridal Salon & Tuxedo District
• Dress Alt: Leiren Designs

They had such a beautiful wedding, a beautiful day, and they were surrounded by love. To top it off, they picked an incredible venue! I feel so honored to be part of this day, and I hope this can also give some inspiration and ideas to those planning their weddings! Maybe you can add Denver and the Wellshire Inn to your list now… 🙂