Cottonwood Package
Morgan & Max had their wedding on the Summer Solstice at the Flagstaff House overlooking Boulder on Flagstaff Mountain. Morgan was a waitress at Blues & Greens where I worked as a singer when she first moved to Boulder. Through social media we had kept in touch and when she contacted me after her engagement I was thrilled to be a part of their wedding and capture their wedding day for them. Flagstaff House is one of the best restaurants in the country and in my opinion, one of the top 3 in Colorado. Flagstaff House has won the Wine Spectator Grand Award every year since 1983 and are listed as one of OpenTable’s 100 Most Romantic Restaurants in America… so a perfect place for some foodies in love to have their wedding!
The wedding day started at the equally opulent St. Julien Hotel just down the hill from Flagstaff House in Boulder. Morgan got ready in a room with an amazing view of Boulder’s iconic Flatirons. I started the morning by taking advantage of that gorgeous view and captured a photo of the bride and all of her bridesmaids in front of the Flatirons. After hair and make-up were finished, Morgan got into her absolutely stunning Pronovias Rocio wedding dress that she got at Emma & Grace Bridal Studio. The dress had tiny buttons all down the sheer back that her bridesmaids worked diligently to secure. Once Morgan was fully buttoned into her dress, her mother walked in and when she saw how beautiful Morgan looked she burst into tears.
After a quick run up the mountain to Flagstaff House the ceremony began at about 11:00am on the back deck. The ceremony only lasted about 10 minutes and was full of tears and joy as Morgan’s aunt officiated. The Ricardo Pena Band did an amazing job of easily flowing through every kind of song that could be desired for a wedding day. Being a Boulder wedding, I was happy to have so many connections at this wedding. I photographed Ricardo Pena’s wedding and Mark Diamond, his bass player, was a pivotal member of my band as well. I of course had the best meal I’ve ever had at a wedding in Colorado. After some emotional and fun first dances, including the groom and his Mom doing the Pulp Fiction dance to Pharrell’s “Happy”, everybody left the Flagstaff House by 3pm so that they could prepare for their nightly service.
To finish off their wedding day, the couple, Morgan’s father and I headed up to the top of Flagstaff to Lost Gulch Overlook for some quick couple photographs and some of Morgan and her Dad. Morgan has now officially won “The Greatest Bride Goat of Boulder” as she navigated Lost Gulch’s craggy rocks in 5-inch Jimmy Choo heels!
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.
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
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!
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!

