07/15/2026
Wedding Wednesday! Meet Mollie and James. ❤️🏔️💍🥰
They met at 20 years old at a college party where James was serving warm vodka on a shot ski. They have now been together for over 10 years. Through COVID they lived in a 500 square foot apartment with only one door (to the bathroom) for five years, and they still decided to get married. If that is not love I don’t know what is.
Their marriage proposal happened in the Italian Dolomites on a hut to hut hiking trip. After days of steep elevation hikes, James planned one more strenuous day. Mollie was exhausted and grumpy. James was bribing her with gummy bears to keep going. When they reached the top he proposed. She said yes. He had a surprise photographer waiting back at the hotel!
For their wedding they brought their loved ones to Estes Park, the place where Mollie first fell in love with the mountains as a kid AND the place she brought James when she fell in love with him. That is what a destination wedding is really about. More than just a beautiful place. A meaningful one.
The details of this wedding were everything! Personalized matchboxes for their guests to keep the cozy mountain wedding vibe alive long after the weekend ended (photo 16). And the highlight of the night? Mollie and her dad broke out in a surprise disco moment on the dance floor that had everyone screaming
(photo 18).
If their photos look familiar, it’s because you have been seeing them all over my What Your Wedding Photographer Wishes You Knew series. Their wedding was so beautifully done that I keep coming back to it. Mollie and James, thank you for letting me use your day to help other couples plan theirs!
If you are planning a destination wedding in Colorado, I would love to hear your story. Link in bio!
Gorgeous Bride: Mollie McDonnnell
Venue:
Photographer: Hillary Shedd | Colorado Wedding Photographer
Florist: Foraged Fern | Cloe Kawecki
DJ: standingroomonlydj
Catering:
Hair & Makeup: Rachelle Reese
