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After their romantic engagement in Mexico, Caitlin Dewey and Nathan Roberts began planning a big destination wedding in New Mexico as an ode to their magical trip to Puerto Vallarta. But once Covid-19 hit, the couple switched gears and decided to tie the knot closer to home, literally—on the front stoop of their home in Denver. Here, Caitlin shares their wedding story.
Nathan and I met via Hinge, the dating app. Our first date was at Ace Eat Serve, a restaurant and ping-pong hall in Denver.
We got engaged on April 26, 2019, in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. We were on vacation and went for an evening stroll one night looking for a place to catch the sunset. Unbeknownst to me, Nathan had planned everything out ahead of time and we wound up at a restaurant called La Capella, which has an amazing view of the town, the sea, and a historic church. He had arranged for the host to take photos of us watching the sunset; then, he turned and got down on one knee. The next thing I knew, violinists were coming out to play and we were whisked off to sit down for dinner. That night there were even fireworks over the ocean (this was not planned by Nathan but perfect timing nonetheless!). It was such a romantic and fun night, it felt like it was out of a movie!
Our original venue was recommended by a close friend, who suggested Los Poblanos in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after I described our vision of wanting something that felt Old World and similar to where we got engaged in Mexico. Needless to say, we fell absolutely in love with the place. However, we ultimately had to cancel our original wedding plans due to Covid, so we were in limbo trying to decide what to do given the restrictions and uncertainty. Eventually we realized we had the perfect wedding setting right outside our front door and decided to seize the moment. We quickly began planning a ceremony on the front stoop of our home in Denver, and somehow made it happen in less than three weeks. Our wedding became such a reflection of us and our creativity and spirit.
Initially, we were very much inspired by our original wedding venue’s setting and history. But once we decided to switch gears and get married at home, we embraced the summertime spirit and went with a lot of color—oranges, yellows, reds, pinks, and blue. We also wanted the wedding to reflect the spontaneity of our celebration. We truly felt like we had overcome something very challenging, so there was an added feeling of excitement and success around what we created and were able to pull off. This was a feeling that meant a lot to people at that point during the pandemic.
Handmade Ornate Frame Designed by Katharine Watson
We ordered several samples from Minted and I took a lot of time deciding on the theme and direction. We chose "Handmade Ornate Frame" by Katharine Watson based on our original wedding venue Los Poblanos, and felt that the design referenced traditional southwestern and Mexican heritage, like punched metal work and decorated metal-frame mirrors that are commonly seen in places like New Mexico. Our invitations were letterpressed and we also customized the colors and fonts; I had several one-on-one design sessions with a Minted designer to get our invitations just right.
The ceremony was held on the front stoop of the building we live in, located in the heart of Denver's Capitol Hill neighborhood. Our friend Georgia Brown helped us create our wedding signs, including the amazing papel picado-inspired banner hanging from the balcony above.
Our florist added carnation garlands, floral arrangements at the top of the stoop, and flower petals on both sides of the steps. We had beer and wine in buckets filled with ice for guests to help themselves; we got custom koozies that said "Celebrate N8 & C8 8.8.2020” (we often abbreviate our names as C8 & N8 for Cait and Nate). Nathan's mother surprised us with pink, orange, and white balloons tied to the gate, which created an amazing, sunset-like backdrop for us as we walked down the aisle, a.k.a. the sidewalk.
We hired a band, Mariachi Los Reales, to lead everyone on a parade through our neighborhood to the reception at Potager, a farm-to-table restaurant located nearby. We asked guests to dress in "fun and festive summertime parade-wear” and I made colorful ribbon wands for everyone to wave, which added so much color and movement to our photos.
Hire a wedding planner—this is definitely the number one thing I always suggest, you will never regret hiring one! Another tip is to choose the things you love. Throughout the entire planning process, we chose details that we loved and felt very “us,” rather than simply choosing things that weddings are "supposed" to have. It’s easy to fall into the typical wedding format and structure, but there are ways to put your own mark on it and still have the day be special, meaningful, and memorable.
Photography: Alicia Lucia Photography
Band: Mariachi Los Reales
Reception Venue: Patager
Honeymoon: Dunton Hot Springs
Stationery: Minted
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