There’s a little known gem right in my very own backyard called the Highlands Ranch Mansion.  I had the absolute pleasure to meet up with Maggie Glass the Mansion Manager to learn more about this beautiful and unexpected venue tucked away in the heart of Highlands Ranch!   The Mansion has always provided a welcome retreat and with stunning mountain views along with pathways and doorways that continue to invite everyone to enjoy the namesake of Highlands Ranch. The Mansion has recently been renovated and expanded, and is now a premiere site for breakfast meetings, luncheons, cocktail parties, dinners, weddings and corporate events. The historic ranch, which dates back to the 1800s, will also undergo major landscape improvements to ensure the popularity of the park for future generations.

Rich with old Colorado heritage the mansion provides –

• Gorgeous mountain views
• Historical charm with original stone fireplaces
• Large private spaces
• Luscious gardens for wedding ceremonies & special occasions
• Large ballroom
• Re-opens June 1,2012

To learn more about the Highlands Ranch Mansion contact the Mansion Manger,  Maggie Glass, and she will be more than happy to assist you in booking your very memorable event.  Don’t forget to mention that you discovered the Mansion on the  Splendor website and let the good times roll!

mgalss@highlandsranchmansion.com

303.791.0177

www.highlandsranchmansion.com

Mansion Pavillion South

Mansion Pavillion North

Written by Lori Ryno

Gina, Photo by Ryan Dearth

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Gina Malefyt, the fabulous owner of Organically You Events. Gina is full of energy, fun to be around, and has an incredible background in event planning. Her passion for events and for her clients is unmatched. She mentioned that she loves planning a variety of events, from small private parties to large social gatherings, and elaborate weddings, we want to help you every step of the way.

Gina has invested time in building strong relationships with the best Denver professionals. I know she will make sure your event is amazing and truly as you dreamed. Whether you need help planning from start to finish, or just day-of assistance, Gina and Organically You has the tools and experience to make your event a success! They can take the stress out of planning your event so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy your party!

• Weddings
• Anniversaries
• Baby Showers
• Rehearsal Dinners
• Company Parties
• Bachelorette/Bachelor Parties
• Holiday Parties
• Private Dinners
• Fundraising Events
• Golf Tournaments
• Banquets

Photo by Evie De Vries Photography

Photo by Ryan Dearth

Photo by Ryan Dearth

Photo by Kara Pearson Photography

Photo by Ronnie Renaldi Photography

Photo by Ronnie Renaldi Photography

Photo by Evie De Vries Photography

This summer, Fresh Events worked with Arrowhead Golf Club to create an open house to show off their gorgeous venue to Colorado event professionals. We were thrilled when they asked us to incorporate our products in the tablescapes at the event. Even better, top event photographer and friend, Joe Keum of Studio JK, captured wonderful images of the designs.

During the evening, ominous clouds rolled in and a huge thunderstorm took hold. The event was split between their two reception locations: the clubhouse and the permanent tent they use for events. In the words of Suzanne Barlow, owner of Masterful Musicians, “Splendor to rescue… AGAIN..Thank you for supplying the means by which to travel with style at Arrowhead Golf Club…you saved us all from looking like drenched kittens!” We were so glad we could help.

Thanks again to Studio JK for these fantastic images!

Do you love browsing photos of vintage-themed weddings? Dreaming of having one, but don’t want to invest time and money in browsing thrift stores and estate sales? Don’t have space to store cool antique furniture you’d like to have at your wedding reception?

Lucky for you, there’s A Vintage Affair – vintage event rentals! I recently met Jessica Strong, the owner, who is truly passionate about her business. Splendor is smitten with A Vintage Affair Rentals! Perfect for weddings, showers, birthday parties, and even photo shoots, A Vintage Affair has the unique pieces you’ve been seeking. Check out our interview with Jessica about her company.

How did you come up with the idea of A Vintage Affair?

When planning my own wedding, I became dismayed at the lack of vintage resources available for brides that wanted to add a vintage feeling to a portion or all of their wedding. I thought the traditional cycle of buy and attempt to resell was burdensome for brides and made the entire process more difficult. As a result, I started A Vintage Affair with an eye towards providing brides with the option to rent vintage items and add that special, timeless touch to their weddings.

Courtesy Laura Murray Photography

Why the vintage theme?

Because like true love, certain things are timeless. Also, because they remind of us the past, when love was simpler. How will future brides save money with your site? Every wedding should have those little touches that take it from ordinary to extraordinary. The problem is that those little touches often carry a big price tag. I want to provide those little touches to brides at a reduced cost. There’s no reason that chic vintage style and cost effectiveness can’t coexist.

