Aspen Package:
Giulia and her mother, Ana found me at the Estes Park Wedding Show at the beginning of 2022. Their wedding was at a new venue for me, TPC Colorado located in Berthoud, Colorado on the plains with a beautiful view of the mountains. Since they weren’t getting married in Estes Park we decided to do their engagement photographs in Rocky Mountain National Park. Even though Ryan and Giulia both grew up in Colorado they hadn’t spent any time at RMNP, so we spent a fun day exploring the park and all of it’s amazing locations.
Their wedding was large, with over 250 guests and I had a wonderful time working with Pink Diamond Events (now Aspen & Ivy) in planning it out for the couple. A week before the wedding, Giulia’s Mom Ana, had a medical crisis and thankfully recovered quickly enough to be at her daughter’s wedding. It was a very emotional week for both families who are already very close.
The wedding was a joyful celebration from start to finish with many members of Giulia’s family coming from Brazil to attend. The bridesmaids got ready in a lovely bridal prep room with great light and the men got ready by going to a golf simulator. They also got ready in a very cool looking room that was VERY hot. Giulia looked absolutely stunning in her chic satin dress with buttons down the back from A&B Bridal from the Made with Love Collection. Giulia and Ryan held hands briefly in a First Touch and then turned to see each other both looking amazing for their wedding day. The couple then wandered out into the greens to have Private Vows, these were some of my favorite photos of the day and it was such a beautiful way to start your wedding day together.
The weather the entire day was magical. All along the Front Range there were lightning storms, thunderclaps, flood warnings and barely a drop fell at the wedding site. The storm clouds made for a striking backdrop during the ceremony though! Their videographer was Jonathan from Schroeder Media and he was fantastic to work with! He captured some of that lightning behind the couple on video.
After an emotional ceremony and toasts, including one by Giulia’s Mom that had the entire wedding on their feet, the party got started… and they were not messing around with it! Ryan is a long-time lacrosse player and an alumni of the University of Denver’s lacrosse team who is now an assistant coach there, so there were many lacrosse playing guests. The alcohol was flowing when they all decided to throw both Ryan and Giulia in the air during the dance party, hosted by the outstanding DJ, Leonard Kiel with Colorado Sounds.
At the end of the night the couple did an exit down the large staircase surrounded by family and friends all holding large sparklers and they were off towards their newlywed life.
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!
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!
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

