Hello Hello! I hope that everyone had a glorious Labor Day weekend!
For the past 10 years, we have spent nearly every Labor Day in Scottsdale, AZ boating, shrimp boiling, and just having an all around amazing time with friends. My college roommate’s parents live there and they are ridiculously kind hosts, always treating us to an unforgettable time. This year, the Scottsdale clan broke from tradition and celebrated in a different way… with the ULTIMATE WEDDING WEEKEND in Denver, CO as my college roommate said “I do” to an awesome guy.
I met Carlyn my freshman year of college…we were randomly assigned as roommates in the dorms. At first, it seemed that we couldn’t be much more different- she was studying sciences and math, while I was interested into english and linguistics. She was outgoing and excited to make new friends, I was introverted and nervous. But it turns out, she was exactly the person I needed in my life, and we have stayed very close for the last 10 years. She is also part of the mutual friendship that lead me to meet Travis, so I will FOREVER be indebted to her!
OK, back to the weekend recap!
We arrived in Denver on Thursday evening, overly excited to join the festivities! We met the bride, groom, and a lot of friends and family at a Mexican restaurant called Los Chingones. Their menu was full of unique twists on classics, and everyone had a fun time deciding what to order.
I started with a margarita (duh) and we enjoyed lots of appetizers including Rattlesnake Chorizo Queso, Guacamole, and Pork Belly Nachos. I ordered an AMAZING Kale Salad because I knew I would fill up on apps (I was right) and that it might be my last chance for some greens for the next few days 😉 We got to crash at Carlyn and Joey’s place that night for some extra quality time before things really started to get crazy!
Friday’s itinerary was packed full with manicures, pedicures, the rehearsal at the venue, a rehearsal Happy Hour at a GREAT bar downtown called Blake Steet Tavern. We even made it to the Rockies game after Happy Hour for more fun.
The whole evening was so perfectly “them.” The happy hour was casual but lively, and going to a sporting event was right up their ally. It was such a great way to get to talk to everyone, catch up, and ease the pressure for the upcoming big day.
Saturday morning began with a quick breakfast for Travis and me in downtown. I made it a point to take him to Sam’s No. 3 , one of Denver’s MANY amazing breakfast spots. 
I had been there once before, and fell in LOVE with their Green Chile Breakfast Quesadilla. It did not disappoint, and I would highly recommend a trip if anyone is visiting! (Note: They are VERY busy and usually have along wait. Since we were on a tight schedule, we ordered ours to go and breakfast was ready in 10-15 minutes!)
(Be on the lookout for a recipe re-make of this meal…I just can’t stop thinking about it!)
After breakfast, I hurried off to meet the rest of the bridesmaids for hair, makeup and then pictures. Once again, the couple went above and beyond and planned to have a limo bus take the whole wedding party around the city for unique and beautiful pictures all around the city. The photographer was even able to put together a quick slideshow during the reception to give us a sneak peak and I was ABSOLUTELY blown away by how fun and special each shot was (and unedited at that!)
They put a personal touch on EVERY detail…from napkins, to coozies, to drink cups, to champagne glasses. So sweet and cute!
For dinner, they had 5-6 different stations where you could grab a small plate. They were are all SO good and although I had plans to go back for seconds to some of the stations, I was too full by the time I made the it to all the stations!
Carlyn and Joe both have a lot of team spirit for their respective colleges, so the cake toppers were simply perfect. Aside from cake, they served a ton of different one-bite candies and baked goods, including homemade peanut butter cups, of which I ate approximately 47!
The food was amazing, the drinks were flowing, the live band was a hit, and a good time was had by ALL!
On Sunday, our last stop for the weekend took us to a newer spot called Element Kitchen for a goodbye lunch with a lot of Carlyn and Joey’s friends and family members. I ordered something to counteract all of the dessert I had consumed the night prior. The whole table was impressed with the presentation of my Cob Salad (I found it a little funny to be honest.)
We hopped on a train to the airport for a late afternoon flight (Denver has great public transportation!), and were anxious to get home to our little puppy dogs! Fortunately, the flight was quick and easy with no hiccups!
Monday was spent easing back to reality with laundry, grocery shopping, meal planning, and more work on our bathroom remodel (I can’t take much credit for that one.)
I’m looking forward to trying some new recipes out this week as well as recirculating some of my old faithfuls! Have a great one, friends!
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