A Magical Wedding in Vail, Colorado
My family and I flew into Denver International airport on Friday night, around 8 pm. We were going to meet my son there. He was in Phoenix for the summer at an internship and if all worked out, he would land a half hour to an hour after us. Unfortunately, his flight was delayed, and our flight was early. (With the two-hour time difference, it was already 11 pm. If we waited it would be 1 am with a two hour drive up to the mountains.)
My son took an Uber to my cousin’s house in Aurora and then went up to the mountains the next day with my cousin’s family.
In the meantime, we drove up to the mountains. Vail is a two-hour drive from Denver airport. Basically, you take I70 all the way into the mountains. The drive during the day is magnificent. As you get close to the Eisenhower tunnel, you start to see the Rocky Mountains. After the tunnel, you are surrounded by the mountains. We drove to Vail at night, so we didn’t see anything. It was just dark on the windy road to Vail.
We got to the hotel around 11:30 pm, local time, and drove up to the Westin Riverfront Hotel and Spa at Beaver Creek Mountain. The hotel was massive. It had a grand entrance with two fireplaces and big picturesque windows that looked onto the mountains.
The check in was easy and as we were checking in the bride and groom were there with their friends. They screamed our names. They were so excited to see us. It felt nice.
After that, we went up to our rooms on the fourth floor. My husband and I had one room and my daughter, her boyfriend and my son (when he got up there) took the second room. Both rooms faced the Rocky Mountains. Our room had a small balcony.
At the Westin, the rooms were nice sized. Both rooms had a king bed, a pull out couch, a small kitchen area equipped with a mini fridge, grill and microwave. There was also a large desk in the room. The bathroom was large as well, with a stall shower (with a rain showerhead), a soaking tub and two sinks. Lined with marble the bathroom was clean and fresh looking.
We were happy with the quality of the rooms and the service we received from the Westin. I could see myself staying there for a week taking advantage of their pilates studio, yoga studio and full gym. They even had an Olympic sized pool with two lanes for laps! The pool was awesome, it was salt water based. There were also three large hot tubs.
The property sat on the river with a beautiful running/cycling trail that was adjacent to the River. They had maps for hiking trails, stand up paddle boats and more. There wasn’t a lack of things to do there.
When we awoke the next day, Saturday, we met up with my cousins for breakfast. It was great to catch up with them before the hecticness of the wedding.
We stayed at the pool and I swam laps. Little did I realize that the altitude was nearly 9,000 feet, it was hard to swim 50 yards! I was all out of breath.
That afternoon, when my son arrived, we went to Vail to see some of the Go Pro X-Games. That was so much fun, but so incredibly hot. I couldn’t believe the heat. It was 90 + degrees and you felt it. We walked around the booths and I saw some of the brands I knew from the triathlon world.
Saturday night, we attended a lovely rehearsal dinner at a country club about two exits away. It was lovely being out near a golf course.
The next day, I got up early and took a run on the running path. I loved it. It was tough running because of the altitude. So, knowing that, I took it very easy.
The rest of the day, we spent by the lap pool and the hot tubs. It was so relaxing to look out, see the roaring river and the outrageous mountains that surrounded us.
The wedding was just as magical as the weekend, even more so! It took place outside right above the river and set with the mountains as a backdrop. Brittany, my cousin’s daughter, looked beautiful. She wore a mermaid bridal dress with gorgeous lace. She looked like a bridal model. She was that beautiful.
During the ceremony, the rabbi said a prayer for the people who were deceased and I know Mindy, my cousin, meant it for my sister who recently passed.
At the reception, we danced the traditional “horah” and then the Maid of Honor, Erin, Brittany’s sister read a beautiful tribute to her sister. She was followed up by the Best Man who was hysterical. The entire wedding was laughing.
Dick, Brittany’s dad, prepared a fantastic speech to his daughter. It put tears in my eyes when he spoke about my sister and how they all wish she was there.
I’m very close to my cousin, who I always called my other sister. I am so blessed to have her and her family in my life. This was an incredible wedding, but mostly it was an incredible weekend with family.
