Aspen Magazine

Happy first day of Spring! J and I were engaged one year ago today. 

You can click and zoom on the pic for the article... or I included it below. A better digital version of this page to replace the above photo is coming soon–– but I couldn't wait!  Aspenmagazine.com for a copy. 

Kindred Spirits

Astrid Parker & Julian Kirschenbaum

 Who? A pair of high school sweethearts from Cleveland who met at a school dance at age 15. They moved to Aspen straight out of college, Astrid working as a yoga instructor at O2 Aspen, Julian as a ski instructor for Aspen Skiing Company. The two now live in San Diego (while Julian attends Law School) but hope to return to Aspen as soon as an opportunity arises.

Where? The Ceremony took place at Ajax’s summit, with cocktails at the Aspen Mountain Club and dinner and dancing at the Sundeck–– all catered by The Little Nell.

What? A three-day extravaganza with a different theme for each day: Aspen Chic, Rustic Elegance, and Wild West. Thanks to the faultless planning of Astrid’s mother and events planner Jason Burns, Astrid claims that her engagement and wedding were one hundred percent stress-free.

            Aspen Chic materialized as an evening of pure glitz and glam at the Nell–– mountains of caviar, free-flowing champagne, an oxygen bar, a huge floating monogram in the pool, and fabulous fireworks to round off the night.

            Rustic Elegance, being the big day, demanded classic black-tie elegance on top of the mountain, with a dreamlike palette of creams and pinks coupled with sheer white cloth draping and tea-light chandeliers. However, the bride’s stunning pink, cream, pale yellow, and gold plaid dress kept things fresh and unpredictable.

            At the start of the ceremony, a fox came right up to the couple and quietly watched their nuptials from start to finish before scampering off into the backcountry, at which point Julian turned to the congregation and said, “Astrid is one foxy lady!” The newlyweds believe that the animal was the spirit of those who had recently passed–– Astrid’s father and Julian’s grandfather–– coming back to join them for their special day.

            The final day, with its Wild West theme, threw formality to the wind with a boot-scootin’ hoedown at the T-Lazy-7 Ranch. But the lowering of the pomp certainly didn’t equate to a lowering of standards: a well-known bluegrass group, Ryan Shupe & the Rubberband, kept the party alive well into the night.