A Spacious Escape to Brush Creek Ranch with David Beahm Destinations, by Christina Matteucci

A warm welcome back to Merci New York's resident destinations expert, Christina Matteucci of david beahm destinations...
A bit of an editor's note / back story before we begin: As you surely know by now, Christina joins Merci every month to report on beautiful destination wedding locations adored by the David Beahm team. I always look forward to chatting with Christina on her upcoming editorial... Every location she suggests has a distinct charm -- and she never ceases to reveal the details with an eloquence that delights our readers.
This month, in addition to sharing beautiful Brush Creek Ranch {and the stunning photographs of Films by Francesco}, Christina brings something even more special to this month's installation: keen insight on what drives a destination to be worthy of david beahm destinations status.
For any bride considering a destination wedding, these tips are pure gold. We hope her advice will lead you through the destination-scouting process, and keep you keen to the true value of luxurious service.
Without further adieu, we hope you enjoy Christina's takeaways, and the stunning backdrop of Brush Creek Ranch.

As every proverbial journey starts with that first step, one of the ideas that drives all of our work is that every event starts with a blank sheet of paper. That is, every event we design is a new opportunity to tell a unique story. Alongside David, I’ve traveled all over the world and worked with wonderful people to create the destination weddings of our clients’ dreams. And while we work to make their dreams seemingly effortless, there is an enormous array of real-world questions that we have to consider in order to flawlessly execute them.

Once an engaged couple has decided to have a destination wedding, the first step in telling the story of their special day begins with deciding where they’re going to host it. But how do you decide? What are the right questions to ask? The logistics of planning an event can be a feat in itself. Add to that the questions particular to a destination event (considering the property, whether or not your choice reflects you as a couple, how the guests will get there and where they’ll be accommodated once they do, etc.)… it can become quite the conundrum. To help solve some of those questions, I’ve decided this week (and next), to discuss how david beahm destinations vets a given property.

Last month I visited one of our favorites: Brush Creek Ranch Lodge & Spa in spacious and private Saratoga, Wyoming. I chose those words very carefully, readers—spacious and private. Often for a local event, I’m restricted by the rules of what can and cannot be done on our urban island of Manhattan. So, when prompted with the opportunity to take an event outside of Manhattan, space and privacy are two of the first qualities I look for in a property. Why? Not only is it the epitome of contrast from the bustling lives that most of our clients and their guests lead, it also provides our creative team a beautifully blank canvas to work with. In Wyoming, we can dream up events that are bigger than the largest rock outcroppings that define Brush Creek Ranch. Fireworks? No problem. A dinner tent under constellations twinkling above? Easily done. Combine these attributes with luxurious “cowboy-chic” accommodations and spectacular service for the couple and their guests and you’ve got quite the destinations property candidate!

Again, carefully chosen words: spectacular service. Every property will claim that they have spectacular service, yet so few actually succeed. Brush Creek Ranch is truly one of those few, but you’d only know it by experiencing the service, first-hand. That’s a crucial element of david beahm destinations: direct experience with every property we recommend. For example, when I suggest a long-horn cattle drive on horseback for our client’s guests – I know that well-versed and warm-hearted wranglers like Lisa and Brian will ensure the most hardened city-slicker is going to have the time of his or her life. If I recommend that the groom and his men do some fly-fishing on the banks of the North Platte River as a great pre-wedding activity, I know that expert fisherman and Lead Fishing Guide Phil is going to do his level best to ensure each participant catches a hearty trout. Being mindful of the experiences that flank your wedding celebration proper will ensure your guests have the time of their lives when they think back fondly about the time they spent celebrating you!

And then there is the wedding itself. When I am considering a venue for a client, I seek out that little bit of magic; that indescribable je ne sais quoi. I want a location that will fill your guests with awe and will make your photographer and cinematographer leap in excitement of the visual feast before them. Yes, you two are the stars of the show, but a great backdrop can transform the most beautiful couple into movie stars! At Brush Creek Ranch, being brought to your wedding in a horse drawn carriage can certainly be the start of your fairy-tale. Pair that with a corral of horses poised outside of your own cowboy chapel and we’ve got a vignette from a magical Western film. As I’ve said, the possibilities for customizing your wedding in a venue like Brush Creek Ranch are endless.

So let’s go back to that moment of planning your journey begins: your potential venue candidate has been vetted by professionals, the service has exceeded expectations, the lodgings – divine. Now you must put pen to paper and compose your wedding story. You will hear many times on the Ranch that Brush Creek aims to “create indelible memories as vast as the Western skies.” And I believe that to be true. However, I want to share with you what I gained from my days in the Rocky Mountains. At its heart, Brush Creek Ranch is about bringing people together: around the fire, at the gourmet table, through new experiences and, for some, in matrimony. I believe, if that’s the story you want to tell on your wedding day, well then, partner, you done found your homestead.

Next week, I have the tremendous honor of bringing to Merci the beautiful work of Films by Francesco, dear friends of david beahm destinations and the cinematographers of Chelsea Clinton’s wedding. All of the photos in this post are courtesy of these amazing talents. They accompanied me on my trip to Brush Creek Ranch to document more of my endeavor to share this magical property with you. Please come back next Monday to be a part of my story.

No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle. ~Winston Churchill

All photos courtesy of Films by Francesco. To learn more about Brush Creek Ranch, please visit david beahm destinations.