Sticking Together On Skis: Lisa Kapp and Matt Collins’ Winter Wedding
By Linne Halpern
In true Telluride fashion, Lisa Kapp and Matt Collins kicked off their March wedding week with a shot of whiskey and a few celebratory laps down their favorite ski runs — she in a wedding dress, he in a tuxedo.
The couple, originally from Philadelphia and Buffalo and now based in New York City, first bonded over a shared love of the outdoors. They met in business school and started running and marathon training together. In their first months as a couple, they visited Telluride for a New Year’s ski vacation. “I like to say it’s where we fell in love,” recounts Kapp, who says they have been making the trip back every year since.
When it came time to plan their wedding, instead of picking an East Coast venue, the couple decided that a mountain celebration would feel more right. “We’ve been to Telluride through all the different seasons, and from visiting so often, we knew exactly where we wanted everything to be,” says Kapp. They chose San Sophia Overlook for the ceremony and Allred’s for the reception, excited at the idea of sharing their special place with loved ones.
Before the official start of festivities, Kapp and Collins met up with friends and family to ski. Kapp’s mom, who had never skied before, took lessons for two months prior to the wedding date. “I told her I just wanted her to be able to see the best views,” says Kapp. By the wedding week, she was ready to crush See Forever.
The day before their wedding there was an impromptu après gathering at Gorrono Ranch. “Most of our guests hadn’t been to Telluride before, so people wanted to make the most of the experience,” says Kapp. They ended the day with drinks at Stronghouse Brew Pub, setting the tone for a weekend with “western flair.”
The morning of their wedding, Kapp and Collins got ready at the Madeline Hotel & Residences surrounded by their closest friends and family, before their “first look” in Mountain Village. After snapping portraits with their photographer, Lisa Marie Wright, the couple hopped on the gondola and made their way to the ceremony.
Walking down the aisle with her dad, Kapp remembers, “with the mountains in the back and Matt looking at me from the end of the aisle, I started sobbing. I was so overwhelmed with awe, thinking, ‘I can’t believe everyone is really here, I can’t believe how beautiful this is.’” Collins’ close friend from college officiated, rendering the moment even more personal and significant.
Cocktails welcomed the group at Allred’s post-ceremony, commencing a memorable evening of speeches, dinner and dancing. Friends who’d known the couple since their early days made meaningful toasts that honored their individual journeys and shared experiences, while choreographed dances from the newlyweds and the bride and her father made for extra sweet moments of magic.
An entertainment duo, made up of a DJ and live electric-violinist provided the tunes, and late-night slices from Brown Dog Pizza kept the guests fueled — with the party going into the wee hours.
The day after the wedding included plenty of recovery time and an intimate, low-key dinner at Telluride Brewing Company Brew Pub with family.
“At this point, we realized we hadn’t actually gotten legally married yet,” shares Kapp with a laugh. Originally on their agenda for the week prior, the couple were too busy skiing to make time for the important courthouse ritual. On their final day in town, they “furiously skied down the mountain to make it to the courthouse on time,” says Kapp.
After rendering their matrimony official, the newlyweds celebrated with flatliners at the Sheridan to close out an exceptional week in the San Juans.