A fabulous new place to celebrate weddings has been completed at Blue Skies Inn after two years of careful renovation and painstaking construction. It is the Great Room, located in the Historic 1873 Carriage House. Featuring exquisite finishes, it is a lovely space for use during inclement weather or when seasons make a garden wedding challenging.
Walls are hand painted with many soft shades of palest rosy peach, overlaid with brushstrokes of pearlescent paint that shimmers in the light. Behind the altar area, there is a large painting of a Celtic knot done in watercolor shades. The interlocked butterflies symbolize Transformation, the very meaning of a wedding day.
And, oh!!, the magical light! - a dozen twinkling chandeliers are whimsically strung with lead crystal baubles in varying hues. There is a color to suit any wedding theme and delight any viewer. Set the chandeliers at full brightness or dim them down to romantic candlelight.
While the double Carriage House walls were open for construction, we added many feet of hidden wiring for multiple speakers. They will set the mood by enveloping a wedding in music.
Special decorative wrought iron components came from Texas for the stairway which was custom built and assembled locally. Very wide cherry planks from a tree grown in Pennsylvania were selected for the handsome stair treads.
In winter, warmth softly rises from the in-floor heat, keeping bride's toes warm and cozy. Over 2,000 pieces of carefully cut tile is intricately set in a decorative border to frame the Great Room. In summer, air conditioning provides a comfortable space in which to wed. Imagine what the horses who stabled here in 1873 might have thought of that!
The very tall sliding doors used for the passage of carriages were preserved. They now roll open to reveal a stunningly large window with Rocky Mountain views that star Pikes Peak. Other doors open to a courtyard garden for cake receptions in pleasant weather.
There is another delightful name for the new Great Room. We also call it the Blue Skies Chapel, a name inspired by the presence of two stained glass windows in the west side of the ancient structure. Due to the casual way in which the windows were inserted long ago into existing carriage house walls (evidenced by structural framing that had been cut by an ax), we guess that the windows might have come from an adjacent house after it burned in 1886. The selective exterior framing of just the deep red cross shape within the stained glass windows might have been an attempt to introduce a chapel theme. Although only red glass shows outside, hiding the amber and green glass panes, we have revealed all of the glass to the inside now. It's fun to watch the sun as it dances through the brightly colored windows and traces its way across the floor.
Early during our time on this property, one of our wedding officiants began calling the structure "the chapel" due to the presence of those stained glass windows, an very unusual feature for a carriage house. Somehow, the ultimate use of the pretty building was in his mind even then.
Please come visit so that Sally and Mike can tour you through our lovingly restored Historic structure.
www.pikespeakwedding.com
www.blueskiesinn.com
