From Kristina and Kyle

This year has taught us what it means to be patient and to wait in the unknown. What an incredibly hard and difficult year it has been. If you are wondering how it is December already? We ask ourselves that almost daily. But believe it or not our wedding was over two months ago and as I look back on that day I have deep and profound gratitude for all that it was.

In 2014 just weeks before I turned 27, I learned I had breast cancer and since that day of diagnosis I continue to see that in the midst of life’s many mysteries, I have been given some of the very greatest blessings.

To say our wedding was one of life’s biggest blessings would be an understatement.
Soon after Kyle and I were engaged we began discussing what a wedding celebration would look like, where would it be? Who would we invite? Many of you who have found yourself engaged before, know the very daunting task that lies before you that is planning a wedding. What I could have never dreamt in the middle of our brainstorming was a phone call from Cheryl. A phone call asking if we would be the recipients of the 2020 Wedding Pink. Nearly speechless, we were overjoyed to receive this gift.

From the day we learned that we would be gifted OUR WEDDING we became family to not only the Wedding Pink team but the many vendors on the Western Slope that graciously donated their time, talents and resources to make our wedding everything we wanted it to be. While the year left us on our toes and many of us to wonder if we would even get to pull off the darn thing in this calendar year, the team of folks behind never waivered. These folks showed up, were flexible and in a year it would have been easy and understandable to walk away; they only assured us they were there every step of the way.

Kyle and I still pinch ourselves that we got to have our incredible Wedding. We cannot thank the Wedding Pink, Cheryl Ungar and Sheryl Fisher enough for all that they did to make our wedding truly a dream come true. We are so proud to have been the 10th Wedding Pink Wedding and thank you all for the support.

May you and your family be given an extra measure of joy and grace this holiday season.

With Love, Kyle and Kristina Andringa

2020 Wedding Pink Recipients

The Show Must Go On

As you all can imagine it’s been an interesting year with planning a non-profit wedding in the middle of a pandemic.

In spite of our crazy world we have some amazing news. Kristina and Kyle’s wedding is still happening on Oct. 1. We are wrapping up all of the final details and look forward to sharing the rest of the journey.

We have just posted some of Kristina and Kyle’s engagement photos taken by Jon Burke. Here are a few of our favorites.

Vendor Meetings with 3 Leaf Floral and Orchard River View

We had a blast with Kelly of 3 Leaf Floral. She has some super creative ideas that we can’t wait to see come to fruition at the wedding.

Kelly Mendenhall from 3 Leaf Floral, Kristina’s mom Gloria and Kristina chatting about wedding flowers and decor.

Wow! Orchard River View is going to be a spectacular venue for The Wedding Pink. We have a few surprises in store for the wedding. Stay tuned to find out more!

Kyle and Kristina at Orchard River View

Kyle, Kristina, Sheryl Fisher (our amazing wedding planner) and Kristina’s mom Gloria.

Wedding Planning has Begun

I spent a wonderful couple of days with Kristina, Kyle and Kristina’s mom meeting with many of the vendors who are graciously donating their time and products to The Wedding Pink 2020.

Over the next couple of months we will be sharing many of the details. I’d love to start with a couple of the vendors; DJ Ryan Griz who not only is donating his DJ services but a photo booth too and Sweet Kiwi Bakery who will be donating scrumptious desserts and cake. If you get a chance to stop into Sweet Kiwi Bakery, you won’t regret it!

DJ Ryan Griz chatting with Kristina’s mom, Kyle and Kristina.

LaRae from Sweet Kiwi Bakery showing her different cake flavors to Kristina and Kyle.

From Sabrina and Rex

As I sit and reflect on the journey that has led me to where I am today, at the beginning of my story I had no idea what life would be like after receiving a cancer diagnosis at the age of 27. Would I be alive to see my 30th birthday? Would I be here to celebrate important milestones with my friends and family? Would I live to be an Aunt to sweet little nieces or nephews? Would I ever get to marry my best friend or would cancer be what broke us apart?

My journey began with so many uncertainties and quite honestly led me through some of life’s darkest moments, yet many chapters of my story remained unwritten. That meant it was time to gracefully take on challenges one day at a time. One thing that is for certain is if you look for the good in life (regardless of your current situation), you will find the silver lining- even if that means sometimes you just have to look really hard. This may not have been a glamorous journey or one to envy, but it is one that allowed me to learn there is good in all things. It allowed me to trust in others and love my friends and family hard. And despite the challenges that presented, each day truly came with its own gifts.

