This month T and I traveled to Vail, Colorado for my best friend’s wedding.
The bride, Kelsi, and I have known each other for nearly 20 years. We met while we were both working at the cosmetics department at Dillard’s (She at Lancôme, me at Estée Lauder). We connected instantly and struck up what has become a lasting friendship.
The wedding was an adults-only celebration, so I want to give a HUGE shout-out to my best friend, Elisabeth, and her husband, Jeff, for volunteering to babysit the girls. It was a big undertaking because they have four kiddos of their own and we are so grateful for their offer and that the girls had such a great time with them.
T and I went to Colorado back in 2012 to visit Lis and Jeff when they lived in Avon. That was a really fun trip where we went white water rafting down the Colorado River and hiked around Maroon Bells in Aspen. We were excited to have another Colorado adventure together!
Below are some photos and details from our trip!
the flight
I’ll spare you the three or four varying scenarios of how we considered getting to Vail and just tell you how we did. We flew from Des Moines to Denver and then Denver to Eagle/Vail (Eagle County Regional Airport). More expensive? Yes. Worth it for us in this instance? Yes. (We have made the drive into the mountains when we went to Avon as I mentioned above and it’s definitely an exciting and scenic one!)
the wedding
Kelsi and Cole’s wedding ceremony and reception took place at Grand Hyatt Vail. It was also where we and the majority of guests stayed. The ski-in/ski-out resort is located along the banks of Gore Creek at the base of Vail Mountain. It’s a beautiful hotel and offered some really nice amenities.
The wedding was perfect – along with the most perfect weather!
With the most beautiful bride!
My earrings | My necklace (similar)
My gold bracelet – (a gift from the bride) | My pearl bracelet (similar)
My dress | My shoes | My clutch
T’s shirt | T’s jacket | T’s pants | T’s shoes | T’s belt
For her wedding favors, Kelsi collaborated with Inglot Cosmetics and created a custom eyeshadow palette. It was such a unique and fitting wedding favor from Kelsi, who is a super talented makeup artist. (The guys got cool custom T-shirts designed by Cole).
piney lake hike
T and I went on a hike on The Upper Piney River Falls Trail near Vail. The drive to the trailhead was rough as it’s a super bumpy dirt road. We both agreed that the six mile round-trip trek was definitely the most picturesque hike we’ve ever done. A lake, mountains, aspens, pines, waterfall, wildlife, stunning fall foliage – it had it all!
where we ate
We weren’t in Vail too terribly long, but we did get to try out a few local restaurants which is one of my favorite things to do when traveling.
Sweet Basil – This was the restaurant I wanted to try the most and it didn’t disappoint. I loved the unique menu and a cozy ambiance.
We got the Whipped Feta for an appetizer. It was so much fun to break open and was full of flavor.
For our entrées, I got the Lobster Ravioli and T got the Pork Chop. We both agreed this ranked as one of our best dining experiences.
A couple other restaurants we went to:
The Left Bank – Cole’s parents hosted dinner here the night before the wedding. The restaurant serves traditional French cuisine and we were fortunate to enjoy a terrific multi-course meal.
The Little Diner – I chose this place for breakfast as it has as ton of rave reviews and seems to be an institution in Vail. It had both great food (massive portions!) and service. It’s also decently priced compared to other eateries in Vail.
A few other restaurants that we considered (but ultimately chose the two above) were Mountain Standard (Wood Fired Cuisine), La Nonna (Italian) and Matsuhisa (Japanese/Sushi). I also read great things about Two Arrows Coffee Shop.
I also want to mention how much we enjoyed just walking around Vail Village. A couple of the restaurants we ate at (Sweet Bail and The Left Bank) were located in the village and it was so much fun looking at the all the shops and Bavarian farmhouse-style architecture. You truly feel like you’re transported into a different time and place. It would be so much fun to walk around when it’s snowing or at Christmastime – you’d feel like you’re in a beautiful snow globe or Hallmark Christmas movie!
Overall, this trip was absolutely wonderful. I am so happy for Kelsi and Cole and to be able to celebrate with them at their gorgeous mountain wedding!
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