Aspen is like your favorite pair of jeans.” This is how John Tew, the head of Film Aspen, describes the Rocky Mountain mining town he calls home. It is surprising to hear such a homespun phrase accurately describe the place, which is more typically known as the playground for the (g)litterati and where G5s come to mate.   

At its core, Aspen is as inviting, comfortable, and accepting as that broken-in pair of Levis. Because, at its core, Aspen is where nature, history, and individuality align to create an idea. An idea that Walter Paepke, one of the town’s founding father’s described as the alignment of “body, mind and spirit.”

Aspen’s limitless activities engage the body in ways both athletic and hedonistic – where mountain hikes give way to après ski antics. To engage the mind, Aspen’s festivals, cultural institutions and intellectual summits over-deliver (and over-stimulate). And, Aspen’s majestic natural beauty coupled with the inclusive nature of those lucky to call themselves Aspenites, sate the soul.

The stories Aspen inspired for this edition of Men’s Vows share a common theme: community. No matter if you’re a winter interloper or summer denizen; a part of the world-class group of people who produce some of the most stunning weddings; among those who frequent the ballet, debate at the Aspen Institute or indulge at the Food & Wine Classic; an Aspen Gay Ski Week regular or a first-timer at our Aspen Summer Holiday event, to come to Aspen once means you become a part of its community for a lifetime.

As Tony Delucia, the G.M of the Hotel Jerome, the crown jewel in Aspen’s hospitality scene said: “I came expecting to be here 2 years and have stayed for 29. This is not an uncommon story.” Our hope is that this issue entices you to experience all that Aspen has to offer. We at Men’s Vows have called Aspen home and can vouch for the fact that it is impossible to give it up. Much like that favorite pair of jeans.