Katie & Jake’s
Castle Rock Wedding at the Douglas County Fairgrounds

Katie & Jake | Douglas County Fairgrounds & Castle Rock Wedding
Colorado Wedding Photographer

Katie & Jake’s Wedding at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Castle Rock, CO last Labor Day weekend was one I soon won’t forget. I first met Katie through a Wedding Facebook group for people to buy and sell used wedding items. After chatting back and forth through email, we decided to meet in person at a local coffee shop. I also was able to finally meet Jake and hear all about their relationship.

Katie & Jake actually grew up together, but didn’t actually know each other until they were older. Their families knew each other well, which is typical when you grow up in a small town. They both also were very involved in the local 4H Club that was held at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. Hence, the reason why they chose that place to have their wedding. It held a special place in their hearts since they both spent so much time there.

Katie & Jake are a fun-loving and adventurous couple. I could tell that their families played an important role in their lives and they both came from large families. Their siblings were also very involved in the wedding with many of them serving as bridesmaids and groomsmen.

The day started off with everyone getting ready at Jake’s parent’s ranch in Castle Rock. Katie and her bridesmaids hid out upstairs, while Jake and the guys hung out in the basement. The fun part was that the basement walked out to the backyard area where Jake regularly did some clay pigeon shooting. We got some good shots of Jake taking a shot at one while waiting to leave for the wedding (see below).

As the guys were having fun with that, Katie and the girls were upstairs getting ready. Katie wanted to do a first look with her bridesmaids so we made them all hide out in the laundry room so she could get dressed. Her mom helped her get into her dress and lace up the corset. Once she was ready, we had the girls come back out in to the main room. They all looked like they were going to cry (especially her sister) once they saw how beautiful Katie looked in her gown.

The ceremony took place at the small amphitheater next to Kirk Hall at the Douglas County Fairgrounds. Almost everything was DIY’d including the table decor, palette signs, corn hole boards, and large photo wall made from palettes and decorated with tons of family photos. The weather was typical Colorado weather which was sunny and not a single cloud in the sky. Luckily it wasn’t super hot. The couple said their vows and had a unity ceremony by building a cross that will be displayed in their home. Once the officiant announced them as husband and wife, the groomsmen decided to surprise them by spraying them both with silly string.

After the ceremony we took family and wedding party photos. We had the entire fairgrounds to ourselves and were able to go over to the stables and arena area. After the was couple’s portraits and Katie, Jake, Nicole (my 2nd photographer), and I jumped in my car and headed to Downtown Castle Rock. It’s a cute little strip only a few minutes away from the fairgrounds and were able to get some fun shots in front of the city building and a few other places before heading back to Kirk Hall to get the party started. Most of the guests (if not all of them) probably new every step to every line dance possible. It was fun watching them all have a great time.

At the end of the night, I managed to sneak Katie & Jake outside to get a great shot of them in front of the Douglas County Fairgrounds sign. Since it was such a special place for them I wanted to make sure they had something to commemorate the night. After some more dancing they ended the night with a sparkler send off. It was a great way to end the perfect day for them.

Katie & Jake, I am beyond happy that I got to be there to witness the beginning of your next chapter. Thank you so much for being so incredible and I hope each day together gets better and better. Cheers to many more decades of love and happiness!