Courtesy Laura Murray Photography

What is your goal with starting up the company?

My goal is to be resource for brides while do something that I have a passion for.

Courtesy Laura Murray Photography

When did you begin planning for the site’s launch, and how have you prepared?

I began planning for the sites launch in February 2011, but have been collecting for months at estate sales, flea markets, and online. I have also prepared by researching current trends in the wedding world, going to classes (cakes classes, stamping classes, sewing classes, photography classes) which I think will help me with the business.

Courtesy Laura Murray Photography

Give us a sneek peek of what we can find on your site!

On my site you can find posts about fun ways to integrate vintage items into your own wedding, current wedding trends, posts about my own experience in the wedding planning process, and of course my current inventory.

Jessica Strong, Owner of A Vintage Affair

All images courtesy of Laura Murray Photography.

It’s not often that I’m at a loss for words, but today is one of those days. I just returned from one of the most awe-inspiring, beautiful venues in Colorado, The Club at Flying Horse. Located on the north side of Colorado Springs, at the base of the mountains, it offers gorgeous views of the mountains.

The space is truly spectacular. Your guests will enjoy a beautiful outdoor ceremony, with perfect views of the Colorado mountains. After the ceremony, they will enter the building for your reception and will immediately feel as if they’re in a Tuscan villa. The “wine tunnel” will lead them to the ballroom. With a brick ceiling and floor, it truly looks like old-world Italy. At the ballroom, guests will enjoy cocktail hour on two wonderful patios overlooking the private golf course and mountains. The reception will be one fit for royalty in their classic ballroom. Truly an incredible venue for Colorado.

Quick highlights:

• incredible views
• warm, Tuscan feel
• amazing architectural details
• wine tower – fun for photos!
• wine tunnel that guides your guests to the ballroom
• 5-star service
• ballroom with two patios
• private spaces
• various areas for your entire wedding weekend (rehearsal dinner, bridal luncheon, and reception!)

Photo source unknown. If this is your image, let us know. We’d like to give credit.

For more information and a tour, contact their fabulous Special Events Director, Diane Bice. You will be blown away by this place! Please mention that you heard about them from Splendor. We’d love for them to know.

Diane Bice
dbice@flyinghorseclub.com
(719) 487-2624

Photos by Image Factory Photo and Kathryn Bacalis.

Are you searching through magazines and websites to find great decor ideas? Striving to create a unique event? Here are some awesome examples of how to use umbrellas to dress-up your venue – and add lighting effects. Umbrellas as chandeliers. What fun! Your guests would talk about these forever.

Enhance Your Venue’s Decor

This umbrella chandelier is designed to enhance the beauty of the room. This chandelier is actually created with small lights, but a lace parasol would work too. Just don’t get the light bulb too close to the lace!

Notice how the umbrella is reflected in the mirror to give the impression of a row of chandeliers. Imagine how gorgeous and romantic this room would be with long tables, lots of candlelight, and gold and burgundy linens.

Created by Hans van Benthem; Photo by Masumi Shishid

Build Your Design Concept

Famous event planner, Mindy Weiss, used umbrellas as part of the decor for a baby shower for Denise Richards. How sweet are these, decorated with flowers? You could also hang the umbrellas right-side-up and have the flowers hanging from the edges in strings.

Baby Shower Design by Mindy Weiss for Denise Richards

Create a Focal Point and Conversation Piece

You can also use umbrellas to create an amazing focal point and something for your guests to admire during cocktails and dinner. Imagine an umbrella sculpture at your outdoor event. This is perfect for a reception  at a botanic garden, museum, or downtown on a roof deck. Add square tables, funky centerpieces, and Rollasoles for your female guests and you have a fantastic, chic affair! Note: Not sure who to credit for these photos, but you can find them at: http://stevenhaulenbeek.com/

Cumulous Light Canopy by Steven Haulenbeek

Cumulous Light Canopy by Steven Haulenbeek

Outdoor Lighting

You can also use umbrellas as decor for a beautiful outdoor, Tuscany-style, vineyard wedding or a fun, downtown affair. This is one of my favorites. Best part? You can create this look for only $144! That’s a lot of wow for a little investment.

Umbrella Installation by Ingo Maurer; Image: marta.b

For even more umbrella decor ideas, see Event Lucky and World of Amici Events, two blogs by event planners.

by Lori Ryno

Cherish

Finally after two months in the theaters, my husband offered the option to see Bridesmaids the movie tonight. Really??? Through a text, I had to make sure that he understood that it is a “chick flick” and not to feel weird about it…well we both got a lot more from the movie than we anticipated.

