Favorite Vendors
Venues:
River Bend Ranch - Probably my most shot at location, River Bend is so great because it is beautiful, close to town but doesn't feel it, and has the best getting ready suite right on site! They have multiple beautiful ceremony sites with amazing backdrops including lakes, willow trees, and our wonderful red cliffs. They have a great rustic barn decked out in twinkle lights for reception fun! Plus Dan and Jenny are just the sweetest people and I love working with them. Definitely one of my favorite venues.
Catering:
If you love charcuterie boards, look no further than Farm to Fingers! Alexis is hands on and just the sweetest human, I love her enthusiasm and dedication to her job! She uses locally sourced ingredients and helps her clients put together beautiful and delicious custom boards. I cannot recommend her enough!!!
Zia is who I had cater my wedding, and where I eat out most in town. I just love tacos and burritos. They also make an amazing chili and posole. For my wedding we had burritos and chili, we had a small laid back wedding so it was great everyone just grabbing a burrito and finding somewhere to eat it, but they also have fancier options like their taco bar!
If you like BBQ serious texas is amazing! They also have the best cheesy potatoes. Definitely one of my go to eating out places in Durango and I have only had amazing experiences with them. My go to order is definitely their serious texas taco, like I said I love tacos.
Distinct Dining offers a one of a kind experience for those looking to enrich their lives with restaurant quality food, in the comfort of their home. Serving Durango and the Four Corners area, we understand what is desired from a personal chef service. Whether planning a large party, a private dinner, cooking classes, or our weekly drop services, we work closely with our clients to exceed expectations.
I haven't personally used these guys yet but I have heard great things and the food looks amazing!
If you are looking for some great Mexican food definitely check these guys out!
Chef, dad, and outdoor enthusiast who knows how to please the most diverse and picky palates to work with almost any budget. Been delighting customers with innovative, and delicious dishes, sauces, and salsas since 2019.
Drinks
Star Liquors - Star is by far the best liquor store in town, and I don't just say that because I might be a bit bias (since my husband is the wine manager there), but they have been voted best in Durango over and over and over again. They know how much alcohol you will need, and if you don't drink it all, they offer returns on any unopened products, and I am pretty sure they are the only ones who do that.
Compact Coffee - If you like coffee these guys offer an amazing coffee experience for you and your guests. Not only are they amazing, kind, wonderful people, but their coffee and drinks are truly an experience! They have studied coffee culture in Australia, and work hard to make sure they create and serve their coffee in a way that respects the farmers and the industry.
Thirsty Rooster - Thirsty Rooster is an all out beverage experience, with multiple options from their classic red trailer bar to their Wood and Roost bar, they have something for all events! Handcrafted cocktails, wine, tap beer, and an amazing fun ambiance, these guys will bring your drink experience to another level.
Severin Spinu Bartending Services - Severin is an experienced bartender who has worked in the beverage industry for years. He has extensive knowledge of many different types of drinks and knows how to keep the party going. You can contact him for bartending services through his email address severin8663@gmail.com
Cakes and Deserts:
Skillfully Decadent - I have had the pleasure of shooting and eating Jocelyn's cakes at more weddings than any other baker, she is highly sought after, and for good reason! She is very very talented and just a wonderful person.
Cakes by Kendall - Kendall Westbrook
I grew up with Kendall, she is so sweet and her cakes are equally sweet, beautiful and yummy. Working out of her home Kendall can create custom cakes, cupcakes, cake pops, you name it! And they are all done with passion, personality and love.
Confections and Curiosities - Missy's cakes are so so cute and so so yummy. At one wedding bazaar we did together, I couldn't help but try a slice of every cake she brought because they were all just too good! She is also such a sweet human and wonderful to work with!
Odd Bird Baking - Oh my goodness I cannot say enough about Odd Bird Baking. Their cookies, cakes, pastries, literally everything I've had from them was to die for. Even gluten free things that I would not have believed were gluten free. A lot of fun creativity, paired with straight up deliciousness, you really can't go wrong.
Black Bear Bakery - So many different kinds of delicious sweets! And they are all amazing, just her website makes my mouth water. Especially great if you are planning an elopement and want something that can make it to your fun intimate location!
Something Cute Co - Sarah has her BA in chemistry, where she believes the only way she made it through school was through baking as a creative outlet. She decided over 10 years ago that she would one day channel her chemistry into opening her very own bakery. This allows her to be home with her babies as often as possible while working in a career full of creativity, beauty, and passion.
Sweet Addition - Francilia Pena
I love Francilia, she is such a wonderful person, she makes a lot of different kinds of deserts, and everything I've had of hers is sooo good. Fancilia focuses on locally sourced, made from scratch ingredients for all her deserts, from cakes to pastries to cupcakes and more!
