A little bit country and a lotta bit rock’n’roll, Nicole DeJarnatt & Fred Blythe’s gorgeous Colorado wedding really hit all the right notes! Throwing a light hearted outdoor summer affair, Nicole & Fred utilized the spacious grounds of Planet Bluegrass Ranch, to celebrate their day! Guests were seated among the trees while the ceremony, dusted with yellow petals, was held al fresco! After the couple made it official, guests were invited to play in lawn games such as croquet or even give the custom made hula hoops a go! Strong vibrant hues greeted guests at every turn, while specially made spice packets from the couple’s friend’s shop, Savory Spice Shop, were the perfect unique guest gift! Guests celebrated the night away, dancing to live music with Nicole & Fred, really getting into that Bluegrass feel!
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What Storyboard Likes…
Down Home Goodness– I am loving Planet Bluegrass Ranch as a wedding space! This gorgeous ranch is over 20 booming acres of awesome naturalness with a touch of rustic charm. Having the opportunity to use a space like this gives a couple a lot of opportunity to do some really fun things with their day. Nicole & Fred really encouraged their guests to play in lawn games, even giving custom made hula hoops a go! Inviting guests to kick off their shoes, get some grass between their toes and spend the evening dancing away as they harnessed the essence that is Planet Bluegrass!
Bring It Color!– I love a couple that isn’t afraid of strong bold attention grabbing colors! Nicole & Fred, under the stellar design eye of Cori Cook Floral Design, toyed with some very vibrant hues that rivaled their surroundings! Nicole’s bouquet in particular is a work of art from the Cabernet & orange creamsicle dahlias to the perfectly muted white gooseneck and wax flowers, this bouquet is a bluegrass girl’s dream! The Pièce de résistance for me are the stunning red poppies placed in an almost trail like manner, leading your eye down to the beautifully wrapped lace handle. Utilizing a piece of lace florish like that is utterly divine!
Just A Country Girl, In Some Country Boots– Let’s face it, Nicole is one stunning Bluegrass bride! The choice of the fit & flare lace Watters gown was not only beautifully fitted to Nicole’s personality but spot on for the ranch affair! Complimenting the lace frock were Nicole’s textured locks which were pinned into an updo, from which a simple yet impactful long veil tumbled from! To finish her country look, Nicole choose a covet worth pair of Lucchese Boots, 1883 Precious Metal Python Print, to be exact! These boots are stunning, much like our bride!
Novella of the Bride…
*A spot about the couple…
Fred and I met in summer 2008 at one of the first “Grateful Dead Tuesday’s” at Zio Romolo’s Alley Bar in Denver. Neither of us had ever been there before, so we like to say it was a fateful Grateful Dead night. Vegetarians since the early part of our relationship, we like to say we’re each others’ “soy mate,” although we shared a hamburger on our very first date at a Colorado Rockies baseball game.
“Frecole” (pronounced freckle) is our celebrity name and pretty much what everyone calls us.
We love to travel both abroad and domestic, and our hobbies include skiing, camping, hiking, biking, attending music festivals, cooking and running an occasional 7K. We climbed Mt. Fuji together and plan to run a ½ marathon next fall.
Fred grew up in Enid, Oklahoma and earned his undergraduate degree from Oklahoma State University in Stillwater. After graduation he headed out west to try his luck as a ski bum in Aspen, Colo. He realized he wasn’t cut out for couch surfing and decided to pursue his graduate degree at the University of Colorado at Boulder. He graduated with a master’s degree in business administration with an emphasis in accounting (MSBA). He spent 11 years in Vermont before the mountains of Colorado called him back home. In fact, the night we met, Fred had just closed on his new loft in Denver. He jokes that he got a girlfriend and a condo in the same week. Fred currently works as a Sr. Project Manager/Business Analyst for the Colorado Community College Systems by day and occasionally plays fiddle in a local bluegrass band, Modern Whiskey Market, by night.
Nicole is a Colorado native and grew up in Grand Junction, Colo. She attended Cottey College (an all-women’s school) in Nevada, Mo. and received her degrees in journalism and anthropology from the University of Colorado at Boulder. She currently works as a senior editor in the Denver newsroom at Business Wire.
*Theme & Venue Selection…
Unbridled glee! Our whimsical, festival-themed wedding (a.k.a. FRECOLE FEST 2012) at Planet Bluegrass Ranch was a picture-perfect day along the North St. Vrain River filled with bikes, lawn games, homemade hula hoops, fruit pie, a silo and live music. The overall tone of the wedding was completely relaxed allowing guests to enjoy the 20-acre ranch and all its natural beauty.
We have attended a handful of festivals at PBR (Rocky Grass, Folks Festival, Mabon, Kinfolk Fest) and wanted our wedding to have the same carefree tone, where our friends/family could enjoy each other’s company while listening to amazing music and dancing (and hooping) in the Colorado sunshine.
Planet Bluegrass holds a special place in our heart and has been the site of many of our relationship “firsts.” I introduced Fred to Planet Bluegrass on one of our first dates (Folks Festival 2008), and it’s also where we got engaged (Folks Festival 2011). And this summer, Fred’s bluegrass band has been accepted into the band competition during Rocky Grass Fest. He will be playing in the Wildflower Pavilion on the same stage where our wedding band performed just one year prior, which is a really cool way to celebrate around our one-year anniversary.
