There’s a little known gem right in my very own backyard called the Highlands Ranch Mansion.  I had the absolute pleasure to meet up with Maggie Glass the Mansion Manager to learn more about this beautiful and unexpected venue tucked away in the heart of Highlands Ranch!   The Mansion has always provided a welcome retreat and with stunning mountain views along with pathways and doorways that continue to invite everyone to enjoy the namesake of Highlands Ranch. The Mansion has recently been renovated and expanded, and is now a premiere site for breakfast meetings, luncheons, cocktail parties, dinners, weddings and corporate events. The historic ranch, which dates back to the 1800s, will also undergo major landscape improvements to ensure the popularity of the park for future generations.

Rich with old Colorado heritage the mansion provides –

• Gorgeous mountain views
• Historical charm with original stone fireplaces
• Large private spaces
• Luscious gardens for wedding ceremonies & special occasions
• Large ballroom
• Re-opens June 1,2012

To learn more about the Highlands Ranch Mansion contact the Mansion Manger,  Maggie Glass, and she will be more than happy to assist you in booking your very memorable event.  Don’t forget to mention that you discovered the Mansion on the  Splendor website and let the good times roll!

mgalss@highlandsranchmansion.com

303.791.0177

www.highlandsranchmansion.com

Mansion Pavillion South

Mansion Pavillion North

Written by Lori Ryno

Gina, Photo by Ryan Dearth

I recently had the pleasure of sitting down with Gina Malefyt, the fabulous owner of Organically You Events. Gina is full of energy, fun to be around, and has an incredible background in event planning. Her passion for events and for her clients is unmatched. She mentioned that she loves planning a variety of events, from small private parties to large social gatherings, and elaborate weddings, we want to help you every step of the way.

Gina has invested time in building strong relationships with the best Denver professionals. I know she will make sure your event is amazing and truly as you dreamed. Whether you need help planning from start to finish, or just day-of assistance, Gina and Organically You has the tools and experience to make your event a success! They can take the stress out of planning your event so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy your party!

• Weddings
• Anniversaries
• Baby Showers
• Rehearsal Dinners
• Company Parties
• Bachelorette/Bachelor Parties
• Holiday Parties
• Private Dinners
• Fundraising Events
• Golf Tournaments
• Banquets

Photo by Evie De Vries Photography

Photo by Ryan Dearth

Photo by Ryan Dearth

Photo by Kara Pearson Photography

Photo by Ronnie Renaldi Photography

Photo by Ronnie Renaldi Photography

Photo by Evie De Vries Photography

This summer, Fresh Events worked with Arrowhead Golf Club to create an open house to show off their gorgeous venue to Colorado event professionals. We were thrilled when they asked us to incorporate our products in the tablescapes at the event. Even better, top event photographer and friend, Joe Keum of Studio JK, captured wonderful images of the designs.

During the evening, ominous clouds rolled in and a huge thunderstorm took hold. The event was split between their two reception locations: the clubhouse and the permanent tent they use for events. In the words of Suzanne Barlow, owner of Masterful Musicians, “Splendor to rescue… AGAIN..Thank you for supplying the means by which to travel with style at Arrowhead Golf Club…you saved us all from looking like drenched kittens!” We were so glad we could help.

Thanks again to Studio JK for these fantastic images!

Do you love browsing photos of vintage-themed weddings? Dreaming of having one, but don’t want to invest time and money in browsing thrift stores and estate sales? Don’t have space to store cool antique furniture you’d like to have at your wedding reception?

Lucky for you, there’s A Vintage Affair – vintage event rentals! I recently met Jessica Strong, the owner, who is truly passionate about her business. Splendor is smitten with A Vintage Affair Rentals! Perfect for weddings, showers, birthday parties, and even photo shoots, A Vintage Affair has the unique pieces you’ve been seeking. Check out our interview with Jessica about her company.

How did you come up with the idea of A Vintage Affair?

When planning my own wedding, I became dismayed at the lack of vintage resources available for brides that wanted to add a vintage feeling to a portion or all of their wedding. I thought the traditional cycle of buy and attempt to resell was burdensome for brides and made the entire process more difficult. As a result, I started A Vintage Affair with an eye towards providing brides with the option to rent vintage items and add that special, timeless touch to their weddings.

Courtesy Laura Murray Photography

Why the vintage theme?

Because like true love, certain things are timeless. Also, because they remind of us the past, when love was simpler. How will future brides save money with your site? Every wedding should have those little touches that take it from ordinary to extraordinary. The problem is that those little touches often carry a big price tag. I want to provide those little touches to brides at a reduced cost. There’s no reason that chic vintage style and cost effectiveness can’t coexist.

Courtesy Laura Murray Photography

What is your goal with starting up the company?

My goal is to be resource for brides while do something that I have a passion for.

Courtesy Laura Murray Photography

When did you begin planning for the site’s launch, and how have you prepared?

I began planning for the sites launch in February 2011, but have been collecting for months at estate sales, flea markets, and online. I have also prepared by researching current trends in the wedding world, going to classes (cakes classes, stamping classes, sewing classes, photography classes) which I think will help me with the business.

Courtesy Laura Murray Photography

Give us a sneek peek of what we can find on your site!

On my site you can find posts about fun ways to integrate vintage items into your own wedding, current wedding trends, posts about my own experience in the wedding planning process, and of course my current inventory.

Jessica Strong, Owner of A Vintage Affair

All images courtesy of Laura Murray Photography.

It’s not often that I’m at a loss for words, but today is one of those days. I just returned from one of the most awe-inspiring, beautiful venues in Colorado, The Club at Flying Horse. Located on the north side of Colorado Springs, at the base of the mountains, it offers gorgeous views of the mountains.

