Daily Inspiration: Meet Annie Danielson

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Annie Danielson.

Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Prior to owning a venue, my business partner/husband and I had been designers of home decor and home furnishings, as well as owners of a retail store and cafe. After selling those businesses, we took a year off to refuel for whatever was next. It was during that time that three children in our immediate and extended family were married.

Needless to say, we experienced three very different weddings and realized that there might be room for a wedding venue that provided couples and their families (who are often helping financially) a more solid starting place when it came to the basics that you need to host a larger group of guests.

You know, like beautiful tables, comfortable chairs, romantic lighting, a fully furnished cocktail lounge and courtyard, well-appointed suites for getting ready, and beautiful ceremony backdrop options – it seemed like a no-brainer for us after we had experienced being on the other side of the equation!

Let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
Is life ever a smooth road? (cue the laughter).

Finding just the right spot took much longer than we had anticipated. We did deep dives with our architect, various municipalities, and our savings account in half a dozen locations over the period of a year! An incredibly frustrating process at times but highly informative in helping us narrow down what was most important when it came to providing couples with a beautiful wedding day full of ease.

Once we found The St Vrain, we needed to go through an extensive renovation in order to bring the building up to code… actually, in order to bring it into the 21st century! We opened in 2017 when the building turned 100 years old! It is truly one of Colorado’s historic gems with its beautiful brick walls, warm wood-trussed ceilings, and two spacious floors for hosting guests.

From proximity to Denver and DIA to the mix of furnishings, flow of a wedding day, hotel accommodations, and wedding day photography… we needed to hit many notes right out of the gate!

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Is there a category for lifelong entrepreneurial makers, designers, and hospitality-obsessed humans? I wish it was more succinct than that, but honestly, life has been full of opportunities to help people lead a more intentional and beautiful life in both the seemingly small every day as well as the big life moments that many of us experience.

In our previous design business, our core values included training a skilled workforce and giving them opportunities for growth, using profits to further causes we cared deeply about, and creating home decor that reminded people to slow down long enough to appreciate the people and beauty in their everyday lives. Sounds rather lofty, but it was a very vibrant and life-giving enterprise during the twenty-two years we were lucky enough to steward it!

So, opening a venue and helping couples and their families celebrate such an amazing day made sense to us! Making it easier and more seamless to host one of life’s biggest moments beautifully was and still is the goal. Couples tell us they appreciate the personalized experience and good communication they receive during the year of planning their wedding and on their wedding day! That is deeply satisfying.

What are your plans for the future?
At The St Vrain, we look forward to continuing to provide couples with the high-touch service they deserve when making such an investment of time, intention, and financial resources.

As Old Town Longmont continues to develop, we find ourselves eagerly anticipating a new boutique hotel just one block west of The St Vrain! Couples and their guests already enjoy vibrant restaurants, breweries, distilleries, retail establishments, parks, and trails, all within walking distance. Now, they will be able to enjoy five-star accommodations as well!

We are so excited that this will enhance their experience of an easy destination wedding just 30 miles north of the Denver metro area!

Pricing:

• Monday – Thursday $3,900
• Friday/Sunday $7,000 – $8,500
• Saturday $7,500 – $9,500

Contact Info:

• Website: www.thestvrain.com
• Instagram: @thestvrain
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheStVrain

Image Credits
Redden R Wood Ceremony, Becca Ann Fogg, Lindsay Copeland, Shelly Anderson, and Mat Schramm