About Us
Based in Denver, Mountain Occasions is the premier event planning company for the Rocky Mountains and parts west. It was founded in 2007 by esteemed event planner Aimee Monihan, as the North American partner to Costa Rica-based Tropical Occasions. Realizing the complexities of planning large-scale events in small mountain towns — not just ceremonies, but also unique logistics for transportation, lodging, venues, and activities — she founded Mountain Occasions with the specific aim of designing creative, expertly thought-out events that were seamlessly planned but also tremendously fun. She works closely with the region’s very best hotels, estates and vendors to bring clients’ one-of-a-kind visions to life.
Our Philosophy
We believe in celebrating love, equality, and joy.
We believe in celebrating love and embracing the beautiful diversity of the world around us. We believe celebration is an art form, and that it should be meaningful but also fun, from the initial consultation until the last guest departs. We thrive on bringing your vision to life while joyfully managing any bumps or surprises along the way. Our purpose comes from
the knowledge that we are creating memories and bonds that last a lifetime. We know that the magnitude of any memory lies in the details and the seamlessness of the experience. We pride ourselves on going above and beyond to meticulously design, plan and produce one-of-a-kind events in beautiful locations, for an unforgettable experience.
Meet the Team
We’re a globe-trotting, multi-lingual team of planners, designers & producers.
Aimee Monihan
Founder, Owner, Design Director
Born and raised in Seattle’s most international neighborhood, and a world traveler since her pre-teens, Aimee Monihan is the definition of someone consumed by wanderlust. Aimee is a firm believer in the idea that travel and life experiences in distant destinations both broaden our minds and open our hearts. She is also someone who loves nothing more than to design and produce an unforgettable party. With the dream of combining her love of travel with her passion for dreaming up and executing extraordinary celebrations, Aimee launched Tropical Occasions in 1999, becoming Costa Rica’s very first professional wedding planner.
After residing in Central America for over 11 years, Aimee returned to Colorado (where she had attended university) and started Mountain Occasions, her planning & design firm specializing in Rocky Mountain events. The thought behind this new venture was to help plan creative, FUN and expertly thought out events for the destination market in the Rockies. No other planning company in the region truly understood the complexities of helping couples plan not only their weddings, but also the travel, lodging, activities and auxiliary events for large groups in these mountain towns.
With over 1,200 weddings now under her dual companies’ resume, Aimee and her team of creative partners have paved the way for a thriving, forward thinking and incredibly successful destination wedding company. As a lover of skiing, hiking and mountain top yoga practice, it made perfect sense for Aimee to launch this sister company, allowing her to plan events in her other favorite natural terrain. And for the past decade, Aimee and her team have been planning incredible events in the most beautiful places on the planet, be they beaches or mountaintops.
Amy Siudak
operations manager & lead planner
Originally from Illinois, Amy moved to Austin, Texas, post-college to begin a career in hospitality. Although she loved Texas, the mountains called and she was pulled north to Colorado a few years later. While working as an events manager for one of the region’s best-known caterers, Amy realized she loved doing events, and working directly with clients on everything from planning menus to suggesting decor and organizing the entertainment. In 2019 she joined Destinations Occasions on the Mountain Occasions team and has been a vital part ever since. As our Operations Manager, Amy is all things logistics. To say she is obsessed with the perfect floorplan is an understatement.
When not working, you’ll find her in the mountains—skiing in the winter, or camping in the summer. An unabashed lover of her adopted home state, Amy believes Colorado’s beauty and fresh air makes the whole world seem more alive, and she brings her passion for the mountain lifestyle to Destination Occasions’ mountain events.
Anahi Contreras-Denton
design & production manager
Daughter of a diplomat, who’s lived all over our beautiful globe, it’s futile to say where Anahi actually comes from. Brazil, Japan, Uruguay, El Salvador, Switzerland, Costa Rica, and the USA are all places Anahi has called home. With her incredible upbringing she is a master linguist, fluently speaking 4 languages. Anahi is also our ‘go to’ on all things ‘etiquette’. Helping host diplomatic events for the first half of her life has its advantages. Anahi has been a member of the Tropical Occasions team for over a decade and now summers in Colorado to avoid the tropical rainy season of her main home in Costa Rica. So for spring and summer events, Anahi is one of our Mountain Occasions team. With over 16 years of the events industry planning, producing, catering and floral designing, there’s almost nothing Anahi can’t handle.
Stephen Denton
Event production
Stephen, the son of a Puerto Rican raised father and French Canadian mother was born in Detroit. However he moved to Costa Rica at the age of 5, where he has called home ever since. Stephen went to the Florida State University where he majored in political science and received a minor in philosophy. Upon returning to Costa Rica post FSU, Stephen went on to obtain an MBA from The University of Costa Rica.
Stephen’s first passion is being in the water. His first career path was owning a dive shop on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica and serving as the shop’s lead Dive Master & PADI Instructor. Stephen met Aimee in 2004 and became fast friends. Noticing Stephen’s second passion–his love of music–coupled with his skills on the turntables, Aimee convinced him to start DJ-ing some of her events. This led Stephen into the world of event production, where he now owns Costa Rica’s most successful DJ, lighting and lounge design firm.
Stephen and his wife of 25 years (Mountain Occasions team member Anahi) split their lives between Costa Rica and Colorado taking advantage of the two region’s alternating high seasons. He is our team’s heavy lifter, bringing untold and unexpected knowledge to all of the events we do. He always has a smile and an infectious laugh filled with positivity. Stephen has that uncanny ability to keep everyone happy, be they the clients, guests or his coworkers.
Why does Stephan love event production and partaking in celebrations? “To celebrate and gather is what makes us human!” he’ll say with a dumbfounded look on his face, like it’s the most obvious thing in the world.
MaKayla Luedke
assistant planner & event production
MaKayla worked as our intern during the 2023 season. It was pretty much a love at first sight with her contagious “Yes can do” attitude and bright personality. A Colorado native who loves to say Roll Tide! MaKayla will graduate from The University of Alabama, holding a Bachelor’s degree in Human Environmental Sciences. Her passion lies in both the artistry and functionality of design. She has always loved the wedding world as it allows her to take part in special memories of people’s lives. Last summer she interned for the company and fell in love with all the details that go into each wedding. Beyond her academic pursuits, MaKayla channels her creativity into crafting furniture and engaging in various design projects. She finds immense joy in the process of bringing ideas to life and will always be excited to make a visit to the local Home Depot.
