For a Dallas girl who had never lived too far from home, a destination wedding in Colorado might seem like an unexpected choice. But for MaryMichael and Austin, The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs checked every box: beautiful mountain views, incredible hospitality, easy logistics, and, most importantly, a place where their closest friends and family could spend an entire weekend together.
The result was a wedding weekend that felt less like a single event and more like an extended celebration: intimate moments for the couple, meaningful details woven throughout the weekend, a beautiful tented reception, and a dance floor that never seemed to stop.
From Dallas to Colorado
MaryMichael grew up in Dallas, attended Highland Park, and later went to the University of Texas before returning home after college. The youngest of three, she always knew her family would play a special role in her wedding, and that became especially true as her parents’ youngest daughter prepared to get married.
She and Austin met through the world of commercial real estate. Although they worked for different firms, they specialized in the same asset class and crossed paths through a national real estate training program, where Austin served as a teaching assistant. The two first met at one of the program’s social gatherings.
They didn’t start dating right away. In fact, it would be nearly two years before their relationship shifted from friendship to something more. In the meantime, they stayed in touch, grabbing coffee, exchanging market knowledge, and naturally remaining part of each other’s lives. Eventually, those conversations turned into dates, and the rest became history.
A Proposal in Fort Worth
Their engagement took place at The Drover in Fort Worth after a particularly hectic spring. The couple had been talking about taking a little getaway, just the two of them, to escape the craziness of work and their social calendars. Austin booked the stay, and MaryMichael had no idea he had something else planned.
Or so she thought.
When they arrived, the couple began exploring the property. That’s when MaryMichael spotted a woman standing by a fence with a huge camera. Her immediate thought? He’s about to propose. Except he wasn’t, the woman was simply taking photographs..
“I got my hopes up, and then I was like, oh my goodness, it is not happening. Why would I even think that?” she remembers.
She even texted her best friend and her Mom afterward, telling them she felt ridiculous for thinking the proposal was happening.
And then, later that evening, it actually did!
The couple spent the first few hours of their engagement completely alone, having drinks and dinner and soaking in the moment before returning to Dallas the next day to celebrate with family and friends. For MaryMichael, that quiet time together was one of the best parts. Even when you know a proposal is coming, she says, the emotion is overwhelming. Having a few hours to simply be together, and to hear how Austin had asked her parents and learn about the planning behind the proposal, made the moment even more meaningful.
Why The Broadmoor?
The couple’s destination wedding inspiration came from an unlikely place: a friend’s wedding in Florida. MaryMichael’s former roommate had gotten married at a resort where nearly everyone attending stayed on the property. What she loved most was the ease of it, guests didn’t have to coordinate transportation or figure out where everyone was staying. They were simply together.
That was exactly what she wanted. But there was one problem: neither MaryMichael nor Austin is particularly drawn to a beach wedding. Both are fair-skinned, neither loves sitting in the sun, and the mountains felt much more like them. Even their honeymoon involved four days of hiking.
So they started looking at Colorado. MaryMichael discovered The Broadmoor online and suggested it to Austin, who fell in love with the property, especially its golf courses. MaryMichael loved the grounds, the weather, and the ease of getting there. With a direct flight to Colorado Springs and a short drive from the airport to the resort, the location solved the logistical concerns that had made other Colorado destinations less appealing.
A Weekend Built Around Being Together
One of the best parts of the wedding weekend was that almost everything happened on property. From the bridal luncheon to the rehearsal dinner to the welcome party, guests could walk from one event to the next, no Ubers, no coordinating rides, no figuring out transportation. Everyone was simply there. And that was exactly the point.
The Unexpected Moments
For a bride who describes herself as a “very Type A planner,” there weren’t many surprises during the wedding weekend. She knew the timeline. She knew what was coming next. She had likely accounted for every 30-minute increment.
But one of the sweetest surprises happened completely by accident.
Before their wedding weekend officially began, MaryMichael and Austin were waiting for a shuttle to take them to dinner at one of The Broadmoor’s mountain restaurants. They each had wedding gifts for the other and planned to exchange them at dinner. The shuttle was running late. While they waited, they realized they were standing right outside the location where they’d be married.
So they decided to exchange their gifts there instead. The delay that initially seemed like an inconvenience ended up creating one of the most intimate moments of the weekend.
Getting Ready With 14 Bridesmaids
MaryMichael had 14 bridesmaids, and she embraced the opportunity to make the getting-ready photos feel cohesive without making everyone look identical. Her bridesmaids wore white, while she incorporated a pop of green into her own look. She loved the choice even more after the wedding, when several of her friends sent her photos of themselves wearing their dresses again.
