Genevieve Hansen

Wedding & Portrait Photography

Sarah + Dan’s Garden of the God’s Club Wedding | Colorado Springs Wedding Photographer

I had the great pleasure of shooting a wedding this past weekend at the Garden of the Gods Club and Resort in Colorado Springs. Sarah and Dan were kind and lovely people that were such a joy to work with. Sarah was a gorgeous bride who kept her cool and is extremely kind to everyone. Her bridesmaids were so helpful and even blocked the view of Sarah as Dan walked past her window. Dan and his groomsmen were very patient and so fun to work with. Their friendship was so easy to capture on camera. The wedding party looked vibrant against the red rock backdrop from the Garden of the Gods and we couldn’t have asked for better weather. The ceremony was beautiful and undisturbed….well, except for all of the bunnies running around. We even found a robin’s egg at one point. I am hoping these are all good omens for the newlyweds and I wish them nothing but luck and happiness.

I asked Dan to tell me a little bit about Sarah, and here’s what he had to say:

“We met at a birthday party all the way back in high school. I remember thinking that she was beautiful, and there was something about her that stuck with me throughout the night long after our brief introduction. We were both dating different people at the time, and little did we know that we would connect nearly a year later at CSU.”

 

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“Our first week at school up at CSU, we organized a dinner at one of the dining halls with friends from our respective dorms. As Dinner approached my friends began dropping out one by one to attend other various activities. “Oh well” I thought, “at least there will be a group of new people to meet from her dorm as well.” Funnily enough, all of her friends ended up bailing too. I think I speak for both of us when I say there was a moment of panic as we met at the agreed place and realized that our group dinner was just going to be us. That turned out to be an incredibly happy accident as we talked for hours over dinner.”

“Sarah and I didn’t have our first date until about a year after meeting one another, as we remained “just friends” (heavy sarcasm) for awhile before finally deciding to make the dive. The plus side? It was the least awkward first date ever because we already had become such good friends over the prior year. I remember being incredibly nervous leading up to the date, but as always when I’m with Sarah, she immediately put me at ease when I picked her up to go to the restaurant. I remember sitting across the table from her as the cool fall breeze swirled through an open window beside us and thinking that there was no where else in the world I would rather have been in that instant. That’s when I started to fall in love with her.”

“I had to go out to NY for about 6 weeks my job right after graduation. The hours were long, and I didn’t get to see Sarah for the entire time, so overall it was a difficult experience. My birthday was the day I got back, and Sarah surprised me with tickets to go see “The Book of Mormon”. We are both huge South Park fans, and we’d been wanting to see it for awhile, so it was the perfect surprise. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so much in my entire life, we both were literally in tears for the entire performance. It was the perfect antidote to the last 6 weeks I’d been gone, and to this day one of my favorite nights we’ve shared.”

“Sarah is, without a doubt, the best human being I have ever met. She treats everyone she meets with love and compassion, regardless of any difficulties going on in her own life. She inspires me to be a better person each and every day.”

“One of my favorite memories with Sarah was exploring the botanical gardens in Denver.”

“Sarah is in Pharmacy school so she is always busy. I was finishing a particularly brutal trip for work and expected to come home to an empty apartment since Sarah had midterms coming up. To my surprise when I walked in the door around midnight, I found her making the most delicious steaks. Little things like this are what makes her the best.”

“Sarah is a pretty quiet person, but every now and then will come out with a joke or a roast that’s a complete zinger. There’s nothing more hilarious than seeing the surprised looks on people’s faces! It’s become a running joke with our friends.”

He says the nicest thing that Sarah has ever done for him is “She said yes when I proposed :)”

“Sarah is the hardest worker I know. No matter how difficult the goal, she will put her head down and work as hard as necessary to achieve it. She inspires me to always do whatever it takes to achieve my goals.”

“Sarah is infinitely patient. She never rushes things and always takes time to live life in the moment appreciating what every day has to offer. When I catch myself moving too quickly or trying to look too far into the future, I try to take a step back and learn from her example.”

“I think deep down I always knew that Sarah was the one. From the minute we started dating, everything was effortless. We don’t fight, we always pick each other up, and I can’t imagine my life without her. I literally just woke up one day and it hit me. I knew it had to propose and I spent the next six months planning every detail and trying to not let the secret slip!”

“I’m most excited to marry Sarah, because she’s the person who knows me best. Through all of the struggles that life throws at us, she’s been there and loved me through all of it. I’m excited to take on this life together and continue to build on our already amazing relationship.”

 

Dan says he’s the lucky one because, “Sarah always puts our relationship first. No matter how busy she is, or what else is going on in life, she will make sure that we have time to spend together. I’m amazing at how she juggles everything she has going on, makes time for what is important, and keeps a smile on her face throughout everything.”

