Though Tracy Evans and Cale Makar, defenceman for the Colorado Avalanche, got engaged in June of 2023, their relationship can be traced all the way back to middle school. They met in 2011 as eighth grade students in Canada and shared a few classes over the years, but didn't become a formal couple until later on. As adults ready to take the next step in their relationship, Cale orchestrated the perfect surprise proposal: He told Tracy he was taking her horseback riding outside the city, but it was just a ruse to get her outside to pop the question. “After some pictures, he took me to a beautiful lake in the mountains,” where he proposed before taking out all the provisions necessary for a post-proposal date, Tracy says. “He had packed a cooler with cupcakes and Champagne and snacks for us to have a little picnic.” The surprises didn't end there, though. Cale told Tracy he made a dinner reservation to celebrate, and when they arrived she was shocked to find 40 of their closest friends and family for an engagement party.

As the couple started planning their wedding, they settled on the idea of a secluded backyard wedding—just not in their own backyard. To bring that vision to life, the pair chose to host their ceremony and reception at Greystone Castle in Boulder, Colorado, on August 17, 2024. “We loved that this venue was located in the stunning meadow and mountains which reminded us of the landscape we grew up with in Alberta,” the bride remembers.

In the end, the duo invited 165 guests to join them for a wedding weekend that included an intimate rehearsal dinner, a Western-themed welcome party, a ceremony in a beautiful meadow, and a tented reception. With a black, white, and wood-tone color scheme in mind, they enlisted Jana Tobey of Tobey Events to help them select local vendors and design their wedding day with plenty of personal touches. With most of their guests traveling from Canada, Tracy and Cale wanted their loved ones to really experience the place they now call home. “By incorporating elements from our home, choosing a natural setting, and focusing on intimate details, we created a wedding that was a true reflection of us as a couple,” Tracy says. “It was important to us that every aspect felt genuine and allowed our guests to feel connected to who we are.”

Read on to see photos of their beautiful multi-day event, all captured by Sarah Porter.

Tracy and Cale worked with Coral Pheasant on their invitations and paper products for the weekend. The black-and-white invitation suite was paired with a circular insert that featured graphic designs of pinto horses, which invited guests to the Western-themed welcome party. That horse design was then carried throughout the wedding weekend, appearing on everything from napkins to custom bar menus.

That wasn't the only Easter egg in their design: The envelope liners were an exact match for the design that guests would later see on the the couple’s reception dance floor. The pattern was created as a nod to the tile in the couple’s Denver home.

The couple's rehearsal dinner took place on August 16, 2024 inside the great hallway at Greystone Castle; the Western-themed welcome party would follow later int he evening. In keeping with the "mountain chic" dress code they shared with guests for both events, Tracy wore her mom's wedding dress from 1991, which she paired with white Tecova cowgirl boots and a custom hat from Kemo Sabe hat, which included the couple's wedding date. Cale wore a Turo suit jacket with Paige pants, Tecova boots, and his own custom hat from Kemo Sabe in darker color.

The entrance hall of the manor was transformed for an intimate dinner for the couple’s 11 closest loved ones. “Drawing inspiration from cherished dinners at grandma’s house, we blended nostalgia with a chic twist,” Tracy says. They topped the rustic wooden tables with vintage place settings, bone-handled flatware, and handwritten place cards for each attendee. The centerpieces were small, loose arrangements with dahlias, stock, and cattails to complement the meadow around the venue.

To mark their special seats, the bride and groom's chairs were decorated with fresh flowers and greenery. “I wanted our rehearsal dinner to feel warm and welcoming, and that’s exactly what it was,” the bride remembers.

After dinner was over, the couple joined the rest of their guests for a welcome party at Corrida. “For our welcome party, we embraced the theme of 'Let The Adventure Begins,' capturing the excitement of our journey ahead,” Tracy explains. Guests arrived in their own Western attire and enjoyed passed and stationed appetizers.

The couple incorporated cowhide décor into lounge areas and on cocktail tables, which was a nod to both the pinto horses of the Boulder area and the Western heritage of Calgary, Alberta, their beloved hometown. “One of my favorite details was the custom horse-themed bar menu that Jana coordinated with our stationer, along with napkins featuring the matching pinto horse—all thoughtful touches that echoed the insert in our invitation,” the bride says.

At the welcome party, some of the couple’s closest loved ones gave special toasts. “All of the speeches were so heartfelt and you couldn’t help but feel the love from everyone on the rooftop that evening,” Tracy says. “Our absolute favorite part was ending the night with country line dancing and two stepping, again tying back to our Calgarian roots.”

As she started looking for her perfect wedding dress, Tracy admits that e few different gowns caught her eye and could have potentially been "the one." Something special happened when she tried on the two-piece slip dress from Chosen by Kyha that she ended up wearing on the big day: The song that Tracy and Cale chose for their walk down the aisle began playing in the salon. “I knew it was a sign that I had found my dress,” she says. She accessorized with her parents’ wedding bands from 1991.

