As we say goodbye to winter and near the traditional wedding season, I thought it would be fun to showcase a more unusual ceremony…mine.

Hey, I’m a newlywed. Cut me some slack.

When my husband, Kevin, and I began planning our wedding, we weren’t sure what we wanted exactly. But we knew how we wanted our wedding to feel: personal, intimate, low-stress, and fun. We also did not want to spend anywhere near the $25,ooo price tag of the average American wedding. So, after brainstorming a couple of ideas–renting a house in the summer in Estes Park, eloping in the mountains–we decided to plan our wedding around a fun activity that we (and many people in our family) love to do together: skiing. We look forward to the winter and the ski season every year–so why not get married during it? When we discovered the annual Marry Me and Ski For Free event held every Valentine’s Day at Loveland Ski Area, we found our (very affordable) venue. Loveland takes care of everything. You just show up with a license and some rings (and don’t forget…one of you gets to ski for free!)

Yes, there were some snags: cold weather and a raging, windy blizzard during the outdoor ceremony at 11,500 feet, the sheer chaos of getting married with 3o other couples and their friends and family; I also came down with a cold right before the big day and had to cough out my vows in freezing temperatures.  Afterwards, we invited our 50 guests back a gorgeous house we rented in nearby Keystone for an evening reception. We dined on barbeque ribs and mac n’ cheese, hosted a jam session featuring the bride, our family, and talented guests, and kicked off an impromptu dance party that lasted till the wee hours. It was a beautiful, wild, snowy mess of a wedding. And it felt like us.

We were overjoyed to find Kira Horvath, our amazing wedding photographer. Kira’s background as staff photographer for the Vail Daily, made her an ideal choice. She’s also an adventuress in her own right—having traveled all over the world with her camera in tow.