Why Telluride?
Collier’s family has an extensive history in this small mining town. It all began in 1880, when her great-great-great-grandfather, Charles Painter, came to Telluride from Ohio. Not only was he a town founder, but he was also elected mayor and helped to establish San Miguel County. Collier’s family name changed from Painter to Lavender when her great-great-grandmother, Edith, married Ed Lavender, an entrepreneur in Telluride who ran a livery stable and a freight business using horses and mules to supply the mines. By the end of Ed’s life, he was operating the largest cattle ranch in Western Colorado.
Collier’s great-grandfather, David S. Lavender, was born and raised in Telluride, and grew up ranching with his family. He later transitioned career paths and became a writer and historian. To this day, he is still known as one of the most prolific chroniclers of the American West. During the Depression, he moved to California with his wife, Brookie, to teach at The Thacher School—beginning the family’s long-time connection to the Ojai Valley.
Brookie and David S. near Telluride circa 1932
In the 1960s, Collier’s grandparents, David G. and Val Lavender, were living in Ojai but began returning to Telluride in the summertime. One summer, with the help of their five children, they built a “Lincoln Log” style cabin on Last Dollar Road. Collier’s mother, Sarah, spent all of her childhood and teen summers at that Telluride cabin.
David G. and Val in Telluride, 1982
Collier’s parents met at The Thacher School, and her dad, Morgan, visited the Lavender family during the summer of 1985, when he was 18. He fell in love with Telluride, as well as with Sarah. They married in 1990 and raised two children, Collier and Kyle, in the Bay Area, frequently bringing them back to the Telluride cabin to spend time with family and grow up in the magic of the mountains.
Sarah and Morgan in Telluride, 1985
Collier’s Aunt Karen and Uncle David have been living in the family cabin for two decades. In 2016, Collier’s parents decided to buy the parcel across the road from them. On that parcel, they built a house and a barn and moved to Telluride full-time.
Fast forward to 2023—Collier starts dating a man she’s extremely serious about: Jamie. That winter, she brings her new boyfriend home to Telluride to meet her family. Just as her dad had with her mom, Jamie falls deeply in love with Collier and the tiny mountain town she brought him to. This was the beginning of many trips for the couple to Telluride—always filled with bonfires and skiing in the winter, and hiking and riding horses in the summer. Telluride quickly became their dog Cooper’s favorite place too.
Collier and Jamie in Telluride, 2023
Cooper in Telluride, 2023
In 2025, Jamie’s parents, Leslie and Lorrin, came to Telluride for the first time to spend Christmas with the Smiths. The two families quickly bonded as together they cooked, they ate, they drank, they laughed, and most important of all, they enjoyed the beauty of the outdoors.
Collier and Jamie with their parents in Telluride, 2025
Telluride has set the scene for generations of love stories, including their own. When Jamie proposed to Collier in 2026, there was no question about where they wanted to have their wedding. From their first trip together in 2023, they always knew it would be Telluride. Collier and Jamie are so excited to share their love and the magic of this place with you.