To feel like herself, Tracy chose a natural makeup look reminiscent of her everyday style and wore her hair down with a loose wave. “I wanted to elevate it a bit from my everyday look, so I made it a little more sophisticated by having one side tucked back behind me ear, allowing the neckline of my dress to be on display rather than being covered by my hair,” she says. She held a hand-tied bouquet of white cosmos, chamomile, and poppies.

Cale wore a custom tailored black tuxedo for a timeless look. “The simplicity of the tuxedo matched our overall wedding aesthetic—elegant yet understated,” Tracy says. He wore a pair of Tracy’s late father’s cufflinks and had the initials of family members who are no longer with them embroidered on the inside of his jacket.

Tracy and Cale chose to have a first look so that they could take family portraits before the ceremony. “We loved that the first look gave us the opportunity to spend time together just the two of us,” Tracy says. The couple shared a private moment together to exchange intimate vows.

Tracy’s sister served as her maid of honor and wore an elegant black slip dress. “We chose this style because it made her feel beautiful and matched the simple elegance of our wedding,” Tracy says. Cale’s brother was given the important role of best men, and he matched the groom and other groomsmen in a simple black tuxedo. “We also involved our closest friends in the getting ready process, which made the day even more special and intimate,” Tracy says.

The couple's ceremony was held in a meadow on the property, where a winding aisle was punctuated with floral arrangements designed to look like wildflowers that existed naturally in the space. A wrought iron arch—decorated with still more flowers—served as the backdrop to the couple's ceremony and allowed guests, who were seated in wooden armchairs, to see the stunning Flatirons beyond.

Tracy’s mom, Joann, walked her down the meandering aisle while a string quartet performed “Can’t Help Falling in Love” by Elvis Presley. “I know my dad was there with us in spirit as well,” Tracy says. “It was a very special moment to have my Mom there by my side.”

The duo exchanged traditional vows along with a few personalized promises to each other. “We loved that we kept the vows during the ceremony short and sweet, yet still personalized and meaningful,” Tracy says. “It allowed us to express our feelings openly without the pressure of speaking in front of everyone, and it's a memory we'll always cherish.”

They celebrated back down the aisle to Natalie Cole’s “This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)”. “We wanted to add some lively energy, so while the quartet played, we included a backing track to capture the upbeat rhythm of the song,” Tracy says. “It was the perfect way to celebrate as we walked back down the aisle as newlyweds.”

The couple used the backyard of the manor to host their cocktail hour. They served three signature drinks during the interlude: “The Robbi," which was a gin and tonic named in honor of Tracy’s father, a rose lemon spritzer called the “Rocky Mountain Romance," and a sweet tequila cocktail named “Boulder Love,” which nodded to their new home. The bar design incorporated a black-and-white vine pattern that complemented the dance floor.

Guests found their reception seating assignments on a black framed chart that was arranged in the grass. It stood out as one of the few modern details among the otherwise natural surroundings. The sign incorporated a pattern reminiscent of the one seen on the couple’s invitation suite, bar, and dance floor.

After finding their seats, guests walked down a path lined with lanterns to the sailcloth reception tent where dinner and dancing would take place. The entrance to tent was decorated with a garland of lush greenery studded with white flowers. Inside, natural wood tables were surrounded by black chairs. Lamps and black vases filled with cosmos, poppies, chamomile, and greenery decorated each table. Place settings were comprised of clear black-rimmed plates, black napkins, and personalized menus.

The couple made sure to select a dinner menu that was suitable for everyone on their guest list. “Our entire menu was nut and gluten-free, which was important to us so that all our guests could enjoy the meal without worry,” Tracy says.

The couple's dance floor was designed to look like tile that the bride and groom have in their Denver home. To bring the outside into the tent, Lusha Events created a hanging installation over the dance floor that featured residential lamps, vines, and fresh flowers.

The newlyweds shared their first dance to Shania Twain’s “You’re Still the One." For the parent dance, Tracy and Cale decided to share a special moment with their moms to “How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)” by Marvin Gaye. “It was a heartfelt experience that honored the special bonds we have with our moms,” Tracy says.

Halfway through the reception, Tracy changed into a short, flirty dress by BHLDN, which she paired with Larroude heels. She also pulled her hair into a low ponytail.

The couple served a citrus olive oil wedding cake with vanilla buttercream, which featured ornate lambeth piping. As the night went on, they surprised their guests with late-night snacks in the form of Shake Shack burgers and fries. “It was a fun and casual way to keep the energy up and added a personal touch, since it’s one of our favorites," the bride notes.

Tracy and Cale shared a final dance to “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver. They started two stepping on the dance floor before the rest of their guests naturally circled around them and sang along. “It was such an organic moment that was not planned at all,” Tracy says. “You could feel the love radiating from every single person on the dance floor.”

The couple spent their honeymoon in Punta Mita, Mexico. To other pairs planning a wedding, they offer this reminder: “Most decisions are not set in stone right away, so if you make a decision and you are really second guessing yourself, you are allowed to go back and change that decision,” the say.