There are few ceremony settings quite as spectacular as the mountains above Vail, Colorado, and for Talia and James, the location carried a significance far beyond its beauty. Beautifully captured by TAMARA GRÜNER, their August celebration brought together thoughtful planning by WHITE BIRCH WEDDINGS and organic, textural florals by ALLI J CREATIVE, creating an elegant interpretation of the Colorado wilderness that felt completely at home within its surroundings.
A Place Filled With Family History
Vail has been part of Talia’s story since she was just 16 months old, when her parents first brought her to the mountain town. Over the years it became a favourite place for family holidays and celebrations, with her parents returning to Vail each year to mark their wedding anniversary. In July, just before the wedding, they celebrated their 30th anniversary there.
For Talia, choosing Vail for her own wedding felt like a natural continuation of that history. “My parents had a house in the mountains for a decade, and they began celebrating their anniversary each year in Vail,” she explains. “My siblings and I grew up skiing and hiking throughout Colorado, but as we have gotten older, the Rocky Mountains have become our gathering place for years of winter ski trips and summer vacations.”
A Ceremony Above the Mountains
Talia and James exchanged vows at Holy Cross Event Deck, reached via the Eagle Bahn Gondola and surrounded by extraordinary views across the Rockies. From the altar, guests could see Mount of the Holy Cross, the highest point in Eagle County and the Northern Sawatch Range. Named for the distinctive cross-shaped snowfield on its northeast face, the mountain created a striking natural backdrop to the ceremony.
Afterwards, guests travelled back down the mountain by gondola for cocktails on the Ski Lawn, before moving just steps away to Arrabelle Square in the heart of Lionshead Village for dinner and dancing.
Afterwards, guests travelled back down the mountain by gondola for cocktails on the Ski Lawn, before moving just steps away to Arrabelle Square in the heart of Lionshead Village for dinner and dancing.
Inspired by the Colorado Wilderness
Rather than compete with the landscape, Talia wanted the design of the wedding to draw directly from it. “My inspiration was truly all around me,” she shares. “Allowing the natural beauty of the Colorado wilderness to be the foundation for every design choice.” Rich textures, earthy colours and layers of warm, welcoming detail created an atmosphere that balanced the rugged character of the mountains with a sense of femininity and elegance.
“I wanted to create a space of refined intimacy, intertwining it all into an ode to the romantic yet wild, Western wilderness.”
WHITE BIRCH WEDDINGS helped bring that vision together, while ALLI J CREATIVE’S florals complemented the natural surroundings beautifully, adding softness and movement without taking away from the landscape itself.
Alli J Creative’s florals complemented the natural surroundings beautifully, adding softness and movement without taking away from the landscape itself.
Refined Western Details
Heritage-inspired touches were woven throughout the celebration, giving the reception a sense of place without leaning too heavily into a Western theme. Brushed gold chandeliers brought warmth overhead, while Spode Woodland salad plates introduced a traditional, almost collected quality to the tables. Even the guests’ fans became part of the story, inscribed with the famous poem Out Where the West Begins. Talia’s MONIQUE LHUILLIER gown brought another layer of timeless elegance to the setting, creating a beautiful contrast against the expansive mountain landscape. “Seeing everything come to life, everything our team worked so hard on, was truly magical,” she remembers.
Rich textures, earthy colours and layers of warm, welcoming detail created an atmosphere that balanced the rugged character of the mountains with a sense of femininity and elegance.
From Friendship to Something More
Long before their first date, Talia and James had been orbiting the same friendship group at Auburn University. One of Talia’s closest college friends had an older brother who was one of James’s best friends, meaning the pair regularly found themselves at the same lake weekends, tailgates and Auburn game days. “I always had such a crush on him, this tall, dark and handsome friend’s older brother’s friend,” Talia laughs.
As the years passed, they stayed loosely connected. James attended medical school at UAB while Talia studied biomedical sciences at Auburn, and she would occasionally turn to him for advice as she considered medical school or becoming a physician assistant. What Talia didn’t realise was that James had begun asking mutual friends about her too. Eventually, he invited her on an official first date in Chattanooga, beginning with a hike and ending with dinner and drinks at Lookout Mountain. “I knew he was the one,” she says simply.
Heritage-inspired touches were woven throughout the celebration, giving the reception a sense of place without leaning too heavily into a Western theme.
Tamara’s beautiful photographs preserve not only the scale of the Colorado landscape, but the warmth and intimacy at the heart of Talia and James’s celebration.
Back Where It Began
Their relationship quickly became serious. Talia chose UAB for PA school while James continued his orthopaedic residency in Chattanooga, and a year after their first date, he took her back to the very same restaurant at Lookout Mountain and proposed. When it came time to choose where they would marry, however, there was little question that they would head west. “My parents and I knew that Vail, and Holy Cross Event Deck, would be our dream location for my wedding.”
On August 23, 2025, that dream became a reality. Surrounded by the people closest to them and a landscape that had been woven through so much of Talia’s family history, the couple began married life in a place that already felt like home. “As we looked around and saw the faces of our dearest family and friends, surrounded by the glory of God’s marvellous creation, we were overjoyed to be married in Vail,” Talia shares.
From the sweeping mountain ceremony to the thoughtful Western details below, TAMARA GRÜNER’S beautiful photographs preserve not only the scale of the Colorado landscape, but the warmth and intimacy at the heart of Talia and James’s celebration.
