AspenX Beach Club with Gray Malin Wedding

AspenX Beach Club with Gray Malin Wedding

a year ago
Hi everyone!

With the snowy season coming to an end and summer on the horizon, I wanted to share a highlight of winter with you all. As many of you know, I opened an immersive art installation at the top of Aspen Mountain bringing to life a beach club with an après ski environment. I was so honored to learn that this couple, Jess and Zach decided to get married there! I am so excited to share their inspiration and wedding details with you today! If you visited the AspenX Beach Club with Gray Malin this season or last, I am sure you will understand why these two decided to spend their special day there – relive your memories with my aerial print, “Snow Beach, Aspen” of the beach club that I took, and be sure to explore my other Aspen series.


 



## How did you two meet?
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*We were set up by Zach’s sister, Jenna. Zach, Jenna and I all went to Tulane University where Jenna and I were the same year but belonged to different sororities on campus. We knew each other peripherally and I had heard she had a really cute older brother who had just graduated… I transferred to Tulane my sophomore year, and Zach had already graduated, so we missed each other and never crossed paths there. It wasn’t until post grad, in March 2018, that Jenna and I wound up at an all Tulane girls dinner at Shuka in SoHo that we really got to bonding. We were seated next to each other and instantly connected. I remember thinking, it’s such a shame we didn’t know each other in college because we would’ve been besties. Somewhere between cocktails and entrees, she asked if she could set me up with her brother. Being newly single and having the time of my life with my girlfriends in NYC, I was hesitant to accept. However, I was quickly persuaded when Jenna pulled up some pics of Zach on her phone. What I had heard was indeed accurate, he was cute. In attempting to set Zach up, Jenna had struck out before… but third time's a charm. ;-) About a week later, we went on our first date at Fedora in the West Village. Zach says, for him, it was “love at first site” and that our energy together was electric. Shortly after our first date, we became inseparable and have been ever since.*

## Have you always wanted to get married in Aspen?
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*In August 2020, we moved from NYC to Aspen site unseen. We hadn’t been to Aspen before but that didn’t deter us one bit; we were eager to explore a new destination together. We yearned for a place that would allow us greater access to the outdoors and offer an overall lifestyle change. Zach was also obsessed with snowboarding, and I was excited by the prospect of experiencing the unknown. Contrary to Zach, before moving, I hadn’t skied for 10+ years. It wasn’t until moving here that I rediscovered my deep passion for skiing. We took comfort in the fact that Aspen offers so many enriching cultural happenings whether it be in the realm of art, film, music, food etc., as well as a number of other outdoor activities besides skiing. Aspen offers so much that we have never felt we were compromising on quality of life by leaving a big city like New York. Aspen very quickly became our happy place and knew we wanted it to be our forever home. We got engaged in July 2021 (1 year after moving to Aspen) and knew this was the place for us to get married. We couldn’t wait to share our happy place with our guests!*

## How did you decide that this was the right Venue for you?
*Zach and I knew we wanted a daytime, outdoor, ski wedding in Aspen. We also knew we wanted our special day to be inclusive, which for us meant choosing a venue with gondola access for guests who don’t ski/snowboard. It was important to us that our day be nontraditional yet still spiritual, meaningful and of course, so much fun! Though most of our guests had visited Aspen at least once before, in the 3 years we’ve lived here, we hoped for a venue where guests who hadn’t been here before could see the incredible, natural surrounding beauty and let Aspen shine in her glory. Last winter, we visited the Beach Club and had the best day ever. We instantly knew it offered the most magical and breathtaking setting for a ski wedding. It checked all of our boxes and more. On a gorgeous bluebird day in February, we found ourselves at the Beach Club again and had the opportunity to meet Gray. This was such a highlight of our winter and that day reinforced that we had chosen the right venue for us.*

## What did you do to bring your vision to life?
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*After securing AspenX Beach Club as our wedding location, we didn’t have to do much to bring our vision to life. The landscape and views are magical, the staff is terrific, and the existing furniture provided just the vibe we were looking for. Our specialty cocktails (“Sperling Spritz” and “Be Mine Mulled Wine”) were great touches along with the robust and beautifully laid out cheese and charcuterie board. Both of these were great compliments to the already amazing AspenX Beach Club. Our DJ (Alex Golden) maintained the exact vibe we were looking for in an apres ski day party and really set the tone for the day ahead.*

## What did you love the most about the ASPENX Beach Club?
*Absolutely EVERYTHING!!!*

## Did you know about the Gray Malin brand before visiting the ASPENX Beach Club?
*Yes, Zach and I have been fans of Gray’s works for years. I remember seeing a whimsical photo of an Italian beach on display at a gallery in NYC many years back and really vibing with it. We both love that Gray’s photography is colorful and jovial with an ever present undertone of adventure, glamor, travel and the presence of pets. The Aspen Collection is one of our favorites, and we die for the photos showcasing so many of the adorable dogs of Aspen.*
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## Any honeymoon plans?
*We’re still soaking up that newlyweds bliss and hope to start thinking more about a ski honeymoon in the Alps next winter. This summer is a bit too crazy with our travels to Europe, East and West Coast for friends’ weddings. Not to mention, we can’t get enough of skiing/snowboarding and love the idea of being able to do what we love together in a new destination during the wintertime.*

Jess and Zach, thank you both so much for taking the time to tell all of us about your wedding, it sounds like it was perfect! If this has inspired you to plan your next Aspen getaway, be sure to explore my Aspen travel guide.

XX,
Gray
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