Dinosaur Inspired DIY Wedding for the Offbeat Bride – Colorado Wedding Photographer

“How I first met Angie Capri –

I am an attorney and a feminist; so finding the right photographer for my professional head shots was a tricky proposition and how I first sought out and found Angie Capri. I didn’t want to look like a robot placed in front of rows of law books, and I didn’t want to look like a liar Barbie, all done up beyond what I actually look like.

I wanted to look beautiful (of course) but strong and feminine too and in a truthful way. That’s what Angie Capri delivered. The process was cathartic; coming to terms with your own grace under Angie’s bright, vixenish, artist’s eye is an amazing experience every woman should have. Worth every penny; I will definitely be back for a boudoir session!

Fast forward –

Then I decided to hire Angie Capri again to photograph my fiance and I’s ugly DIY holiday sweater engagement session and then again to document our wedding in Colorado!!

Having been a participant in numerous weddings, I knew what I didn’t want: hours of exhausting, over-wrought, prescripted photos that look like the generics you find when you purchase a photo frame. What I wanted was a visual story-teller; but that was very difficult to impart. It required a professional with an intuitive sense of my motivation who could take the reins and run with it. Angie was fantastic in this capacity.

One of the traits I love most about Angie is her vision. She can “see” the story beneath the surface and coax it out with her camera and verve. She makes you feel loved, loving, loveable. Seen.

After collaborating with Angie on 3 different occasions by now, I feel a lifelong allegiance to her. I can’t imagine anyone else telling the stories of our lives as our family grows.

Angie Capri is unlike any other professional photographer I have encountered; she is set apart by the wisdom of her vision and her vivacious approach to capturing the moments of our lives. Like magic, she distills the moment into a pure, truthful, gorgeous image. Of course, she is also extremely professional and reliable in the execution of her work.” -Apple

Dinosaur Inspired DIY Wedding for the Offbeat Bride – An Interview with our Bride Apple

Tell us about inspiration behind your wedding day DIY design and where you choose to begin with the whole planning process?

A simple garden wedding designed with family as the focus. This was a homemade wedding and much of the preparation was to allow time for our families to meet, laugh, and bond over food, flowers, and wine before the actual wedding day.

Comfort and function were our primary guides. I wanted everyone to feel beautiful and relaxed so rather than having our bridesmaids spend on onetime wear dresses, they each selected a red dress in the style of her choosing.

We choose calla lilies to represent faith and purity, and red roses to represent love and passion. Both come from the Greek for beauty and love and were later reappropriated by Christianity as emblems of Mother Mary (for whom I have special affinity). The contrast of white on red is particularly striking. Each bouquet was handmade by each bridesmaid during our bouquet tea party the afternoon before our wedding day, so that they each had an opportunity to be creative!

Mailboxes were one of our primary design elements (that’s where we met at our apartment complex – in front of the mailboxes!).

Corinthians I was our primary verse: “Love is patient, love is kind, love always wins.”

What was your favorite part or moment of the day?

After walking down the aisle, kissing my parents, and standing at the altar in the warm bath of loving light emanating from my husband, and watching that warmth turn to panic as he whispered to me “Do you have the vows?”

What are your most meaningful DIY stories?

I decided to honor my adopted parents who are Jewish by building a chuppah. I delegated the task of decorating the chuppah to my mother and grandmother (who between them have had 6 Jewish weddings). Their product ended up looking like a kissing booth at a macabre carnival for zombies. I stayed up until 4 am redecorating the entire thing the night before the wedding. #worthit

Thoughts on location choice and why did you choose to move from the San Francisco Bay Area to Colorado?

The cost of living is 36% less in Centennial, Colorado than in the Bay Area, schools are 6 and 10 in the nation, Centennial is the 11th safest city in America, we have 4 grandparents less than 5 minutes away; it would have been unfair to our daughter not to build our life here.

And Colorado is one of the few states that does not require an officiant, so we married ourselves which was much more meaningful for us than using a liaison.

What are your do’s and don’ts for couples planning their own weddings?

Don’t listen to anyone; do listen to each other; know that in the end, all the small stuff is utterly inconsequential; be generous of spirit, especially when you really don’t want to be; remember, love always wins.

Ok, we’re all dying to know, tell us why dinosaurs are so important to you?

Well, they’re DINOSAURS! They are just the coolest animals that have ever lived on this planet (including homo sapiens sapiens). And, for me, it is a reminder that nothing lasts forever, and life is full of 10,000 joys and 10,000 sorrows, so where do I want to put my energy, and what do I want to create in this world?

When Spencer walked into my apartment for the first time, I told him to excuse all of the dinosaur figurines. But as soon as he spotted them he gasped and later told me that was another one of the defining moments when he knew he had met his match.

The park where we held our wedding ceremony also had huge dinosaur play structures, that in addition to all of the other important qualities helped us choose our home right next door.

Tell me about your wedding rings?

Our jeweler is a second generation craftsman, his name is John Molberg. He was able to craft EXACTLY what we wanted, bands made of Colorado gold, mine was designed to embrace my engagement ring, he did it on a reasonable budget and a tight time frame. This is a great option for those with unique engagement rings that are difficult to match to a band.

Names of your adorable and so elegantly dressed doggies?

Bella and Rio (short for Moxie Rioja Chola Merengue)

The team: Bakery: Azucar Bakery http://www.azucarbakery.com/ // Wedding venue: Little Dry Creek Park, Centennial, Colorado // Reception venue: Wingate Hotel, Colorado