One of the most meaningful gifts came before the ceremony: her bridesmaids created a scrapbook filled with photographs and handwritten notes, each woman with her own page. The book now lives on MaryMichael’s bedside table. The bridesmaids also went in together on one shared wedding gift rather than giving individual presents, something MaryMichael could keep and think of all of them whenever she wore it.
The First Look and Private Vows
One of the emotional turning points of the day came when MaryMichael left the cottage where she had been getting ready. She remembers riding a golf cart to the first-look location and realizing she wasn’t going back, she was leaving to go to her wedding.
Then came Austin’s reaction. His face in the photographs says everything.
MaryMichael also chose to exchange private vows with Austin before the ceremony. She wanted to preserve the traditional vows for the ceremony itself but also wanted a private moment to make promises to each other without an audience.
A Meaningful Way to Honor a Friend
One of the most emotional elements of the ceremony was a tribute to one of Austin’s closest friends, who had passed away from cancer. He had been expected to stand beside Austin as a groomsman. The couple found a meaningful way to honor him: his wife, Randi, participated in the ceremony with a reading.
Then came a detail that felt almost too perfect. MaryMichael’s bridesmaids were all wearing green, and when she’d originally shared dress inspiration with her bridal party, she had included a particular green dress that no one ultimately chose. Two weeks before the wedding, Randi reached out, she had a green dress already and wanted to know if it would be okay to wear it.
It was the exact dress MaryMichael had included in her inspiration.
Randi arrived in Colorado wearing the same color as the bridesmaids, seamlessly becoming part of the wedding party and creating a beautiful visual reminder of the person who should have been there. For MaryMichael, it felt like one of those moments simply meant to happen, and was the perfect wink from God.
Creating a Dinner Party in the Mountains
When it came to the reception design, MaryMichael had one guiding idea: she wanted it to feel like a dinner party. She knew she wanted green, and from there, her Mom helped bring the vision to life. The tent was light, airy, and elegant, with layers of subtle details, a neutral dance floor, striped accents, lamps, florals, and carefully sourced tabletop pieces that made the space feel warm and inviting.
Much of the decor was sourced by MaryMichael and her Mom themselves. The two loved the process of finding pieces, comparing prices, and seeing what they could source on their own. At one point, their dining room became a staging area for tablescape experiments, with silver trays and tabletop details making their way from Dallas to Colorado in carloads and shipments.
“I don’t think it would have turned out how it did without my Mom,” MaryMichael says.
A Dance Floor Full of Energy
MaryMichael had always imagined that her girls might dominate the dance floor while the guys gathered around the bar. Instead, Austin’s friend group showed up in full force, sparking a little friendly competition between the two groups.
The bride and groom also made a conscious decision not to leave the dance floor. They knew that when they disappeared, the energy in the room changed, so they stayed out there, danced with their friends, and set the tone for the night. If you wanted to dance, you were going to dance. And judging by the photos, everyone got the memo.
A Team That Kept the Day Moving
With 19 groomsmen, 14 bridesmaids, family members, and a packed wedding-day timeline, getting everyone through portraits before the ceremony was no small task. The couple was running behind schedule, and MaryMichael was determined to have all of the photographs completed before the ceremony began. That’s where the John Cain Photography team really shined, MaryMichael remembered.
Ryan and the team quickly assessed the situation, efficiently worked through the shot list, and kept everyone moving without making the experience feel rushed.
“They were so efficient,” MaryMichael says. “The experience showed through in how they worked with the timeline. They were assertive, and it is hard to wrangle so many groomsmen, bridesmaids, and family, so needing that professionalism and direction was so appreciated.”
Despite starting behind, the team managed to get through the portraits with time to spare, actually creating a little buffer before the ceremony.
“Highly, highly recommend,” MaryMichael says.
A Weekend to Remember
From a proposal that almost happened a few hours before it actually did, to a destination chosen for its ease and togetherness, Michael and Austin’s wedding weekend was filled with moments that felt both carefully planned and wonderfully unexpected.
At the heart of it all was the same thing MaryMichael had wanted from the beginning: to bring everyone together. The Broadmoor gave them the setting. Their families and friends gave the weekend its energy. Her Mom helped bring the vision to life. Their wedding party filled the dance floor. And the little unexpected moments, the late shuttle, the green dress, the private vows, became some of the memories they’ll carry with them longest.
It wasn’t just a beautiful wedding. It was a weekend that felt like them.
