As mentioned, our trip to Beaver Creek was for my eldest niece’s wedding. We flew from LAX to DFW before connecting to Eagle Creek Airport (EGE). The journey wasn’t bad overall, though a slight flight delay added a bit of extra time to the travel day.
We were up early around 7 AM in Mission Viejo to grab a quick coffee before hitting the road. After dropping one of our friends at her office, our other friend kindly drove us to LAX. Traffic was surprisingly smooth, giving us well over an hour before our flight. However, since we were flying out of the International Terminal and American Airlines lacked check-in facilities there, we had to haul our luggage over to Terminal 4. For a 9 AM Wednesday, the airport was absolutely packed. By the time we checked our bags and cleared security, our flight was already boarding—leaving no time to stop for food. We made it to our gate, boarded quickly, and took off within 20 minutes. The leg from LAX to DFW was thankfully uneventful. After a two-hour layover at DFW, we boarded our final connection.
We were scheduled to arrive at Eagle Creek at a reasonable hour, though we still faced a 30-minute drive to our hotel. Unable to score a taxi, the two of us piled into a shared shuttle with a handful of other passengers for the ~45-minute drive to Beaver Creek. I found it hilarious when both the driver and the Four Seasons reception expected us to get off and check in—that was definitely not where we were staying!
Thursday June 18th
Thursday served as a much-needed recovery day. We both slept in until roughly 1 PM (despite not staying up particularly late the night before). Once we finally got moving, we headed to Coyote Cafe for a late lunch. My dad called just as we were walking out the door to let us know he had arrived, and he met us at the restaurant shortly after to chat and exchange a few items. He was clearly thrilled about the wedding and excited to see everyone.
Thursday evening was the Rehearsal Dinner, which the bride and groom themed “Western”. Denim, cowboy hats, and bolo ties were on full display. Still feeling the lingering effects of jet lag, I enjoyed a few glasses of wine at the reception and a couple more over dinner. By 9 PM, I had officially hit my limit and called it a night.
Bride and Groom in their Hats| | Sony A7R IV | Sony 85 mm f/1.4 | f/2.5 | 1/60th | ISO 2500
Me and Dad in our Bolos| | Sony A7R IV | Sony 85 mm f/1.4 | f/2.8 | 1/25th | ISO 5000
My partner and Mom | iPhone 16 Pro | 6.8 mm Back Camera | f/1.8 | 1/30th | ISO1000
Groom and his Dad and Cowboy hats | Sony A7R IV | Sony 85 mm f/1.4 | f/2.8 | 1/80th | ISO 4000
Friday June 19th
Friday was officially wedding day, starting with an early 2:30 PM ceremony. My partner and I woke up, enjoyed a light brunch, got dressed, and headed out. A short shuttle ride brought us to the venue, where we watched the service from the second row. The ceremony lasted about an hour and went off without a hitch.
Beginning of the Service | Sony A7R IV | Sony 70-200 mm f/2.8 | 70mm | f/2.8 | 1/100th | ISO 2500
The Service | Sony A7R IV | Sony 70-200 mm f/2.8 | 188mm | f/2.8 | 1/100th | ISO 2500
The Service | Sony A7R IV | Sony 70-200 mm f/2.8 | 77mm | f/2.8 | 1/80th | ISO 800
Proud Parents | Sony A7R IV | Sony 70-200 mm f/2.8 | 86mm | f/2.8 | 1/640th | ISO 400
Following the ceremony, everyone took shuttles further up the mountain to Beano’s Cabin. Guests gathered inside the lounge and out on the patio for pre-dinner drinks. I spent most of the cocktail hour catching up with family, as we rarely get to see each other. After dinner, my parents and I opted for an early evening, taking the 9 PM shuttle back down to the hotel.
Dad and the Proud Parents | Sony A7R IV | Sony 70-200 mm f/2.8 | 70mm | f/2.8 | 1/250th | ISO320
Moms | Sony A7R IV | Sony 70-200 mm f/2.8 | 200mm | f/2.8 | 1/1250th | ISO1600
Saturday June 20th
Unfortunately, my partner and I accidentally slept straight through the Farewell Brunch, missing our chance to say goodbye to the extended family. Later in the afternoon, my partner met up with our sister-in-law and niece, who had flown in from Seattle.
I grabbed a quick lunch at the Dusty Boot Saloon before spending the rest of the afternoon packing up my rented suit jacket, tuxedo, and accessories to drop off at The UPS Store in Avon, Colorado.
Sunday June 21st
We enjoyed a relaxed morning. Having learned our lesson from the long transit out, we decided to split up our return travel. We booked a shuttle to Denver International Airport and reserved a room at Woolley’s Hotel, roughly 10 minutes from DIA. After re-packing our bags, we walked a few blocks down the street for dinner at Ted’s Montana Grill.
Monday June 22nd
Another full travel day was on deck. We flew AeroMexico flight AM659 from Denver to Mexico City. Before departure, I set up a subscription to Vix (the official World Cup streaming partner in Mexico) and managed to stream roughly half of the France v Iraq match mid-flight. Splitting the trip into two legs made the journey exponentially smoother.
Once on the ground, we were among the first off the aircraft, and our bags came out #1 and #4 on the carousel. With nearly 25 automated digital immigration kiosks open, we retrieved our luggage and cleared customs in under 10 minutes.
Looking back, two key highlights made this wedding particularly special:
- I distinctly remember singing Lexi to sleep when she was just six months old while staying with my brother and sister-in-law in Chicago (I believe it was a song by The Verve back in 1998). Having known her for her entire life, watching her take this next major step was immensely rewarding.
2. Due to post-COVID travel restrictions and closed borders, I had only seen my extended family twice in the past six years (the previous time being Christmas 2022/2023 in Seville). Reconnecting with my immediate family was fantastic, even if the visit felt far too brief.
My nieces and nephews are now between 17 and 28 years old, so I imagine we’ll have a few more of these milestone events popping up over the next decade. I always love visiting the States—and while people usually say “they grow up so fast,” the truer sentiment is probably “we all grow up so fast…”
Paul Rin Travel Photojournalism 