A Week in Colorado – Part 2: Copper Mountain

Taking a trip to Colorado was definitely one of the best experiences of my life for so many reasons. We got to visit several different parts of the state, I crossed an item off my bucket list, and got to see amazing friends get married!

In part one of this series, I talked about my two days in Boulder, CO. The next part of the adventure took place in Copper Mountain. Copper Mountain is a ski resort in the Rocky Mountains.

We first arrived at Copper when it was dark so we couldn’t see anything. When I woke up Friday morning and saw what was outside the hotel window – I was completely awestruck. I mean, I’m a Florida girl who just traveled from a 90-degree swamp to a western elevation of about 10 thousand feet where there was still snow on the mountain tops! Sure, I knew it was going to be cold, but I was not expecting that.

Friday morning was the wedding rehearsal and my two friends, the bride and groom, Nick and Kelly, had asked my fiancé, Nate, to play guitar at their ceremony so we got to be at the rehearsal. The ceremony took place at the top of the mountain. We had to take a ski lift up! I’ve never even been on a ski lift!

After the wedding rehearsal that morning we split up. The girls took a pontoon boat ride on Lake Dillon in the local town Frisco. The boys went golfing at the resort. It was so nice to get this little bit of time with Kelly and to get to know her friends and other girls in the wedding party. Even though it was technically a destination wedding, I was the big out-of-towner in the group.

Nate and I know the happy couple because we met Kelly and her brother Will in Charlottesville, Virginia in 2012. We’re all big Dave Matthews Band fans and we were there for a concert in Charlottesville. After that, we’ve kept in touch and have always tried to meet up for a concert somewhere in between Florida and Nebraska (where they’re from) for a DMB concert. We had to tell this story about 20 times over the course of the weekend. Everyone already knew us as the couple that also loves the Dave Matthews Band.

Later, we attended the rehearsal dinner, also in Frisco. It was so nice to be able to get to know so many people that are important to Nick and Kelly and their family. It just really made us feel special and part of the family too. Will, Kelly’s brother is actually going to be in our wedding later this year. Nick and Kelly are of course invited too. So, it just made everything that much more special for us to be there.

Related: Nerdy Rustic Barn Wedding

The next day was the wedding – back up the mountain we go! It was seriously incredible. I’ve been to weddings in the past, but not in a very long time. This was the first time in my adult life I really got to witness two friends get married and it was pretty amazing. Their vows were so adorable and so sweet. We even got to stick around for a while afterward to watch the pictures. They could not have picked a more beautiful venue to get married at.

Related: Questions to Ask When Choosing a Wedding Venue

Of course, the reception was a success as well. The night was filled with great music and lots of dancing. It’s funny because Kelly was super nervous about having to do the waltz with her dad but she did amazing. There really weren’t any mishaps except maybe a few people falling. (Blame it on the altitude.)

One thing that really stuck out to Nate and I was something called the snowflake dance. The DJ calls the wedding party to the dance floor and they dance, then the DJ sends them all into the tables and they grab one person to join them on the dance floor. The DJ does it about 2 or 3 more times. By the end, they’ve gotten so many people out of their seats to dance who may not have gotten up by themselves. We already told Nick and Kelly we’re stealing this dance for our wedding.

Overall, our time in Copper Mountain was really special, though it doesn’t exactly end here. Sunday, we had to move hotels and we were able to stay with Will and his mother, Mary. We got to spend more candid time with the family and that was nice. The reason we did that was because that Sunday night we went to Red Rocks for a concert. But that it is for part 3. Stay tuned!

Have you ever been to Copper Mountain? For skiing or summertime fun? What was your experience? Let me know in the comments below!

Read next: A Week in Colorado – Part 3: Adventure Time

Christina

Christina is a twenty-something living with her beagle, Mash, and husband, Nate in their van. She loves traveling, shopping, art, and photography. She’s also a vegetarian, pop-culture enthusiast, book-lover, and Dave Matthews Band fanatic. Catch her somewhere around the country in a converted camper van or at home in Florida for a visit.