Hadley Barlow and Griffin Olson met in the fall of their freshman year at the University of Denver, in chemistry lab, of all places. It was a fitting meet-cute—The couple realized they had chemistry of their own and began dating shortly after.
By 2022, eight years in and building a life together in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, they’d been talking about getting married quite a lot. Still, though, Hadley was taken by complete surprise when Griffin proposed. “We go on the same walk every morning with our dog, Wally, right by the famous More Barn,” Hadley says. “Griffin started walking way too fast and got way ahead of me, and that’s when I started to get suspicious. He got down on one knee right next to the barn.”
They planned for a long engagement and took their time with decisions. “We were torn between whether we wanted to get married back on the East Coast, where I grew up, or in Steamboat,” Hadley shares. “But we realized that we live in such a unique, special place, and wanted our family and friends to experience our home; it would be such a great representation of who we are as a couple. We met in Colorado and have been here for 10 years.”
With the expertise of their planner, Morgan Ashley Cox, the couple explored a variety of venues, looking for one they could truly make their own. “I loved that Catamount Ranch Club was a blank slate,” the bride says. “I had a very specific vision of the tent and vibe I wanted to build from the ground up, and Catamount was the best venue to do that at. I wanted the flowers to be the focal point of the day and was inspired by the colorful wildflowers you see around Colorado in the summer.”
Hadley worked with stylist Caroline Yonce to curate looks for the weekend that blended her own history of fashion. “Even though I’ve lived in Colorado for a while, I’ve held onto my East Coast style. I wanted to lean into the Western vibe while still staying true to my roots, and Caroline did a great job finding pieces that fit.” Her Georgia Young wedding dress beautifully nodded to both styles. “I wanted something simple and strapless, but [not] plain,” Hadley says. “This dress has such a cool fabric—it’s almost like mesh—and when it’s in the sun, it’s so beautiful and airy.” She paired it with Manolo Blahniks, pearl drop earrings, and natural glam by Gambuti Robson Hair & Makeup.
There was a dress change for the reception, and here’s where Hadley leaned into the cowboy vibes. “I changed into a dress from 16Arlington and customized boots from Miron Crosby,” she says. “I put my new initials on the heel on one side, and the number seven on the other heel; Griffin’s birthday is July 7, and we got married on the seventh. Griffin also wrote a custom note that they printed on the inside of the boots.” She plans to dye them brown for everyday wear post-wedding.
On September 7, 2024, Hadley walked down an extra-wide aisle lined with wildflower floral markers. “We opted for no ceremony arch, so that we could let the background speak for itself,” she says. Over The Moon Editor’s Pick Photographer Cat Galletti lensed the every special moment.
They chose upbeat music for their ceremony—the wedding party walked in to “Listen to the Music” by The Doobie Brothers—anticipating they’d need it to help calm their nerves. A dear family friend officiated. “We each shared our vows with her and gave her free reign to incorporate anything she wanted from them,” Hadley says “We both had no idea what she was going to use from it, and I loved how the way we feel about each other was represented in the ceremony. We walked back down the aisle to ‘Stuck in the Middle With You’ by Stealers Wheel, one of our favorite songs, to really set the tone for the rest of the night!”
With wildflowers as inspiration, floralist Alli J Creative transformed the blank slate tent into the reception space of Hadley and Griffin’s dreams. “Once we knew we were going that direction with the flowers, we had a lot of fun picking out rentals from Colorado Party Rentals and House of Wilde that complemented them so it didn’t feel overdone: the green wine glasses, the dark wood tables, the simple concrete bars in the tent,” Hadley says. “I loved the idea of blending East Coast colorful influence and the Western wildflowers—elevated, but still with a casual and relaxed feel.”
The bride got creative working with Rebekah Nicole Ink on a bevy of personalized paper items that tied everything together. “I wanted a lot of fun, personal touches to be woven into all the paper items,” Hadley says. “We showed her some of the checkered fabric we were going to use for tablecloths, and she was able to incorporate that into the menus and matchboxes.”
Following a delicious meal of summer berry salad, elk, trout, and vegetable gnocchi—plus strawberry cake from Katy Pierson—the newlyweds swung danced to “Still the One” and invited all their guests onto the floor. “Our friends and family packed the dance floor from start to finish,” Hadley says. “I really wanted our band, Great Family Reunion, to stick with upbeat oldies, and they nailed it! One of my favorite moments was crowd surfing with my new husband.”
The night was capped with an after-party at Old Town Pub, where the couple had celebrated after getting engaged in 2023. They booked rock cover band The Fuzzheads to perform and had late-night food waiting for everyone. “It was so energetic and a highlight of the whole night.”
