Braden & Jackson: Love Cast in Ironworks

Wedding Photos: Bonnie Photo; @bonnie.photo

“You guys came over to watch Mean Girls,” Jackson reminded Braden of their first time together. Despite having worked at the same Starbucks in Denver, it was a mutual friend who brought them together in early 2017. They hung out a few other times, but it wasn’t until Braden was on a trip to St. Louis in October of that same year that the two started flirting and, shortly thereafter, dating.

“For me, Jackson was funny and kind and kind of a mess of a human, but so was I,” Braden explained. For Jackson, “Braden knew what direction he wanted to go in, which was something I lacked and really liked and needed from him.” Despite Jackson having stepped away from college and several life plans, marriage remained a goal. Though for Braden, given his divorced parents, marriage wasn’t “top of his mind.”

Because the two moved in together very early on in their relationship—mainly for financial reasons—it wasn’t too long before they were talking about engagement. Not to mention their friends who continually asked, “when is it going to happen?!” Such was everyone’s expectation for their engagement, Braden even thought it would maybe just happen on its own!

But Braden shopped around for rings—finding a blacksmith in London—and made a plan to get engaged on a trip to Cancún. However, fates would have it that their engagement sort of did just happen on its own. Braden knew there was risk that the rings wouldn’t arrive on time—and he was right—so one night while looking at pictures of them online, Jackson came home to Braden announcing: “Look! We have rings!” They went to Cancún without them, but when they got home, they exchanged rings in October of 2020.

“Because of Covid, we knew we had to book a venue fast, so we could be assured of getting married in 2022.” So, the two set out to find a venue that, which as Jackson described, “had more of an urban feel, that was also Art Deco for our Great Gatsby theme.” “Five minutes into the tour, I knew that Ironworks was it,” Braden added. “We were both in love with the space and the event coordinators were so nice.” The wedding was set for summer 2022.

Ironworks in Downtown Denver was once part of an industrial steel complex built in 1903. Thanks to its original function, its architectural and design features—crystal chandeliers, grand staircase, countless windows, statement bar—today make for the quintessential industrial chic venue. Its many spaces can accommodate different size groups, different activities and, well, different vibes!

Braden is the planner in the couple and Jackson’s sister is in the events business, such that when they first met with the Ironworks team, they were really prepared. “There’s a lot of gatekeeping in the wedding industry. ‘Do you have enough money? Are you the right couple for our venue?’ But we felt so welcome at Ironworks,” Braden said. “They knew what we were going to ask before we even did,” Jackson noted.

One of the ‘inside baseball’ things they learned from Jackson’s sister that made Ironworks stand out, was how straightforward and approachable the bar package was. Venues often make this piece unnecessarily complicated, imposing minimums or pricing that is onerous. This was not the case with Ironworks. Further, Ironworks included the tables and chairs rental in the venue contract, making Braden and Jackson’s wedding all the more reasonable.

“I took on 70% of the planning, because I really like planning,” Braden said, “but Jackson was in charge of our ceremony.” As such, Braden offered that a full wedding planner might not be necessary—though warned that the weeks leading up to the big day were intense with a lot of moving parts—but a day-of coordinator is a must. “There is just so much that goes on, on the day that you don’t realize, like needing a steamer! You might have to Walgreens on your wedding day.”  

Jackson’s cousin presided over their ceremony, which included a hand-fastening ceremony in honor of his late mother who was a Wiccan high priestess. “I wanted to do something not monotheistic.” Further, the two wrote their own vows. For Braden, hearing the words Jackson selected to express his sentiments of the moment, was striking. For Jackson, simply hearing Braden’s reassurance that he’d always be there for him, was overwhelming. “Everyone said how lovely it was to be in a room with people who love each other so much.”

While the two were careful with their budget, they decided to indulge with their caterer, Biscuits & Berries, one of Ironworks’ many outstanding partner vendors. And it paid off given how many of their guests said how great the food was. “We definitely feel people should splurge a little on their wedding,” Braden said. “You just have to not spend as much on other things like flowers. We worked with a florist who uses high-end, reusable silk flowers that looked amazing and were better for the environment.”

But it was also hearing toasts from friends and family that made the reception so memorable. Braden did share how, as someone who does not enjoy the limelight, making an entrance, having a first dance, and hearing all the toasts, was a challenge. But one he ultimately loved. “I just wanted everyone else to start dancing,” he said laughing!

Regarding dancing, the two made a unique choice of music. “We did all electro-swing, modern jazz, old swing. No Top-40, no hip-hop, no pop; it was very themed.” But everyone danced all night long, hung out at the bar, chatted with people, and made new friends. “We did not have a time-schedule following dinner which allowed people to just have fun. And people said it was the most laid-back reception they’d been to.” Jackson went on to say, “it went from wedding to speakeasy with people hanging out in a cocktail bar, which is very us!”

“I pictured our grand exit going a little bit differently,” Braden said, chuckling. They had planned a sparkler exit and getting 100 tipsy people to hold sparklers in formation was a task. The two ended up going through their sparkling tunnel three or four times. “It was a really great party!”

Following a honeymoon in the Dominican Republic, the two are now focused on moving into a new apartment downtown. “We just want to closer to our friends and be able to walk out our door and discover a new bar,” Braden said. Or they might just pop into Ironworks for a trip down memory lane.

While neither could exactly point to how being married was different, Braden and Jackson both felt that something was. One might say that feeling is what forever feels like.