I actually am in the wedding industry and represent the company, Splendor, where we rent shawls and umbrellas. So I entered into the theater with a “one eye open” approach thinking that it was out to bash the wedding industry…I was purely mistaken. It offered me the opportunity to open my eyes back to the role of a bridesmaid and the women that stepped in for me 24 years ago. After watching the movie, it’s very easy to ask brides – why do we choose certain women in our lives to stand tall beside us and to be in our weddings…

I must say before going into the theater – I thought it was a movie about a girls’ trip to Las Vegas somewhat on the cursor on Hangover – just to please the female audience. However I found that it is more about friends amongst women and why there is the tradition of bridesmaids throughout the decades.

So what does make up the special bridal party? Why do we choose the certain women in our lives to stand beside us as we say the most sacred vows to the man that we want to live with forever and have children and grow old with? Are they sisters or childhood friends? Roommates from college or those we trusted with our most valuable secrets as school girls? Why is it when we are the most upset, we go back to the place from our past that is the most comforting?

Either way – weddings are to share with the ones we love the most and not to stray from those who care about us the most. It’s so easy to get carried away as we have seen in many movies and wish that we had the female friends who would have stood beside us through thick and thin – the break ups, the disappointments, our confidants and the ones who had our backs whether we deserved it or not.

So – for all those diligent bridesmaids who are willing to purchase the satin dresses with the dyed-to-match shoes and carry the ribbon-wrapped bouquets, I salute you and bless you for standing beside the best friends whom we care about the most. For planning the showers that may never be perfect and assisting with lacing up the bridal gown on the wedding day. You are there because you care, adore, honor, and cherish the time that you have and will continue to stand beside your friend, sister, sister–in–law, college roommate, and best friend from grade school to support and let her know that you love her no matter what lays ahead her. You will always be there for her…that is what being a Bridesmaid is all about…cherish.

Nicole's Clients Rented Our Lemonade Parasols (photo: Julie Kemerling)

We absolutely LOVE the parasols from Splendor!  We recently reserved them last minute {as in, the week of the wedding} due to an unusually hot forecast.  The bride and groom really wanted all of their guests to be completely comfortable, without sacrificing the “look” of the reception.  This is the one thing we really stress with our clients.  The comfort of your guests is absolutely top priority.  As the reception took place in an open area, a tent was really not the best option for several reasons; one because it just did not fit within the space for maximum effect; and most importantly, being under a tent can sometimes be hotter than just being outside in the open air.  Adding the tent was also going to be rather costly; and the parasols provided a less expensive option, even with shipping.   So we enlisted Nil from Splendor for parasols.  The couple had a vintage, fun design for their wedding…and the parasols perfectly fit within the theme.  I loved the parasols not only because they are super fun for photos and decor, but also because they work logistically speaking.  They easily cover two people, they protect from both rain and sun, and they are easy to display.  We found a vintage nail keg to display them and it worked beautifully!  Going with the vintage theme, we had lounges for the guests. To pull the parasols full circle, we placed vintage decorative parasols within each lounge as well {major cuteness!}.  Guests loved them, as did the bride and groom!  Well, well worth the money. No doubt about it!

Nil, we cannot thank you enough for getting the parasols to us {in the wedding colors, nonetheless}, on such short notice and with such great service.  They came perfectly on-time, as promised, and as always – such a pleasure to work with you!  Looking forward to many, many events in the future!

Nicole Riley
Verge Events (Asheville, NC) – owner
StudioWed – founder

We were thrilled to get some love from The Knot Colorado in their Spring/Summer 2011 edition. Check out the yellow box for our highlight. We’re also excited to be featured with some of our other favorite Colorado companies. Congrats to all. And thanks so much, The Knot. We love you back!

Need inspiration? Feeling like you’re the only stressed-out bride? Want recommendations for local wedding businesses from another bride? Check out A Colorado Courtship. Season, the blogger, adds a sense of levity and humor to what can become the most stressful time of a girl’s life – wedding planning. Through bridesmaid dress shopping hell to waxing tips, this girl shares her adventures and advice in order to help others on the same path.

This blog is not only funny, but informative. What started as a blog about her wedding as an application to be a Weddingbee has now turned into its own stand-alone site. She says she will continue to include personal stories, advice, and DIY. She’s also now expanding the content to include real Colorado weddings, brides, and event companies, like Splendor! (Read her post about us)

Her content is not endorsement-driven, as she stated at the end of the wonderful post she wrote about Splendor. Everything she writes is sincere and honest – good or bad. We LOVE reading this blog and hope you do too. Here’s to Colorado brides!