The space is truly spectacular. Your guests will enjoy a beautiful outdoor ceremony, with perfect views of the Colorado mountains. After the ceremony, they will enter the building for your reception and will immediately feel as if they’re in a Tuscan villa. The “wine tunnel” will lead them to the ballroom. With a brick ceiling and floor, it truly looks like old-world Italy. At the ballroom, guests will enjoy cocktail hour on two wonderful patios overlooking the private golf course and mountains. The reception will be one fit for royalty in their classic ballroom. Truly an incredible venue for Colorado.

Quick highlights:

• incredible views
• warm, Tuscan feel
• amazing architectural details
• wine tower – fun for photos!
• wine tunnel that guides your guests to the ballroom
• 5-star service
• ballroom with two patios
• private spaces
• various areas for your entire wedding weekend (rehearsal dinner, bridal luncheon, and reception!)

Photo source unknown. If this is your image, let us know. We’d like to give credit.

For more information and a tour, contact their fabulous Special Events Director, Diane Bice. You will be blown away by this place! Please mention that you heard about them from Splendor. We’d love for them to know.

Diane Bice
dbice@flyinghorseclub.com
(719) 487-2624

Photos by Image Factory Photo and Kathryn Bacalis.

We were thrilled to get some love from The Knot Colorado in their Spring/Summer 2011 edition. Check out the yellow box for our highlight. We’re also excited to be featured with some of our other favorite Colorado companies. Congrats to all. And thanks so much, The Knot. We love you back!

Need inspiration? Feeling like you’re the only stressed-out bride? Want recommendations for local wedding businesses from another bride? Check out A Colorado Courtship. Season, the blogger, adds a sense of levity and humor to what can become the most stressful time of a girl’s life – wedding planning. Through bridesmaid dress shopping hell to waxing tips, this girl shares her adventures and advice in order to help others on the same path.

This blog is not only funny, but informative. What started as a blog about her wedding as an application to be a Weddingbee has now turned into its own stand-alone site. She says she will continue to include personal stories, advice, and DIY. She’s also now expanding the content to include real Colorado weddings, brides, and event companies, like Splendor! (Read her post about us)

Her content is not endorsement-driven, as she stated at the end of the wonderful post she wrote about Splendor. Everything she writes is sincere and honest – good or bad. We LOVE reading this blog and hope you do too. Here’s to Colorado brides!

We were so thrilled to be invited to the new Four Seasons Hotel in downtown Denver for “South Beach at the Seasons”. Picture a gorgeous pool deck adorned with tropical flowers and coral, fuchsia, turquoise and tangerine. The Perfect Petal created a fun atmosphere with floral pomanders that floated in the pool and gorgeous centerpieces in clean white square containers. Large tropical trees, provided by Little Eden Plantscaping, made it feel like we were really pool-side in Miami. Check out photos via Kathryn Bacalis Photography!

During the evening, we had a blast in the photo booth, provided by Shutterbooth. Apparently, I (Nil) need some lessons on posing in a photo booth. Most of the photos were of my forehead or caught me unawares. At least I provided some comedic relief for my photo booth buddies.

We were honored to be involved in this event as umbrella and shawl sponsors. We brought our luxurious raspberry and white shawls and our cute raspberry umbrellas.  It was a warm start to the event, but our shawls were a big hit as the sun set. Ladies in sweet summer dresses wrapped themselves in shawls and were able to enjoy the rest of the evening under the beautiful Colorado sky.

The entire event was fabulous. We love The Four Seasons Denver; they always treat their guests like royalty. Their staff is extraordinary, anticipating our every need the entire night. The refreshments were divine: sweet island cocktails and a succulent taco station complete with fresh fish, roasted pig, and housemade salsas and guacamole. A truly five-star experience made a great evening. Thank you to everyone at The Four Seasons for including Splendor for Your Guests.

Thank you to Kathryn Bacalis Photography for these beautiful shots of our products.

We are so excited to partner with Little White Dress shop, a beautiful bridal boutique in our own neighborhood, Highland in Denver. We’ll be there for the 3rd Thursday May Martini Madness on May 19th. We hope you can join us from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. for a fun evening of mingling and shopping. We are proud to be involved, along with Ampersand Wedding Papers, Alchemy Skin Care and Make-up and Intricate Icings. Come peruse their beautiful work, sample martinis for your wedding signature cocktail, and enjoy delicious desserts while you shop for that perfect wedding dress. Reservations are not required.

Thursday, May 19, from 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Little White Dress
3420 W. 32nd Ave. Denver, CO 80211
p: 303-814-8972

Here’s a quick video of their shop. Hope you can join us!

We were so excited for our visit to Marie James Dress Boutique yesterday. Owner, Sally Grieser, had offered to loan us dresses to wear to the ISES Denver annual dinner and yesterday was our “shopping” day. Lori and I were treated like queens. Sally hand-selected dozens of dresses for us. From flowy organza to sleek satin, we were wrapped in luxury. After the fun of trying on various styles, We found some great pieces that complement our best features (crucial when finding a special occasion dress).

The dress Lori will be wearing is a gorgeous navy party dress with great floral detail. I have three options: a fun charcoal strapless party dress, a sleek taupe satin fitted number, and a fuchsia number with black floral detail. Love them all! We’ll be selecting the actual dress on Tuesday, depending on which one fits the best. Our first choice is the fuchsia though. I’ll post photos of us at the event. Stay tuned!

If you’re looking for bridesmaid dresses or a special occasion gown, visit Marie James Dress Boutique. They have a wonderful selection and offer a stellar shopping experience. Say hi to Sally from us while you’re there!

*Photos by John Payne Photography for HERLIFE Magazine