I knew I liked Eden and Cade before we ever met them in person. After all, how many people are willing to meet two complete strangers in a remote location, over 1,000 miles from home? (Personally, I’d be worried that I was being lured into an elaborate horror film plot…but I also tend to have an overactive imagination). Spoiler alert, we didn’t murder them. But we did take some amazing photos for their Arches National Park engagement session. And we did get to know them better over beers and Fireball shots in a Moab dive bar. All of which made me so excited to hang out with them again for their Stanley Hotel wedding last weekend!
I wouldn’t normally talk about murder in a blog post about a wedding, but Eden and Cade exchanged vows at the venue that was Stephen King’s inspiration for The Shining. The Stanley Hotel is not only historic and haunted, it’s got approximately one million different photo opportunities. Jesse and I could easily photograph an entire year’s worth of weddings there and never duplicate a shot. But we had one particular shot picked out that we wanted for Eden and Cade.
Now, we always joke that whenever we find the perfect spot for a portrait, we’re going to show up on the wedding day and there will be a box truck parked right in front of the view. Well, no box truck this time. However, we did have a ghost tour group comprised of about 20 tourists surrounding the landing where we had Eden and Cade lie on the floor. Despite the inherent discomfort of the situation, these two rocked it. They chilled on the ground like the most romantic crime scene ever and couldn’t have cared less about the gawkers around them.
And it wasn’t just this one instance that showed me how unpretentiously fearless these two are. From hiking along a sheer rock face during their Alt Session to getting ready in relative solitude to crafting a wedding ceremony that was uniquely their own, these two are the poster children for having strong opinions about what’s important and ignoring everything else. There is no doubt in my mind that Eden and Cade can tackle anything that this crazy world throws at them. Probably without even batting an eyelash.
Eden and Cade, we loved every single one of our adventures with you, from your Arches engagement to your Stanley Hotel wedding! I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been checking ticket prices to the Maldives. Even if we can’t meet you there, start thinking about which national park you want to hit in 2020!
Venue: The Stanley Hotel
Portraits: Rocky Mountain National Park
Hair: April Franklin
Makeup: Tiffany Rodriguez
Photobooth: Weddings by Carue
DJ: Cameron from DJ Connection
Videographer: Jake Hamby