Real Wedding: Julianne & Harrison’s Intimate Wedding Weekend in the Old West

During their Old West-inspired wedding weekend, Julianne Lewis and Harrison Weiss proved that a mechanical bull and a muddy aisle only make a celebration more memorable.

High in the Colorado Rockies, Mother Nature changes her mind quickly, shifting from sunshine to sleet in mere minutes. Julianne Lewis and Harrison Weiss knew that when they booked a three-day wedding celebration at Dunton Hot Springs, a restored 19th-century ghost town turned luxury resort. Their guests embraced the Old West spirit of the setting, gathering for horseback riding, fly fishing, hot springs soaks, and a ceremony that wouldn’t be derailed by a muddy aisle.

Harrison, whose father Barry Weiss oversaw Jive Records and managed artists including Justin Bieber and Rihanna, first discovered Dunton years earlier while visiting a nearby fishing camp. The cinematic beauty of the property stayed with him — weathered wooden cabins clustered around a saloon, framed by dramatic mountain peaks and wide-open sky.

While the aesthetic of the weekend nodded to the past, the beginning of their love story was unmistakably modern. The couple met on Hinge while living in neighboring mountain towns. Harrison had moved from New Jersey to Colorado to ski, while Julianne was living in Park City. Their profiles connected over niche comedy references — his to It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, hers to Nathan for You. Within a year, they moved to Los Angeles together for her work before eventually returning to Crested Butte, building their lives around the mountains that first connected them.

A Western Wedding

When it came time to plan the wedding, Julianne knew exactly what she wanted the experience to feel like. “I always wanted a wedding that emphasized the people I really love,” she says. What she didn’t want? “A whole show.” That was easy to avoid at Dunton, with an intimate capacity limiting the guest list to just 53 people, allowing the couple to reserve the entire property. “Dunton itself, as a Relais & Châteaux property, is rooted in exceptional hospitality from the moment you step onto the property,” explains wedding planner Heather Dwight of Calluna Events. Since the resort operates as an all-inclusive retreat, the celebration felt more like a shared mountain getaway than a series of scheduled events.

Let the Games Begin

“Julianne and Harrison wanted their first evening to capture a true ‘Welcome to Colorado’ spirit,” Heather says. From there, the atmosphere, attire, and color scheme would evolve. “We wanted every evening to feel a bit more elevated than the one before it, moving from relaxed and playful to more refined and formal as the wedding approached.”

The festivities kicked off with a ranch-style welcome party. The dress code? “Something you can ride a mechanical bull in” — literally. A local bluegrass band provided the soundtrack, and tables were dressed in Western-inspired linens with miniature wooden cowboy figurines serving as place cards.

Julianne took the mechanical bull for a spin too, though the operators took it easy on her. “They were trying to make sure I didn’t get a black eye before the wedding,” she laughs. The welcome soiree was originally planned outdoors, but rain pushed everyone inside — the first hint that the weather would become an uninvited (but fully embraced) guest. At one point the power went out, but Dunton’s generator quickly restored electricity, bringing the band and mechanical bull back to life.

The next day’s itinerary, before the rehearsal dinner, was intentionally relaxed. Some guests went horseback riding or fly fishing; others attended yoga classes or soaked in the hot springs. Another unexpected, though very welcome, guest arrived that afternoon.

As the couple stepped outside for portraits, a massive rainbow stretched across the sky. For Julianne, it carried deep personal meaning. “My late grandmother always told me she’d be at my wedding,” she says. “And that whenever I saw a rainbow after she passed, it was her saying hi.”

Mud, Mountains, and Marriage

Colorado’s dramatic weather continued into Saturday, the wedding day. Rain delayed the ceremony, and at one point hail threatened the timeline. As if that weren’t enough, Julianne suspected she had food poisoning. “I was pretty sick the day of,” she admits. “But I powered through. I think it contributed to my glow.”

When the skies finally cleared, Julianne stepped out in a custom silk gown by Vivienne Westwood, complete with a dramatic cape. Her accessories carried generations of family history: her late grandmother’s wedding ring, a new ring created using the diamond from her mother-in-law’s original engagement ring, and a pearl ring passed down from her great-grandmother.

Walking down the aisle proved just as adventurous as typical ranch activities, as the ground had turned to mud. “I trudged through,” Julianne says. Guests laughed as she carefully made her way to the chuppah, as they comfortably sat on benches layered with cozy sheepskins and blankets. The ceremony space itself was designed to feel as though it had grown from the surrounding landscape, with grasses and soft mauve florals arranged organically around the altar.

Dinner and dancing later took place indoors, where guests enjoyed dishes highlighting meats and vegetables from nearby purveyors. Dessert included two cakes: a groom’s cake inspired by Harrison’s grandmother’s vanilla layer cake with chocolate ganache, and a bride’s cake featuring both lemon blackberry and cardamom-spiced flavors.

Despite a brief power outage, a muddy gown hem, and a slightly under-the-weather bride, the weekend unfolded exactly as the couple had hoped: intimate, outdoorsy, and joyful. The couple’s upcoming honeymoon will take them to Mexico City, where they’ll stay at Condesa DF, and later to Rwanda to see gorillas — adventures befitting a couple whose love story has already crossed state lines, mountain ranges, and a muddy aisle.

Color Story

Throughout the wedding weekend, florals were designed to engage more than just the eye. The color palette evolved day to day — from rust to soft greens to deep burgundy — mirroring a shift from casual to cocktail attire. “Each day felt clearly distinct in tone and palette, yet all were connected through thoughtful layering, texture, and a shared sense of place,” says Liz Griffith of Siloh Floral Artistry.

Day One: Welcome to the Rodeo

A mechanical bull, bluegrass band, and taco dinner set the tone for the Western welcome party, with rust, red, and sunset-orange hues and wildflower-style arrangements featuring dahlias and seasonal blooms.

Day Two: Rehearsal Dinner

After a day of enjoying the landscape, guests gathered for a more polished rehearsal dinner surrounded by soft tones of buttercream, ivory, mustard yellow, and pale green.

Day Three: Ceremony & Reception

The wedding day introduced a richer palette of mauve, dusty rose, and brown hues. Florals incorporated grasses and chocolate cosmos, while Julianne’s cascading bouquet featured jasmine vine, clematis, and flowering oregano, adding a soft, romantic fragrance.