Cozy Colorado Backyard Wedding  | Jordan + Molly

Ever dream of partying it up with your closest friends and family all together in a VRBO or Airbnb? Well, that’s exactly what Jordan and Molly dreamt of too for their wedding day! They celebrated their marriage at this rad VRBO for the most incredible Colorado backyard wedding among the aspen trees in Fairplay! The perfect place for their closest loved ones to pitch in, stay up late hanging out, then stay the night.

This is probably the most important wedding I will ever blog about. Why? Because that cool groom in the kilt is my big brother! So although I was their photographer, I was primarily a guest first. That being said, this day looked a little different than it may have through similar… circumstances. And by “circumstances”, I mean the biggest thing that anyone having a Colorado backyard wedding worries about — RAIN.

It would rain all day until around 7 pm. This means we pretty much had to scrap the whole timeline I created for their day of course! Luckily, this wasn’t even a huge deal. I know some of you reading this are probably borderline having a panic attack at the thought of that happening to you. So let me share three things that helped during this less-than-ideal scenario.

ONE, as the photographer and coordinator for the day, I live a pretty spontaneous lifestyle. Therefore, I’m quick at planning (and re-planning), adapting, and just overall always prepared for flexibility. TWO, my brother is the same way, so together, our optimistic attitude was no match for negativity. I highly encourage embracing that mindset at least for your wedding day! And THREE, the beauty of intimate weddings and elopements, my friends. With fewer people, everybody is a bit more relaxed and there for the couple! It’s especially helpful when everyone stays the night together anyway… and when a keg is already tapped.

So with the timeline tossed in the garbage, we spent the morning watching for rain updates because you know the Weather app is not the most reliable thing in the world. We discussed potentially doing everything the following morning at sunrise instead if the rain didn’t stop, as it was supposed to be sunny and gorgeous outside. But it was preferable to have it that evening due to some people flying out of Colorado the following afternoon (and not every guest gets as stoked as I do about sunrise photos). As soon as we saw a two-hour window pop up with no rain, Molly and Jordan started getting ready!

I asked Molly if she wanted privacy during their first look, or if she wanted their loved ones looking out from the deck of the VRBO. She opted for the second choice, and it was absolutely perfect. After the first look, I took them out for a few bride and groom portraits.

We came back and helped finish setting up their beautiful dining area outside, ALL COMPLETELY THRIFTED BY THE WAY. Molly literally made the table runners from thrifted curtains. So freaking cute. Then proceeded with the ceremony with some light rain. Jordan and Molly had their friends and family create a circle with them, as well as had a few people read Irish blessings over them after they said their vows (represent the McDuffie squad ✌)!

Unfortunately, we never got to use the dining area because it got pretty cold still in the evening, especially after the rain, so we all ate inside and hung out for a bit. I completed my “photographer duties” at this point and just spent time celebrating them. Everybody pitched in with potluck-style foods and helped with cleaning up. We couldn’t let everyone’s hard work go to waste though — climbing ladders, hanging lights, friends DJing with phones and bluetooth speakers… So we braved the cold for a bit, drank some beer, and played some cornhole (Brax and I beat Molly and Jordan… Or rather Braxton beat Jordan because Molly and I weren’t contributing much).

Even with the rain, winging the timeline, a drone crashing, and a hatchet in someone’s leg, it was a freaking amazing day. I’m so honored I got to capture them finally getting MARRIED! They’ve been together longer than I’ve known my husband, so it was about dannnnng time. LOVE YOU BOTH!