Casey Maynard met Jenna Muns while coaching intramural football at Abilene Christian University in Abilene, Texas. Jenna joined Casey's team and felt an immediate attraction to him. "I was a freshman and he was a senior," remembers Jenna of their first introduction. "I thought he was so cute!" Compatibility on the field played into Jenna and Casey's success as a couple, and later that year their friendship turned into romance while together on a ski trip in snowy Aspen. The bride and groom continued to date for almost three years after Casey graduated from college and moved to Dallas to begin a new job. On February 1, 2007, the groom surprised Jenna on campus where they first met, and proposed. The bride remembers, "He decorated my entire room with flowers and it was wonderful! I had no idea!"
Eager to become husband and wife, the newly engaged couple planned the details of their destination wedding in six short months with the help of Jenna's mother and CYMBIDIUM event designers Robyn Wise and Morgan Flowers. Jenna and Casey felt that it would be most meaningful for them to host their wedding in Aspen where their courtship officially began. Fate presented them with the last available date -- June 30 -- to accommodate a celebration for 250 guests at the Roaring Fork Club in Aspen.
Jenna and Casey paid special attention to each detail of their wedding in order to create a rustic-style celebration at the venue that reflected their shared love for the outdoors. An orange and navy blue (Jenna's favorite color) palate influenced almost every decor element, including a citrus-toned floral scheme. Bridesmaids wore strapless champagne-colored dresses and held bouquets of mokara orchids, snapdragons, cherry brandy roses, mango calla lilies, and dahlias in orange, pink, and yellow. Jenna dressed in a white lace gown and carried a larger version of the bridesmaid bouquet wrapped in navy blue silk and accented with delicate willow cage branches. The bride and groom planned a non-traditional, yet intimate wedding ceremony and invited both of Jenna's grandfathers to officiate from underneath an archway made of citrus floral, birch bark, and grape wood. The outdoor evening ceremony followed family tradition as the couple stood on bare grass near a small river and took in the sound of the bride's sister, aunt, and cousin each singing solos.
The music continued as the instrumental band Mars Hill played live inside the reception tent, where three large, tiered chandeliers cast a sparkling, intimate glow from the fabric-swagged ceiling above. Floral, grape wood and iron centerpieces graced each table, complementing menus tied with rust-colored ribbon set atop brown faux ostrich skin chargers. The 25-person head table was dressed in coordinating custom linens with crystal stemware displayed at each place setting.
Guests made good use of the dark wood Chiavari chairs as they sat down to a dinner of tender beef filet and Chilean sea bass. Following toasts by the maid of honor and best man, the entire audience thanked Jenna and Casey for their hospitality by singing together the church hymn, "The Lord Bless You and Keep You."
Later in the evening a six-tier gourmet wedding cake was presented in the cocktail-lounge area on a custom stainless steel table with a clear box top filled with rhinestones. The cake was covered in fondant that mimicked the design of silk ottoman cushions strewn around the lounge, and also featured a custom monogram designed by Cymbidium and celebrity cake designer Sandy Hargrave. After guests savored raspberry-filled French vanilla and rich chocolate cake filled with ganache, they danced the night away while the sun set behind mountains overlooking the golf course outside. "It was incredibly beautiful and the band was great! Everyone had such a great time and it was good to see that," the bride remembers of the reception. "Everything about the surroundings was just beautiful, and I think that made the wedding so memorable and unique." Bucolic plates designed by Jan Barboglio played up the wedding's rustic theme, and served as favors for each family to carry away. In addition, each guest received a small package of blue and orange colored chocolate M&M candies printed with the couple's names. During their sendoff, Jenna and Casey waved goodbye to guests waving glow sticks through the air, then departed for a honeymoon on the island of Kauai, Hawaii.