We looked at numerous venues in Colorado (always with PBR in the back of our minds) and in the end, we both felt strongly about giving our (and our families) hard-earned money to a place that we loved and believed in, and where we knew we’d return year after year. We take pride in knowing that our wedding helped support Planet Bluegrass, which brings amazing music to Colorado and helps nurture talented artists–big and small. Moreover, we introduced 175 guests from around the world and a handful of new vendors to the venue, which we hope will encourage a new generation of festival-goers.
Planet Bluegrass strives to “re-use, recycle, and compost whenever possible.” That “green” philosophy fit nicely with what we envisioned would be a sustainable event. Planet Bluegrass’ preferred caterer, A Spice of Life, also kept true to that vision. Not only did we have a 100% vegetarian menu, but A Spice of Life is also a Zero Waste facility, working with PBR to be as kind to the planet as possible.
Cori Cook Floral created an assortment of wildflower centerpiece arrangements and designed bold, colorful, loose and textured bridal party bouquets, which perfectly matched the happy and free-spirited feel of the celebration. The men’s boutonnieres incorporated sprigs of wheat in honor of the groom’s Oklahoma roots.
We worked closely with A Spice of Life catering to create a unique, completely vegetarian menu that even the most die-hard meat-and-potato-eating guests LOVED. (We have been vegetarians for 4.5 years and weren’t willing to compromise our beliefs by serving meat at our own wedding). The dessert table was an assortment of in-season fruit pies handmade by Shamane’s Bake Shoppe.
*A little help from their friends…
Our friend Sarah Gagne and her son, Rye Gray, helped us make all the hula hoops. We bought the tubing at Home Depot and using a YouTube tutorial, we filled them with water, marbles and beans; sealed them with a hairdryer; and wrapped them in colorful electric/duct tape with wild colors and patterns. At the end of the wedding, we happily gave the hula hoops away to our nieces/nephews and other children to enjoy.
Our dear friend and Savory Spice Shop–Boulder owner, Dan Hayward, donated hand-crafted seasonings to spice up guests’ night and served as the official party favors. The spice packets, which were hand-tied with twine and featured the couple’s name and wedding date, boasted landmark Colorado names like Wash Park and Colorado Plateau.
The bride’s family (step-dad and great uncle) made vintage signs using lumber from an old school house that paired nicely with the rustic ranch details, and complemented the bride and groom’s western footwear.
The matron of honor’s mom, Gayle Gerson, is a Grand Junction, Colo.-based artist who created a one-of-a-kind concert-like poster to serve as the official wedding invitations. The posters were hand-rolled and placed inside self-sealing poster tubes for delivery. Gayle has known Nicole since she was in 4th grade and was also her high school English teacher.
Bridesmaid and childhood friend Jennifer Schmidt of Jen’s Hems in Grand Junction, Colo. designed and created the colorful flower girl dresses, which included a touch of vintage French Alsace lace along the neck line. The lace was taken from a passed-down wedding dress that belonged in the bride’s family. The lace was also incorporated in the bridal bouquets and in Nicole’s wedding bracelet, which was also handmade by friend and Kansas City-based jewelry designer Laura J. Timmons of Vintage Moon Creations.
Nicole’s former boss and friend, Laura J. Holloway, received her online certification/ordination and served as the couple’s officiant for the wedding celebration.
*Memories for a lifetime…
We were fortunate to have so many friends and family actively involved in the wedding. Fred’s favorite moment was dancing with his nieces and nephews and introducing them to his passion for bluegrass. My favorite memory was the toasts that our MOH/best man gave; they were outstanding and very personal. I have been friends with the MOH since 4th grade and Fred met his best man in 5th grade so they truly know us and love us and support our marriage 100%, which was very apparent in their touching tributes, which I have printed and plan to frame for the house.
Vendor Love
Venue: Planet Bluegrass Ranch/Wedding Dress: WTOO Waters Bridal Lycette Gown/Alterations: Nadine Hooper of Boulder Bridal/Bridal Shoes: Lucchese Boots – 1883 Precious Metal Python Print/Veil: Nadine Hooper of Boulder Bridal/Bridal Jewelry: Vintage Moon Creations/Bridesmaid Dresses: Alfred Angelo #7143/Flower Girl Dresses: Jennifer Schmidt of Jen’s Hems/Hair & Makeup Stylist: Jen Murphy/Groom’s Suit: Perry Ellis/Groom’s Hat: Goorin Bros./Groom’s Boots: Ariat via High Country Western Wear/Invitation-Poster Designer: Gayle Gerson/Transportation: CU Buffs Bus via the University of Colorado/Photo Booth: The ModPod (Elevate Photography)/Music Ceremony: Eamon Alger/Music Reception: PKB – Pete Kartsounes Band /Lighting-Sound: PBR Sound Engineer/Rentals: Flex Rentals/Florist: Cori Cook Floral Design/Caterer: A Spice of Life /Party Favors: Savory Spice Shop/Microbrews: Palisade Brewing Company/Baker: Shamane’s Bake Shoppe /Signs: Our Hobby to Your Home/Officiant: Laura J. Holloway-Pivot Communications/Photographer: Elevate Photography