A MILE HIGH WITH MEN’S VOWS

City bustle and outdoor vibrancy. A world-class art scene and a bleeding-edge music beat. Culinary creativity and barista ease. The charm of history and the energy of innovation. We could be describing San Francisco or even New York. But, truth be told, we are talking about Denver, CO. And, we couldn’t be more excited to join the ranks of “Mile-High-ers,” travel writers, tech-entrepreneurs, chefs, curators, creators, business people, makers and merchants who call Denver home.

155 years in the making, Denver has become an unrivaled and unique destination for business, tourism and, yes… weddings. Which is why we are dedicating this special issue of Men’s Vows to the Mile High City.

Were we to sum Denver up in one word, it would most certainly be approachable. Sure this is a city you can reach directly from anywhere in the US and many major cities around the world. And, from touchdown to bottoms up can be all of 37 minutes taking the Airport Train (A-Train) right into one of city’s most stunning nods to the past, Union Station, recently renovated into “Denver’s living room,” with access to the city’s Old West history just beyond the station’s doors. A wedding in Denver can be, as our Featured Wedding couple, Aaron and Tony described, as “Old West meets urban new.”

A glance west and a step in practically any direction will find yourself in any number of Denver’s outdoor venues from the Rocky Mountains to Washington Park. In a city where the sun shines 300 days a year, you, your fiancé and all of your guests won’t be able to restrain yourselves from indulging in urban kayaking, bike-sharing, park-jogging and neighborhood-walking. And, after a day of indulging in Denver’s active lifestyle, shimmy in to the night and Denver’s countless live music venues. And, for the hard-core shimmier, the city’s great late night danceterias truth be told, you might have to allow for late-coming wedding guests who get swept up in the fun of Denver’s active lifestyle.

This city provides you entree to any number of cultural firsts, bests, “manys,” and “onlys”. For the architecture buffs, Daniel Libeskind’s Denver Art Museum is the only building in the US by this celebrated designer. For the literary enthusiasts, the Tattered Book Cover is regarded as one of the best booksellers in the country. You will find nowhere else in the world as many Clyfford Still artworks than at the Clyfford Still Museum and, yet, there is only one Red Rocks Amphitheater, the most stunning of outdoor performance venues in the country. Consider any and all of these as venues in which to pop the question or cut the cake.

And speaking of entrée, Denver’s food and drink scene is one to be reckoned with.(We apologize for that silly play on words! We couldn’t resist… ) Aspiring chefs from across the country retreat to Denver to innovate new menus and casual concepts, freed from the pressure and scrutiny of big city restaurant critics. The restaurants are more inventive, the service more personable and the experience more relaxed. Perhaps the vibe is down to this being a city where there’s a microbrewery for every taste profile and more distilleries than most even in the city have clocked. Yours is going to be a well fed and well watered wedding weekend.

Once you’ve walked down the aisle, and said farewell to your last brunch guest, you don’t need to say farewell to the city or the Centennial State as there is no end to the natural wonders you could select for your honeymoon. But, if your sights are set on faraway places, hop right back on that A-Train and find your way, on direct flights, to places as exotic as Reykjavik , Munich, Tokyo or Mexico City.

But, the ultimate in Denver’s approachability is its citizens. Progressive in their inclusivity, in their inventiveness and in their ideology, those who call Denver home are among the most upbeat and welcoming people around. In fact, to find an irascible Denverite is to ask: “where are you from?” because to live in Denver is to be, well… happy. Which begs us to ask: where better to begin your married life than in a city that is happy?

Men’s Vows is happy to call Denver its home, and proud to play a part in Denver’s next Gold Rush, one in which men who marry flock to this unrivaled city.