Cottonwood Package
The wedding of Dylan and Lisa was bound to CU Boulder where they met. The day started at the best hotel in Boulder, the St. Julien where the bride, groom and families were gathered before the ceremony getting ready. There were tears, kisses, champagne and a most beautiful bride, Lisa got into her dress surrounded by her enthusiastic bridal party and both her Dad, Mother and soon-to-be Mother-in-Law.
The ceremony was held at one of the prettiest churches I’ve ever been to, the Sacred Heart of Mary in Boulder. The priest was the uncle of the groom. He had flown in from the East Coast to perform the ceremony for the couple and if he ever wants to start a career as a stand-up comedian I would endorse him. The ceremony was fun and playful and although his sister, the MOG took the brunt of some of the jokes during the ceremony, she revealed it was her baby brother and we all nodded in understanding.
The wedding party then jumped into their party bus and I met them at Chautauqua for photographs. The bride and groom had picked this iconic spot to show themselves as husband and wife for the first time. The weather cooperated for about 15 minutes and then it started to really downpour. We snuck in as many photos as we could and then we headed to the reception spot, the Arrow Touchdown Club overlooking CU Boulder’s Folsom Field. We got some fun photographs in the rain and then finally we got 5 minutes of sun and we got the groom, Dylan and his groomsmen snapping the ball on their favorite teams field. They were such hard core CU Boulder fans they even got Ralphie (the buffalo mascot) to show up! Unfortunately because of the rain he didn’t run, but everybody was thrilled with her presence, including me!
The reception brought heart felt toasts, a lot of tears and some beautiful dancing followed by a lively party that lasted well into the night.
I highly recommend her for anything - especially family photos. She was prompt and very easy to communicate with as well.
She gave our family a treasure we will always have and will continue to share with generations to come of our family in our favorite place.
She delivered the photos for us on time, and we are ecstatic with how almost all of them came out.
We'd recommend Gretchen to anyone!
From the beginning, Gretchen made us feel comfortable, supported, and genuinely excited about our wedding photos. On the day of the wedding, she was professional, organized, patient, and incredibly kind. She knew exactly how to guide us while still allowing every moment to feel natural and personal. We never felt rushed or overly posed, and she made it easy for us to relax, enjoy ourselves, and stay fully present.
Gretchen captured every meaningful detail—from the beautiful mountain setting and ceremony to the orchids, décor, reception, first dance, and all the candid moments with our closest friends and family. She didn’t just photograph how our wedding looked; she captured how it felt. Every image reflects the love, joy, elegance, and emotion of the day.
Looking through our photos allows us to relive those memories all over again. We are so grateful to Gretchen for giving us something we will cherish for the rest of our lives. Her talent, attention to detail, warmth, and ability to capture genuine emotion are truly exceptional.
We could not recommend Gretchen Troop more highly to any couple looking for an amazing wedding photographer. Thank you, Gretchen, for preserving the perfect beginning to our married life so beautifully!
—Brandi & Mike Crawford
There's a little button that says that I can add photos and so I went through our album again looking to select a few that could capture our experience but A. THERE ARE SO MANY. She is not kidding when she tells you this, even for an elopement style wedding! B. They are so personal. I cry every time I look at them, with joy. She gave me everything I wanted and more - moments, emotions, scenery, candids of my guests, stills of a time that I can never recreate or get back.
So I'll leave you with my rainbow picture. It was my one bridal ask, that my guests wear solid colors, since we weren't going to have decoration at our venue. They could be the decoration. I got the idea online and maybe someone else can use it too!
There are many talented photographers out there. There are few where talent, professionalism, kindness, decades of experience and success can all be packaged with that feel that they still love what they do. Gretchen has not gotten stale over time in her work, where instead her work and the experience she brings have become priceless.
Her friendly and approachable demeanor makes working with her an absolute joy. She has a remarkable talent for capturing the small details, the emotions of the audience, and the magic of music through her lens. Each photo perfectly reflects the energy and essence of our performances, helping us tell our story and connect with our fans.
The amount of high-quality content we receive for our investment is exceptional, making her work an incredible value and a key part of our marketing efforts. We highly recommend Gretchen to anyone looking for a skilled and dependable photographer. We’ll definitely continue working with her for our future productions. Thank you, Gretchen, for your talent and dedication—you help us shine!

