{"id":23581,"date":"2019-05-13T10:03:38","date_gmt":"2019-05-13T16:03:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=365863"},"modified":"2019-05-13T14:31:40","modified_gmt":"2019-05-13T20:31:40","slug":"maroon-bells-avalanche-debris-leaves-brides-scrambling-to-find-new-altar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/local-news\/maroon-bells-avalanche-debris-leaves-brides-scrambling-to-find-new-altar\/","title":{"rendered":"Maroon Bells avalanche debris leaves brides scrambling to find new altar"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
A recent view of the Maroon Bells Scenic Area. The popular destination is closed until June 15 due to avalanche debris.<\/strong>
\nShelly Grail Braudis \/ U.S. Forest Service<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

More than a dozen couples are scrambling to make last-minute arrangements for their weddings that were planned to be at the Maroon Bells but were canceled due to avalanches in the area this past winter.<\/p>\n

The U.S. Forest Service has\u00a0delayed the May 15 opening<\/a>\u00a0of the Maroon Bells Scenic Area to June 15 so Pitkin County public works crews can remove avalanche debris from the access road.<\/p>\n

Thirteen weddings were planned at the amphitheater and three more at the East Maroon Portal between Memorial Day and June 14.<\/p>\n

Brides and grooms were notified last month that they wouldn\u2019t be able to carry out their dream weddings with the majestic backdrop of the bells.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve been dealing with hysterical brides,\u201d Aspen Chamber Resort Association Debbie Braun told her board of directors during a meeting last month.<\/p>\n

Braun updated the board that the chamber is helping them find alternative locations around town.<\/p>\n

For Heather Becker and her fiance Bryan Daugherty, it was a crushing blow to their plans to be married in front of the Bells at the amphitheater.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe wedding part wasn\u2019t important but the Bells were,\u201d Becker said, adding that the outdoors and the mountains are her \u201cchurch\u201d and she wanted nothing more than to say her vows at the amphitheater with her family and friends present.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to showcase where we live and why we live so far away\u201d from family and friends, Becker said.<\/p>\n

She and Daugherty rode their bicycles up Maroon Creek Road last week to check out the carnage.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe saw the carnage and I started crying,\u201d Becker said. \u201cI didn\u2019t realize how much it meant to me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Their June 6 wedding is still on, but it will be held at Mollie Gibson Park at the base of Smuggler Mountain, with views of Aspen Mountain as the backdrop.<\/p>\n

That is where the couple\u2019s reception was going to be anyway, and it\u2019s just a few steps away from their condo at Centennial, Becker said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the end of the day, we will be married and that is the important part,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Ross Daniels is Becker and Daugherty\u2019s photographer and wedding planner. He said he has a few clients who had weddings planned in early June at the Bells and now are scrambling.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of these brides are pretty bummed,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s sad. You have your heart set on the Bells.\u201d<\/p>\n

Daniels said his clients are leaning on him to find alternative places.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey are still coming and so are their families and trying to make the best of it,\u201d he said. \u201cI will definitely find them a place \u2026 their dreams are a bit crushed but it\u2019s OK.\u201d<\/p>\n

Eliza Voss, the director of marketing for the chamber, said her office received five phone calls from harried couples within two hours of the forest service\u2019s announcement.<\/p>\n

The chamber is helping with alternative locales, suggesting places such as Mollie Gibson Park, or the John Denver Sanctuary but they are\u00a0not the Bells<\/a>, Voss acknowledged.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not only a beautiful view, it\u2019s also an affordable option,\u201d Voss said.<\/p>\n

It costs $200 to rent the amphitheater and $75 to use the East Maroon Portal, according to Shelly Grail Braudis, recreation manager for the Aspen-Sopris Ranger District for the forest service.<\/p>\n

She was the one burdened with informing the couples that the Maroon Bells area would be closed and they would have to find other options.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew it was a decision that couldn\u2019t be made lightly,\u201d Grail Braudis said.<\/p>\n

But there is so much snow and\u00a0debris covering the road<\/a>\u00a0and the facilities in the area that there was no way possible to open on time, she noted.<\/p>\n

The county is making good progress, Grail Braudis said, and she and county officials will meet next week to discuss if June 15 is still the opening date.<\/p>\n

Besha Deane, of the T-Lazy-7 Ranch, located just below the Maroon Bells entrance, said she has been fielding calls from brides looking for alternative locations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are trying to help any canceled Maroon Bells brides by offering a discounted rate for our ceremony meadow as availability allows,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

csackariason@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n

via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A recent view of the Maroon Bells Scenic Area. The popular destination is closed until June 15 due to avalanche debris. Shelly Grail Braudis \/ U.S. Forest Service More than a dozen couples are scrambling to make last-minute arrangements for their weddings that were planned to be at the Maroon Bells but were canceled due […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[97],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-23581","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-06-11 01:44:01","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KIFT - The LIFT FM","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23581\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kift\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}