Maggie + Eric | Rustic Denver Wedding

Maggie and Eric met in college at Ave Maria University, where they had many mutual friends and went on a single date before graduation, yet Maggie was hesitant to enter into a new relationship right as her post-college life was unfolding. Eric persisted through her discernment, eventually sitting Maggie down and saying, "You don't have any more cards to play." That night, two weeks before they were handed their diplomas, Maggie and Eric started their relationship and began dating long-distance after school ended.

Eric is a Wyoming native and Maggie is from Colorado--two states whose wild, natural beauty is a big part of their identities. Their shared love of the outdoors led to a devotion to Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, and Eric chose Frassati's feast day, July 4, to propose. There were fireworks. Literally.

On the night of July 4th, Maggie and Eric spent the evening watching the Independence Day fireworks over Lake Estes in Colorado. At the end of the show, Eric pulled out a big, wrapped box and said it was a belated birthday present Inside was a beautiful music box handcrafted by Eric, that played "Ave Maria" The music box was empty, but once the song started playing, he knelt and pulled a ring from his pocket.

From the Bride: Eric and I deeply desired that our day focus wholly on the sacramental foundation of marriage, which is so intimately captured in the Mass and has really set the tone for our life together.

The Church where our Mass was held was a call to the beautiful and beyond: the stone, the stained glass, and the sprawling aisle elevated the spirit towards a higher calling. We were also fortunate enough to employ a beautiful choir that truly captured the essence of the liturgy and music. Eric and I really wanted the cello to anchor the music, and it was accompanied by the incredible pipe organ, along with violins and 10+ angelic voices. It felt like a part of heaven came down to earth during that hour in the Church.

We feel so indebted to our photographer, because we are able to remember that day so vividly and through such beautiful lenses. It felt huge that she was Catholic, because she was really able to hone in on the sacrament, the beauty of the church, and the details of the nuptials that might otherwise be missed.

An extraordinary moment for us was when our bridal party surprised us with a commissioned icon of Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati, written by Vivian Imbruglia of Sacred Image Icons. We were able to place the icon on the altar during the nuptial Mass and have it blessed by our priest after the ceremony.

My dress was very simple, and I really didn't spend a lot of time searching for the "perfect" one. I just found one I loved. My mom had remembered a little lace boutique she'd found when she was engaged over 30 years ago. It happened to still be in business, so we decided that my mom would make my veil and add some additional details to the dress. We found some vintage Venetian lace there that we added to the waist of the dress and used for the veil. That is what made my dress so precious to me: my mom spent countless hours (and rosaries) creating my veil and matching it to the dress, making it one of a kind.

Our reception venue used to be the old steel and ironwork's factory for the city of Denver, dating back to 1897, which added a lot of character and unique detail. One of my favorite parts of the venue was walking into the building as we were announced for the first time as "Mr. and Mrs. Maslak," because all of our guests were looking down on us from the floor above. We started our first dance right away with a little-known Lumineers song called "Falling," and it really set the tone for a fun evening ahead.

We look back with such gratitude on our wedding day, because what stands out to us isn't the details we had spent the majority of our time planning--it was that we gave each other a sacrament in marriage, which has been a comfort and a stronghold for us during our first year as newlyweds.

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Maggie + Eric | Rustic Denver Wedding

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