Fig and Bloom Cakes - Whether it's several beautiful cakes collected on a dessert table or a single stunning tiered cake to steal the show, Fig and Bloom Cakes does all their cakes wiith simplistic elegance. Fig & Bloom Wedding Cakes can be anything you want them to be from modern clean lines with minimalist design, to feminine pale pink ruffles, or rustic and undone with drizzle and slightly exposed sides.
Vanilla Moose - If you are interested in a bit different desert route for your event, Vanilla Moose is a great option. Frozen Treats including, Soft Serve Cones, Sundaes, Shakes, Ice cream cookie sandwiches, Floats, and Paletas (dairy free fruit popsicles), this is a great option for a hot summer wedding day!
Sugar Rush Bakery - Sugar Rush offers beautifully delicious gourmet style buttercream cakes and treats. If you are a buttercream cake kind of person, this is a great option!
Sweet Revenge Cakes & Confections - Cakes and Confections have every potential to be made into a wholly unique piece of art, combined with passion, and an artistic creative mind these guys ensure that their desserts will take center stage for every special occasion.
Florists
April's has been one of the top local flower shops for a long time, and for good reason, they can do all kinds of different styles and their work is always so beautiful!
Linnaea Floral Design - Marje Cristol
Lady Southwest - Celeste Quackenbush
Celeste is just such a sweet person, I believe she is a bit newer to the floral market of our area, but her work is beautiful. I feel like she really captures the wild mountainous area we live in with her work.
Coordinators and Designers
Emily is an outdoor enthusiast turned mountain town wedding & elopement planner. She is a certified wedding and event planner with big city experience and small town vibes. She has been a part of the wedding industry for five years now, three of which were spent among Seattle's beautiful pacific northwest scenery! She describes her style as honest, creative, and intentional. She is such a sweetheart and so fun to work with, definitely highly recommend her!
Quote from Emily:
"I genuinely care about your love story, and even more-so the unique details that come along with it. I want to hear your ideas and make them real. I want the experience of your celebration to be a reflection of your values and your uniqueness. I offer planning services unique to your style because there's no such thing as a one-size-fits-all when it comes to planning YOUR day!"
I have a special place in my heart for Brit because not only is she one of my close "friendors" (vendor friends) but she was one of my brides! She really has an eye for designing beautiful spaces, she has amazing organizational and coordination skills, AND she is just an amazing, sweet, fun person!
If you’re looking for a wedding planning partner so you can enjoy the planning journey, then Mountain Arrow can help. Whether you need assistance with organization or design, we’ll help put the puzzle pieces together to curate your customized event.
Heirlooms is a design company creating artful, intimate and authentic atmospheres, bespoke events and editorial and lifestyle branding content. They offer a range of custom services specializing in hands-on creative direction for luxury event design and destination wedding planning.
They are designers, planners, stylists and creative artists.
Through thoughtful collaboration and curation, they provide impeccable event planning, coordination and styling all while helping clients create beautiful stories, intimate atmospheres and an authentic extension of who they are with stress-free memorable moments. From the big picture down to the details, they focus on simple but significant details.
I have worked with Heirlooms numerous times on many different weddings and events and I am always so excited when I get to collaborate with them because I know everything is going to be breathtakingly magical and beautiful! Elsa is an absolute joy and works so hard to make sure her client's dream visions come to life.
Amber and her crew are mountain loving, organized obsessed, fun-creating localists who just love helping other people gather and celebrate. I am a lover of everything local and that is one of the things I really like about Amber too. She has so much passion for our area and the people and businesses in it, so I know she would bring that passion and energy to any event she touches!
Aruna is such a sweet and beautiful soul, she started Summit + Sunset Events out of a passion for helping other people. She works hard to make the most important events be as memorable and enjoyable as possible. Through strategic partnerships formed over the years, she has learned to be flexible and accommodating to each client’s unique needs and preferences.
I have only worked on a wedding with Aruna once, but have become friends with her since then getting to know her sweet and dedicated personality!
Hair and Makeup
McKenna has been doing hair and makeup for so long but is just breaking into the wedding world with her new independant business The Farmhouse Salon, and she is already killing it! She is amazing, talented, fun, sweet, and will make you feel comfortable as well as beautiful!
Marybeth Livermore - Marybeth has been doing hair and makeup for weddings for years and is highly sought after for her work! She has a bright and bubbly personality and will no doubt do an amazing job both styling your hair and makeup needs as well as keeping you entertained with stories as she does it.
Jamie does Hair - Jamie does hair but not makeup, however her hair styles are beyond amazing! She can do such elaborate designs, definitely WOW worthy work, plus she is super sweet.
Erika Zimmerman - Erica does beautiful makeup, she is talented in many different styles including soft glam which is a more natural but still glam pop!
Hair Fusion - Hair Fusion has so many amazing hair and makeup artists, if you have lots of girls in your group that all need their hair and makeup done, hair fusion does a great job and has been in the wedding biz for a long time! I especially recommend Holly, Alyssa, and Vicky!
