After Casey Park and James Winebrake connected on The League and went out on their first date on the Upper East Side, they ended up walking each other home—discovering they only had one block between them. Four years later, James surprised Casey with a birthday trip to San Francisco, where he ended up on one knee on Mount Tamalpais—one of their favorite spots. “There was no one around us by the edge of the mountain and a photographer hiding in the corner,” Casey recalls. “We spent the next few days visiting our favorite wineries and celebrating our engagement in Napa Valley, Sonoma, and St. Helena.”
Once engaged, the pair decided to host their wedding in Aspen, where they went on their first ski trip together. “Despite our wedding venue, Pine Creek Cookhouse, being a remote location—30-minute drive from town—I thought it would be truly a stunning place where everyone would be awed by its natural beauty,” the bride explains. “I loved the ceremony meadow, which was located in a valley surrounded by Aspen trees in front of jaw-dropping mountains.”
Over The Moon Top Photographer Olivia Rae James was the first vendor Casey booked. “I’ve loved her work since forever, and I’m so happy I got to work with her,” the bride gushes. Jessica Gillespie of White Birch Weddings flawlessly planned everything. And OTM Top Illustrator Stephanie Fishwick created an one-of-a-kind invitation suite to set the tone for the weekend.
Aesthetically, Casey wanted something classic, timeless, and traditional with understated elegance. “I only used green and white for flowers, white linen chalky tablecloths, traditional silver silverware, woven baskets, silver julep cups, and glass hurricanes,” she shares. “Kate Martin from Beautiful Days did an amazing job bringing my vision to life.”
At the welcome party at Hotel Jerome, Casey wore an open-back, lace The Vampire’s Wife dress with Jessica McCormack pearl and diamond hoop earrings, which she got at the jeweler’s London flagship. “Pearl is my birthstone, so I definitely wanted to include it throughout the wedding weekend,” the bride says.
For her walk down the aisle, Casey chose a Carolina Herrera dress. “I’ve been shopping at the flagship store on Madison Avenue for years, and the team there has been so incredible that I didn’t think to go anywhere else,” the bride shares. Casey had a dress purchased, but six months before saying I do, she couldn’t stop thinking about an earlier design, and said yes to an off-the-shoulder dress with long sleeves. “It felt extra special because the dress was part of Carolina Herrera’s last bridal collection and is named ‘Sarah,’ which is the name of one of my bridesmaids/closest friends. According to the sales associate, I was the only bride to purchase that gown!”
Jess and Malle of Gambuti Robson Hair and Makeup gave Casey a natural bridal beauty look, using her own Westman Atelier blush and highlighter. “Ever since I was little, I knew I wanted my wedding day hair to be in a sleek low bun,” Casey says. “I paired it with a simple tulle veil from Noon on the Moon.”
Bridesmaids got ready with Casey in Hill House Home robes that the bride gifted them. The maid of honor (Casey’s younger sister) stood out elegantly in a tulle blue Huishan Zhang dress, while the other members of the bridal party looked beautiful in Agua by Agua Bendita. A custom pair of pearl and diamond studs from Betteridge, gifted to the bride by her mother, and Aquazzura platforms complemented Casey’s ceremony dress. Then during the reception, Casey changed into an Alexander McQueen crepe dress.
On the morning-of, James got ready with his groomsmen and donned a custom Ralph Lauren Purple Label tuxedo with loafers by Belgian Shoes.
About 70 guests gathered outdoors for the intimate ceremony on June 10, 2023. “My zodiac sign is cancer, so I knew I would be very emotional and crying the whole way down the aisle leading up to the ceremony,” Casey reflects. “My dad, who always kept things light, kept on telling me that I shouldn’t cry since it was such a happy and joyous day, but I cried my whole way down.”
One of James’s close friends officiated the service, and the couple recited their own vows. “We laughed and cried throughout the ceremony. We also had James’s grandmother come up and read a passage from the Bible that meant a lot to James’s family,” Casey shares. “James also surprised me with an eternity band when it was time for us to exchange rings. I thought he was going to hand me a simple, ultra-thin, gold band we had initially planned, but he got me a cushion-cut eternity band that matched perfectly with my engagement ring.”
At their reception, the newlyweds danced with their amazing deejay, Greg Garman. “Most weddings we’ve been to had a live band, but no one really danced, so we made it our priority to get an amazing deejay who would keep us on the dance floor the whole time,” Casey states. “I didn’t get to have any of the desserts because we never left the dance floor! Everyone—including James’s grandfather and our parents—danced the night away!”
Once Casey returned to the reception in her second look, James surprised her with a video filled with photos he had taken of Casey and their relationship and a recording of him singing “Hard to Concentrate” by Red Hot Chili Peppers, one of their favorite bands. “The video made everyone cry and laugh. The last few slides included photos of me passed out on his shoulders from many of our trips together,” Casey smiles. “I don’t think I’ve ever watched anything more beautiful.”
“The bus back from Pine Creek Cookhouse was a blast,” Casey remembers. “Our bus had one of Jamie’s friends deejay the whole ride, so we had an impromptu karaoke party. Another bus’s aux cord didn’t work, so our guests had an impromptu acapella concert, which we only found out about the day after our wedding.” Their destination was the private back room of the local bar Silver City. “We closed the place down.”