I asked Sarah to tell me a little bit about Dan, and here’s what she had to say:

“We originally met at a friend’s birthday party when we were high school students. After we both ended up attending CSU for college, we became best friends before we started dating.”

“The first time we spent some quality time together was during dinner in a campus dining hall. Dan invited me to dinner along with his friends. My friends said they would come along as well, but later that night, they decided they didn’t want to walk to the other side of campus. I met Dan for dinner thinking that he would bring his friends. However, once I showed up, he was sitting alone waiting for me. It turns out his friends got hungry earlier in the evening and couldn’t wait any longer for dinner. We barely knew each other at the time, so I texted my best friend and convinced her to meet us there so it wouldn’t feel like a date. She came as soon as she could, but the dining hall had closed and they wouldn’t let her in. We ended up on an accidental date and it was an extremely fun evening.”

“One date that stands out was when we drove up to Horsetooth Reservoir in Fort Collins to see a spectacular meteor shower. We brought blankets with us to lie down on top of the car and watched dozens of passing meteors. It was an incredibly peaceful moment in time where we could be together without any distractions or worries.”

“The most attractive thing about him is his heart and how much he cares about other people. He is the kindest and most thoughtful person I know.”

 

“We decided to take a trip to Estes Park together, and upon a arrival, I was surprised when he sent me to get a massage that he had planned. I thought at first that he would be getting one too, but he said he wanted to just hang out and watch TV. This seemed a little weird to me, and I noticed that his face was a little red. He chalked it up to being overheated. Afterwards, we went out onto the balcony of our room and I was shocked to see that he had decorated it with lights, candles, and pictures of us. The pictures were printed out like polaroids with captions that he had added, and they were hung up in chronological order, documenting our relationship. He told me to look at a piece of paper that was hanging on the wall. It was an old name card from a wedding we went to years ago where they accidentally wrote Sarah Biondi instead of Sarah Rivard. He had taken it from the wedding and kept it in his wallet to propose to me someday. On the front he had written “Will you become…” and on the back it said “Sarah Biondi.” I immediately spun around and began ugly crying when I saw him down on one knee. Afterwards, we laughed at the video of me crying and about how he was able to print out every single picture of us in our 5+ year relationship because we are both so bad at remembering to take pictures (which is why we need you!).”

“One of my favorite memories is when he tried to teach me how to longboard when we were in college, but I’m notoriously clumsy and I would have to chase after the board when it constantly escaped from me. Eventually I just stood on the longboard while he pushed me around campus.”

“Another of my favorite memories is when we made a blanket fort in the living room and watched movies all day during a terrible snow storm. We ordered in food and played board games too.”

“He surprised me most when he agreed to adopt not one, but two kittens with me! He has always been a dog person, but now he loves Leo and Lila and couldn’t imagine life without them.”

“He has an incredible drive to be the best person he can be. He stays dedicated to his goals, and he works hard to accomplish them whether it’s at work or in his personal life. He motivates me to work harder at my goals and be a better person.”

“He has an excellent memory for songs and lyrics. He will make up new lyrics to a song on the spot and work it in mid-conversation. He always keeps me laughing.”

“He does a lot of little things for me like surprising me with dinner after a long night of work or school. He also serenades me with his guitar and leaves me sweet notes to find.”

“We both have the same goofy, weird sense of humor. It’s what led us to become best friends before we started dating.”

“He constantly impresses me, especially because he is always listening to me and he remembers the little things that are important to me.”

Sarah says she’s most excited to marry Dan because “I’m excited to continue going on adventures together and to see what’s next for us in life.”

“I’m the lucky one because he loves me unconditionally through the tough times just as much as the wonderful times. He’s always there to lift me up, and he supports me through everything I do.”

 

Venue: Garden of the Gods Club, http://www.gardenofthegodsclub.com/resort-membership/activities/

DJ: DJ Connection, https://djconnection.com

Florist: Family Friend

Caterer, Website, Contact Info
Garden of the Gods Club, http://www.gardenofthegodsclub.com/resort-membership/activities/

Cake: Boonzaaijer’s Dutch Bakery, http://dutchpastry.com

Officiant: Family Friend

Hair: Did It Herself

Makeup: Did It Herself

Dress Boutique: Amanda’s Bridal and Tux, https://www.amandasbridal.com

Bridal Shoes: DSW, Kelly and Katie brand

Bridesmaid Dresses + Shoes: David’s Bridal, http://www.davidsbridal.com

Men’s Clothing: Generation Tux

Groom’s Shoes + Details: Magnani Shoes

Invitations: Minted, https://www.minted.com

Wedding Favors: The Succulent Source, https://thesucculentsource.com

Rings: Tri Gen International Diamond Company, http://www.trigemjewelers.com

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