Fast forward almost 3 years-through chemotherapy, multiple surgeries, awkward haircuts, weight gain and menopause, a 30th birthday, becoming an Aunt to the sweetest little girl, and at last a proposal from my best friend. Even after it all, I still managed to land myself one ruggedly handsome and kind soul. And best of all, we made it…. we weathered the storm that seemed impossible at times. We had made it through Marine Corps combat deployments together and a cancer diagnosis. We knew our love would stand the test of time.

I am a strong believer that if you contribute positive things to this world, positive things will come back to become part of your story- The Wedding Pink was just that. Rex and I are still in awe of the good Cheryl Ungar brings into this world. Who was this incredible individual gifting us a wedding of our dreams? Well Cheryl is just that, an incredible person. She is truly a genuine soul who simply wants to bring good into this world. Any conversation with Cheryl makes you feel right at home and as though you are catching up with an old friend.

Cheryl Ungar, Ann Marlin (Our AMAZING wedding planner) and all of the generous wedding vendors made our day absolutely perfect! Thank you will never be enough to repay the kind and heartfelt generosity of all who donated their services and time. We are blessed to have formed special friendships with so many of you. I leave this journey feeling beautiful and taken care of and throughout this new chapter in my story, that feeling is priceless- definitely one I will forever hold near and dear to my heart. Everything about our wedding day was absolutely perfect. My heart is so happy and overflowing with gratitude. I am truly blessed to walk beside some of the strongest women around and will forever be grateful for this special gift. Thank you for gifting me my silver lining. I promise to continue to pay it forward and bring good into this world so others who walk a similar path are lead to find their silver lining too. I will forever be infinitely proud to be part of the Pink Family! Much love to you all!

XOXO,

Rex & Sabrina Laceby

#TheWedding Pink2019

P.S. We can’t wait to crash Kristina and Kyle’s wedding! #TheWeddingPink2020

Kristina & Kyle - Recipients of The Wedding Pink 2020.

Orchard River View, photo by Jim Cox.

We are thrilled to introduce Kristina and Kyle, the recipients of 10th annual Wedding Pink. The 2020 wedding will take place October 1 on Colorado’s western slope at Orchard River View, Palisade’s newest wedding and event venue. It’s located on the bank of the Colorado River, surrounded by breathtaking views of the Bookcliffs, Grand Mesa, and peach orchards.

Here is Kristina and Kyle’s story:

How did you meet?

In disgust. It was Kristina’s favorite day of the year, the 2014 Kentucky Derby. She was busy hosting a party at her place celebrating all things Kentucky; thoroughbreds, mint juleps, pimento sandwiches, fancy hats, and fine clothing. A friend of mine invited me last-minute to come along. I agreed and quickly scoured my closets for what to wear. In a stroke of good fortune, I found my Halloween costume from the year before; an epic inflatable jockey riding an ostrich. Did it cross my mind that this was a bit bold and odd? Sure, but my affinity for jockeys prevailed so I reloaded four AA batteries into the fan and brought the costume to life.

Kristina is a social butterfly… she talks to everyone… especially when she is hosting. I recall talking with her briefly that day. I’m pretty sure my wardrobe choice didn’t bode well for me.

So, was it love at first sight? Nope.

Then what?

On September 30 at the age of 26 Kristina was diagnosed with breast cancer. With a strong family history of the disease and learning that she was BRCA 2 positive, Kristina underwent a double mastectomy, egg fertilization and chemotherapy. Although the cancer was found early, doctors recommended an aggressive treatment plan to ensure that the cancer would be gone forever. I wasn’t in the picture yet, but I often wish I could have been there to help through that time. Now five years since that diagnosis day, Kristina has remained cancer free. Back to the good stuff…

Memorial Day 2017, the Boulder Bolder 10k in Boulder Colorado. One of my best friends is married to one of Kristina’s best friends, and we decide to run this together. Kristina and I still don’t know each other all that well. Kristina shows up for the race wearing a full-body penguin suit. Now I’m interested. It was an exceptionally hot day. The Penguin melted.

Later that afternoon when our friends departed it was just Kristina and me. Almost by obligation, that turned into our first date at the Par 3 golf course. A few weeks of dating ensued, but she broke it off.

Why would she do that?

Some things you just can’t explain, but my best guess is that she was worried about the risk to friendships. I accepted this and moved on while always maintaining some interest and thoughts that she would be back. Guess who was right?

