You can take the wedding out of Texas, but you can't take the Texas out of the wedding. At least not when the bride and groom are Lone Star natives and die-hard football fans who can't turn down anything with a pair of antlers — and when it comes to this sophisticated ranch affair, that's a major compliment.
Madison and Dietrich bonded over football: He played with her brother at Rice University, and they met at a post-Rose Bowl dinner. In early 2013, he brought Madison back to campus to propose right on the quad, where it all began. Ten months later, in July 2013, the couple flew their Texan friends and family to a Greuner Ranch, a breathtaking mountain property in Telluride, Colorado, for a relaxed, fun-filled wedding weekend. Their indoor-outdoor bash included bright, modern details, football chants, plus some of the greatest mountain views in the Rockies.
Check out more pictures from their sophisticated Western wedding below!
"The first time I started to see my vision for the wedding come to life was when we designed our invitations," Madison says. A Dallas-based designer created a custom antler monogram for the suite, which Madison and Dietrich used as inspiration for their entire reception.
Madison went with a strapless, figure-flattering Vera Wang gown featuring satin and tulle, plus a glam rhinestone belt. She didn't tell anyone other than her mother and sister which dress she chose — who doesn't love a surprise?
A bright green-and-white bouquet of hydrangeas and peonies (the same flowers as Madison's) popped against her bridesmaids' slate gray chiffon gown. Dietrich wore a classic charcoal gray suit, complete with Rice University cuff links.
Against the awe-inspiring views of Wilson Peak (it's the same mountain you'll find on every can of Coors beer), Madison and Dietrich kept the decor at their traditional outdoor ceremony simple. Planters filled with white hydrangeas lined the wooden aisle, and a cross covered in moss and lanterns adorned the altar. Madison brought her officiant and ceremony musicians from her hometown church in Fort Worth, and she and Dietrich exchanged traditional religious vows.
"I chose to get married in Telluride because I love the mountains and the outdoors," Madison says. They chose Greuner Ranch, a local family-owned property, because it had no time limit on event. "We knew having a wedding over July Fourth weekend meant guests would want to throw down until the wee hours," says the bride. And that they did: The couple didn't depart the dance floor until 3 AM.
It took Madison months to settle on a wedding theme. "From the beginning I knew I wanted my wedding colors to be green and chartreuse, but I didn't know much more than that." But once she saw the silver antler monogram on her suite, it all came together. "The antler became the brand of our wedding, and I incorporated it into several different elements of the reception," she says. The motif referenced both her and Dietrich's life in Texas and his love of hunting. Also, the sculptural silver mixed beautifully with the vintage furniture, candles, lanterns, and moss that they sprinkled throughout their tented bash.
For their main course, guests dug into grilled elk short loin (or, for more surf- than turf-minded diners, sea bass), from The Butcher and the Baker, a Telluride caterer who uses local and fresh produce. Their signature cocktail? Margaritas. "Down in Texas we love our tequila!" Madison says.
The couple supplemented their three-tier lemon-and-raspberry cake with a groom's pie bar, to honor Dietrich's powerlessness in the face of pecan pie.
Madison and Dietrich's first priority, above all else, was to show their guests a good time. "At the end of the day you're getting to marry your best friend, so have fun!" she says.
Ceremony and Reception Site: Greuner Ranch || Wedding Planner: Wendy Jacobs Hampton of Telluride Soiree || Gown: Vera Wang || Shoes: Jimmy Choo || Veil: Warren Barron || Bridesmaids' Dresses: Watters || Jewelry: Tom Binns || Hair: Shayla Wilkes at YX Salon || Makeup: Carmen Wolcott || Groomsmen's Attire: Jos. A. Bank || Invitations: Rhonda Warren, Color Box Letter Press || Florist: Frannie Aura at New Leaf Design || Catering: The Butcher and the Baker || Photographer: Helen Byrd
