Anita & Łukasz’s Very Polish Wedding Celebration at Sanctuary Golf Course

I’d already known Anita and her family for years when Łukasz reached out about photographing his proposal at the Royal Gorge Bridge in Cañon City. That was summer 2025. Later that fall, I photographed their civil ceremony outside the Chaffee County courthouse, followed by portraits in St. Elmo. They celebrated that occasion with a private dinner and around 20 family members. That was the “Civil Wedding”, which, if you know how the Polish celebrate, was hardly a wedding party.

So by the time we got to this wedding celebration, we had some history. I’d photographed their business, their engagement, and the day they legally became husband and wife. Getting to be there for this part, too, meant a lot.

Anita and Łukasz met when he came snowmobiling with friends who were visiting her family. Their Polish heritage is a huge part of their lives, and they carried it into the food, the traditions, and the way they brought everyone together. Anita knew exactly what she wanted. I loved how much thought she’d put into it. That’s what makes a wedding so special, truly one-of-a-kind.

We started with a welcome luncheon at Bar Hummingbird at The Brinkerhoff in Castle Rock, followed by a rehearsal dinner in the Aspen Room at The Inverness Denver in Englewood. The wedding day itself took us between The Inverness, St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Castle Rock, and Sanctuary Golf Course in Sedalia. That’s a lot of places, a lot of name drops. Point is, there was a lot to coordinate before the wedding day arrived.

The Welcome Luncheon

The Rehearsal Dinner

This wedding involved more planning and back-and-forth with the planner than any I’d photographed before. I attended the venue walkthrough with the full vendor team. Anita had specific photo requests and details she wanted highlighted, especially the florals, the reception design, and the Polish traditions throughout the day. Knowing those priorities ahead of time helped me plan where to put our attention as we moved between locations.

She trusted my team and me to lead her through the photography, and I took that seriously. We were there from 9 a.m. until midnight: 15 hours. With that much happening, I wanted to give the things she cared about the attention they deserved, including the parts that came long after the ceremony.

And there was plenty to photograph. The reception had a life-size disco horse and an LED checkered dance floor. Guests were mostly in black tie, with some very cute handbags and accessories. I was absolutely noticing those.

At cocktail hour, the Góralski Stół, or Highlander’s Table, brought a piece of their families’ home to the celebration. It’s a traditional spread from the mountain regions of southern Poland, where both families are from. Łukasz’s brother made the smoked meats and sausages, served alongside breads, pickles, spreads, and cheeses, including oscypek, a traditional smoked mountain cheese.

I loved knowing who had made that food and what it meant to them. The table was intended to feel abundant and welcoming, somewhere everyone could gather, eat, drink, and celebrate. Understanding that gave me more to pay attention to than simply how it looked.

Later came a whole roasted pig. A whole roasted pig!, served with sauerkraut, barszcz czerwony, a Polish red beet soup, and krokiety, savory stuffed and breaded crepes. A literal pig on a platter, like that scene in Shrek 2. Another familiar tradition for their families, and quite the late-night snack. There were also more than 700 mini desserts and coffee to help keep everyone going.

Keeping everyone going was clearly not a problem because the hotel after-party was supposed to finish at 2 a.m.; but staff eventually had to turn off the lights to get people to leave. These two and their people were committed.

The celebration continued with a Poprawiny, a traditional Polish second-day party, in Salida. Monday brought close family together at the rented infinity pool at Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort in Nathrop. On Tuesday, we headed up Tincup Pass for a family RZR ride. Anita and Łukasz own Bigfoot Adventure Rentals together, so that felt like a very fitting addition.

Their review described me as someone who will “show up, read the room, and immediately get to working her magic.” After being trusted with so many parts of their story, that means a lot. I knew how much Anita had put into this celebration. I wanted her photographs to hold onto the people and traditions behind all of it.

Thirteen years of experience is what it took to capture this wedding properly. But what made it truly special? The time the spent with their people.