Black Tie Wedding at The Oaks at Plum Creek in Castle Rock, Colorado
Ian and Avery got married at The Oaks at Plum Creek in Castle Rock, Colorado. Sixty three guests, black tie, an indoor ceremony at four thirty with the plains out every window. And no first look, which turned out to be the best decision they made all day.
Instead of a first look they did a first touch. They stood on either side of the stone wall inside the venue, close enough to reach around it and hold hands, and read their private vows out loud without seeing each other. When they told us what they wanted from the photos, Avery wrote that she wanted the emotion of the ceremony caught honestly. Real and candid was the phrase. That is what this whole gallery is.
The Team Behind the Day
Venue, catering and day of coordination: The Oaks at Plum Creek
Coordinator: Anna Lathers
Video: Drake & Co Photo + Films
Cake and dessert: Born2Bake
Planning and florals: Ian and Avery
Photography: Two One Photography
Getting Ready
Both of them got ready on site. Avery told us ahead of time that the bridal suite was her favorite room in the building and she wanted a lot of photos in it, so that is where we spent the front half of the day. Gold arched mirrors, all that window light, seven bridesmaids in black. Ian and his six groomsmen took the lounge downstairs.
They wrote their vows by hand in matching books. You can read a few lines in these if you look.
The First Touch and Private Vows
This is the part we would tell every couple to steal. No first look, no big reveal, just the two of them on opposite sides of a wall with their hands found around the corner, reading what they had written to each other. Nobody else in the room. By the time they walked into the ceremony an hour later they had already had the private version of the day.
The Ceremony
Four thirty, indoors, under the copper hexagon arch with the windows wide open behind it. Ian cried before she was halfway down the aisle. Avery’s dad walked her in through the drapes at the back, and the whole room turned at once.
An indoor ceremony at The Oaks is genuinely one of the better rooms in Colorado for this. The light comes in off the plains rather than straight down, so nobody squints and nothing goes harsh, even in June.
The Wedding Party
Seven bridesmaids in black, six groomsmen in black tie. They did family and wedding party photos before the ceremony, which is why the hour after it belonged entirely to them. Every couple who asks us how to get more time with their people on the wedding day gets this same answer.
Ian and Avery
The Oaks sits over the eighteenth hole at Plum Creek, so you get golf course green, a rock garden with a running stream and the front range in the distance without leaving the property. We made all of these inside a twenty minute walk of the front door.
The Details
Ian planned the wedding and did the florals himself, which is not a sentence we get to write often. White and green throughout, black napkins, personalized tumblers at every seat instead of the usual favor, and The Christies in neon above the sweetheart table. Dinner and bar were both in house at The Oaks. The cake came from Born2Bake.
The Reception
First dance was Lucky by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat. Ian and Avery both got up and spoke, which almost nobody does and everybody should. His maid of honor followed and put half the room in tissues.
They had told us they wanted to try to get one photo with every single person at the wedding. With sixty three guests that is actually possible, so we got everyone onto the dance floor at once and did it.
To Ian and Avery
Thank you for trusting us with a day you built almost entirely yourselves. The first touch was the best idea of the year and we have already recommended it four times since.
One last thing. We ask every couple for their advice to anyone planning a wedding. Ian filled the form out himself and wrote back: I am the groom, my wife did not plan one thing. He also did the flowers. Make of that what you will.
Planning a Wedding at The Oaks at Plum Creek
We have photographed more than 800 weddings across Colorado and The Oaks at Plum Creek is one of the venues we come back to most. A few things worth knowing if you are planning one.
Where is The Oaks at Plum Creek?
The Oaks is at 321 Players Club Drive in Castle Rock, Colorado, about twenty five minutes south of Denver. It sits above the eighteenth hole of the Plum Creek golf course, so the views run out across the plains with the front range off to the west.
Can you have an indoor ceremony at The Oaks at Plum Creek?
Yes. Ian and Avery married indoors and it is one of our favorite indoor ceremony rooms in Colorado. The wall of windows faces out over the course, so the room fills with soft even light rather than direct sun. Nobody squints, nothing blows out, and rain or wind never becomes a problem.
What is a first touch, and how is it different from a first look?
In a first look the couple sees each other before the ceremony. In a first touch they do not. They stand on opposite sides of a wall, a door or a corner, hold hands around it, and often read private vows out loud. You keep the moment at the end of the aisle intact and still get quiet time together beforehand. Ian and Avery did theirs against the stone wall inside The Oaks.
Does The Oaks at Plum Creek handle catering and coordination in house?
Yes. Food and bar are both in house, and the venue provides day of coordination. Ian and Avery used The Oaks for catering and worked with Anna Lathers as their day of coordinator, which meant the only outside vendors they booked were photography, video, music and cake.
How much coverage do you need for a wedding at The Oaks?
Ian and Avery booked eight hours, one in the afternoon through nine at night, and that covered getting ready, the first touch, the ceremony, portraits and most of the dancing. Eight hours works well at a venue like this where everything happens under one roof and nobody has to travel between locations.
Do you need to leave the property for portraits at The Oaks?
No. Between the golf course lawn, the stone pillars along the terrace, the rock garden with the running stream and the Art Deco lounge inside, you can shoot a full portrait set without ever getting in a car. We have a whole post on our favorite photo spots at The Oaks at Plum Creek.
More From The Oaks
If you are still deciding, these might help. Our guide to the best photo spots at The Oaks at Plum Creek, a summer wedding at the same venue, and our top five Colorado wedding venues from a photographer’s point of view.
Getting married at The Oaks at Plum Creek, or anywhere in Colorado? Tell us about your day. We would love to hear about it.
September 22, 2026
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