Spring 2018 rolls around and she starts holding my hand after a Rockies baseball game. We’ve been together ever since.

Tell us about yourselves.

Kristina is the youngest of two daughters. She spent her childhood in Louisville, Kentucky absorbing her dad’s competitive nature and her mom’s generous heart. For the past three years Kristina has been honored to be captain of “Team Kris Krew” at the Young Survival Coalitions (YSC) Tour De Pink West Coast. Tour De Pink is a three-day 200 mile bike ride that raises money for YSC, the only national nonprofit that solely focuses on serving young women under the age of 40 affected by breast cancer. To date the team has raised over $140,000 for the organization. Additionally, Kristina is a board member for the Colorado Breast Cancer Awareness Foundation.

Kyle is the youngest of two sons. He spent his childhood in Lincoln, Nebraska enjoying the glory years of Husker football, building a mid-western work ethic, and learning everything he could. Together we enjoy golfing, biking, and all things outdoors. We also love to entertain and explore the world.

We are honored to be the recipients of the Wedding Pink 2020. Words simply cannot capture how much we appreciate this gift. We are looking forward to October 1, 2020.

As always we are deeply grateful to all of the generous vendors who make the weddings possible. Here is the list of all of the vendors to date. Please check back as we are adding to the team.

Lovely Article - Cure Magazine

A nice little surprise landed in my inbox yesterday. Cure (curetoday.com) has published a lovely article about The Wedding Pink. We are very honored.

You may read the full article here.

Sneak Peek - Laurie + Jessie Engagement Photos

We can't wait to share these amazing photos by Ali of Ali & Garrett Photography.

Here is the sneak peek!!

Stay tuned for the full gallery of engagement photos.

Wedding Day Photos are Posted

We are happy to report that Lauren and Matt's wedding day photos are now on our website. Check it out when you have a moment.

A huge thank you to Sweet Tea Studios for all of the wonderful photographs and to all of the vendors who made this day possible for Lauren and Matt.

From the Bride and Groom's Perspective

We recently asked Melissa and Rich, the recipients of The Wedding Pink 2015, to share their thoughts and experiences of being awarded the wedding. In case you are new to our blog Melissa and Rich had a beautiful wedding ceremony and reception at the Brown Palace Hotel in downtown Denver this past June.

Photo by Hardy Klahold Photography

Reminiscing about our wedding gives us great joy. We were only engaged for a short time and never imagined receiving the amazing gifted wedding from The Wedding Pink. From the very beginning we felt that it was a whirlwind of excitement because we learnt that we were going to be working with amazing vendors in the local area. The vendors were very nice and helpful in assisting us to see the vision of our dream wedding come true. They truly helped us incorporate every idea to assist in making this one memorable and unforgettable event. We never felt pressure to conform to a certain idea or vision of anyone else, but rather we were allowed to really individualize and personalize every detail needed for a once in a life time event. All the vendors listened to our desires and helped create the wedding of our dreams. Throughout the process, Ms. Cheryl Ungar was present for each vendor meeting and whole heartedly invested her time with us to help ensure time frames were met and details were completed, so that the process would be a smooth one. From cake tasting to food tasting, creating our invitations to picking out the perfect flowers, working with The Wedding Pink was a joyful experience. We are very grateful and humbled to have been provided this opportunity.

Each day, we remember the happiness of our wedding day. Being married at the Brown Palace, was a dream come true and beyond our imagination. The Wedding Pink allowed us to start our lives together on a high note.

There was so much joy, laughter and tears that came from entire experience. One would never realize that a cancer diagnosis could lead to so many positive things such as our beautiful wedding and new found friend! We cannot thank The Wedding Pink and Ms. Ungar enough for the generous gift they bestowed upon us.

-- Melissa and Rich

Mini Honeymoon at the Brown Palace

We have been keeping this a secret until we had a chance to surprise Erika and Michael but the cat is finally out of the bag. The historic Brown Palace hotel in downtown Denver has generously donated a fabulous mini-honeymoon package for the two of them.

The highlights of their stay include two nights lodging and Ellyngton's renowned champagne brunch which boasts lavish buffet tables featuring their culinarian's best, including artful and delicious offerings from the hotel's own bakery.

Erika and Michael's mini-honeymoon surprise

The historic Brown Palace hotel

Brown Palace hotel room

Ellyngton's champagne brunch