Cold Hands, Warm Hearts at the Loveland Valentine’s Day Group Wedding

By Carrie Stadtmueller

Northern Colorado might have had temperatures below zero on Valentine’s day, but there were plenty of warm hearts full of love at the 2021 Loveland Valentine’s Day Group Wedding, presented by My Big Day Marketing & Events.

Couples from all over Northern Colorado and beyond braved the cold weather to celebrate their love at this annual event. This year’s wedding included 17 couples who were tying the knot for the first time!  

While wildly successful and full of fun, this event was a case study in why wedding couples should always consider hiring an event planner or event planning team!

Things don’t always go as planned
The original ceremony was supposed to take place among the statues and sculptures at the Chapungu Sculpture Park. However, sub-zero temperatures forced MBD Marketing & Events to make the difficult decision to move the 4pm and 5pm ceremonies indoors. This decision was made out of abundance of caution for the participants’ safety and health.

Right before the 4pm ceremony was set to start, an unfamiliar sound interrupted the mic checks and check-in process - the sound of rushing water. The cold weather had produced frozen pipes and a water main break in the front of the store that had been converted into the wedding venue! The MBD Marketing & Events team jumped into “bucket brigade” mode, and kept the registration area from flooding until the facilities crew and Loveland Fire Department could get the break under control. The team and crews worked so quickly and quietly, that many of the wedding couples were unaware of the emergency!

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Plan B is for Beautiful
Decorations, hearts, and lights helped to transform the old New York & Co. store into a beautiful wedding chapel. Couples were ushered in and directed to their socially distanced ceremony spots by the smooth sounds of local musician, Branden Sipes.

Todd Harding served as the Officiant for both ceremonies. Couples shared their personal wedding vows among thoughtful wisdom and romantic readings during the ceremonies.
Some couples shared vows for the first time, while others renewed their original vows from 40 year prior! 

At the end of the ceremony, Todd pronounced the couples as married or still married, and the celebration moved out in front of the store where event partner, On The Rocks Mobile Bar - and plenty of mobile heaters, were waiting to offer each of the couples a congratulatory toast, complete with signature cocktails!

A Team Effort
This event wouldn’t have been possible without the partnership and cooperation of a team of individuals and organizations.

Special thanks goes out to our event hosts and vendors:

• Chapungu Sculpture Park
• The Promenade Shops at Centerra
• Visit Loveland
• FYN PR
• The Loveland Chamber of Commerce
• Exposure Selfie - Photo booth
• Jen West Photography
• On The Rocks Mobile Bar
• The City of Loveland
• Todd Harding - Ordained Officiant​
• Branden Sipes - Musician
• Danny Dodge - outdoor photos
• Rythm EFX -pyrotechnics

We hope to see you in 2022!