The Chair - The Chair is a beautiful salon with so many talented individuals, I especially recommend Bree, but really everyone there is amazing. They are all supper professional and creative, I have seen so many different styles come out of this salon. Another great place for if you have a number of girls who all need hair and makeup done.
Reign Hair Salon - Reign is another great place to go with all your girls (or guys), I don't have as many personal connections there but every bride I've seen come out of here has been so gorgeous!
DJs
Kenny is new to the Durango DJ scene, but after just the first wedding I worked with him I knew he had to go on this list. He did a great job with sound all day, he kept the party hopping with a great song selection and fantastic lighting that brought a whole other level of epicness to the evening and made the party photos that much more fun and beautiful!
Stand Alone Entertainment - Meyers Fryback
Stand Alone Entertainment Owner/DJ Meyers Fryback bring over 15 years and 450 professional DJ and MC events worth of experience to your event, and will make sure your event runs smoothly. With an emphasis on Turntablism and professional level MCing, Meyers and his team will direct your timeline or agenda as well as create a Club-Like atmosphere on your dance floor! They play EDM, Country, HipHop, Jazz, and all genres in between.
Revolve Mobile Disco - Stephen Sellers - Stephen is so fun, a great human, a great DJ, brings fun and life to every event. Stephen also has a band if you are interesting in going the live music route! Here is a great blip from his website that gives you a great sneak peek into who Stephen is:
"I like the high-pressure stakes of getting the ceremony absolutely dialed. And, I love working backwards from a couple’s last song together on the dance floor and putting together a 200+ song set that has the whole place jumping for joy with Grandpa. If that’s not a party, I don’t know what is!"
Aiko Aiko Sound are possibly one of the most popular DJ companies in the area. Trained DJs with a cumulative 80 years of experience who are happy to work with you and make your event exactly what you thought it could be. Free pre event consultation to go over your plans and ideas for your event. Professional series audio and lighting equipment, a wide variety of music and lighting packages to fit your needs and budget, a continually updated musical library of over 11,000 songs. Pop, country, hip hop, oldies. You can have it all!
Southwest DJs are extremely professional DJs, traveling all over the four corners region. They are definitely up to par with the best DJ companies around and have a unique package that includes a large TV for showing slideshows or videos to share with your guests or music videos to help dance the night away!
Greg is an extremely friendly and fun DJ that will keep the energy up all evening! He even entertains while releasing tables to go get dinner! He is very interactive with the guests and gets everyone involved in the dancing fun! He is definitely the life of the party type DJ!
DJ Codestar - Cody Reinheimer
Cody has a passion for music and movement, he has an extensive music collection and has been successful in getting the dance party moving in a variety of settings. He takes requests and always brings his mixing skills to keep the crowd grooving. He is also an experienced MC, helping your event to run smoothly and successfully in an upbeat and fun way. He has a high quality sound system, professional Pioneer mixing console, high quality wireless microphones, laser lights, and party lighting. With plenty of experience and a passion for creating an inviting atmosphere, Cody prides himself on bringing confidence, class, and a good time to every event!
Bands
Dress and Attire
Bri is so fun and a joy to work with! She has a great selection of formal attire and a beautiful location to try it all on! I have worked with Bri on numerous occasions and can confidently say that you will be in good hands with her.
I was lucky enough to capture Katerina's own wedding video, so I was so excited when I saw she was opening up a bridal shop! She has done amazing things in a short amount of time with her new shop and she has a beautiful selection of dresses and formal attire and the know-how to go with it!
Durango Courture - Melissa Coria - Best alterations in town!
Transportation
Decor
Blue Leaf Design - Beth Stewart
Animas Craft - Noah Arvidson
Belle and the Bear - Kara Lang
If you are into the fun macrame boho look, Kara is definitely the one to talk to!
Event Rentals
If you are into the fun macrame boho look, Kara is definitely the one to talk to!
Vintage dishes for rent for your special event - Weddings, Bridal Showers, Baby Showers, Tea Parties, Cocktail Parties, Dinner Parties. If you want beautiful vintage glassware and dish-ware to put that final touch on your decor, Dirty Dishes Vintage is where it is at!
Officiants
Jaime Becktel - Jaime is an amazing officiant, she really gets to know her couples and really weaves together their story in their ceremony. She does her research and it shows, she gets so personal in her ceremonies, it really feels very meaningful. So if you are looking for someone to make your ceremony meaningful, personal, and extremely memorable, Jaime is the one to call!
Lisa Hunter - Lisa is so nice and a joy to be around and work with. As a non-denominational wedding officiant and interspiritual family minister, Lisa believes that there are as many definitions of spirituality as there are people, and that as we encounter life's important milestones, we seek out facilitators who fit us. Training-wise, she was ordained in the two-year program at One Spirit Interspiritual Seminary in New York.