Blue Spruce + Video Package:
Sarah & Ryan booked my Blue Spruce + Video Package (a great package with a great crew) for their wedding at Mountainside Lodge at YMCA of the Rockies. I have worked at YMCA of the Rockies many times, taking photos of families, engagements and of course weddings. This was the only ceremony location that I hadn’t worked at and apparently I saved the best for last!
Mountainside Lodge itself is a large, storied cabin on the top of the hill with incredible views of the mountains in every direction. The character of the interior alone is something that I would like to explore for many more weddings. The ceremony is held just below the lodge at John Timothy Stone Mountainside Chapel with full views of the mountains behind the couple as they exchanged vows.
We had a splash of mountain weather just before the ceremony and then sun just as the ceremony ended. The bridal photo I got of Sarah is one of my favorites of the year. She wore a pink wedding dress that she looked absolutely stunning in, add mountains behind her and BAM! The options are endless up here for great places to take photos after the ceremony.
Their reception was held in an open pavilion with views on every side. Chris (on video) captured a lot of emotions from their parents during both the toasts and the first dances. Make sure to check out the videos below the photos on this page. Chris has been delivering both a highlight reel and an “Outtakes” reel and I have included both here.
The day ended with a gorgeous sunset shoot of the couple to finish this stunning summer mountain wedding.
Highlight Reel
Outtakes
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.
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!
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!

