The I Do Crew at La Joya Dulce is here to make your destination wedding “the fairytale of all fairytales”

We admit it. We ran away and got married.

We’re Wayne, ranch owner, and Kathie, venue owner, here at La Joya Dulce. Our marriage story began in Kona, Hawaii, where we had traveled to race outrigger canoes. We decided on the spur of the moment to get married while we were there, and invited the women Kathie had coached that year to share our day with us. So we get destination weddings.

Our own destination wedding was perfect for us; let us help you make your destination ranch wedding in Steamboat Springs perfect for you.

At La Joya Dulce, not only do we have breathtakingly beautiful and intimate views of the Colorado Rockies; we have an incredibly kind, thoughtful, and efficient team who take care of every detail. (Wayne calls Kathie and Mandy the "most laid back full on Type A women you could ever meet." Our couples call us their dream team.)

Your I Do Crew

Our goal is to help you host an unforgettable celebration where you can enjoy the stunning scenery while savoring a stress-free schedule here on our ranch.

Inquire about your wedding here →

Wayne & Kathie Jacobsen

Owners

While raised in California, both of us are mountain people at heart. When we began our search for our forever home, we quickly settled on Steamboat Springs. After two years of searching, the perfect property came up and we bought it.

Like many of you, we committed to La Joya Dulce before we even stepped foot on the ranch! Wayne purchased it as a parcel of what was previously the Triple Diamond Ranch in 2013, and now it’s our joy to invite others to our “jewel” nestled in the mountains.

Wayne is a retired partner at a major law firm and avid biker. He is also an artist and woodworker and you can see his handiwork in the many signs and pieces that Kathie commissions from him. Both Wayne and Kathie consider themselves to be cancer “thrivers,” having survived their respective cancer episodes.

Kathie was self-employed as a learning and development consultant as well as running and designing large corporate events, including the celebrity studded openings of the Sports Club LA and Sports Club Irvine. Developing and running both the ranch (cattle) business and the wedding business were a natural extension of her previous life. She is a lifelong equestrian and currently chairs the American Saddlebred Equine Welfare Advocacy Committee where she and her committee are recipients of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) / EQUUS Foundation Humanitarian of the year. Due to the wedding business, she and her American Saddlebred horses introduce hundreds of new people to the Saddlebred and they are five time and reigning World Champion Ambassadors as well as Diplomats of the Breed.

Together, Kathie and Wayne are avid skiers as well as former competitive outrigger canoe paddlers. Kathie has also introduced Wayne to horseback riding and they are found regularly on trails around Steamboat as well as planning worldwide trips on horseback.

"La Joya Dulce is a magical place"

“From the day we met Kathie, we felt nothing but love and happiness from her and her space. Kathie was so accommodating with our situation and you could tell that she not only cared about us as a couple, our vision as a couple, but also the magnitude of the event. On the day of the event, Kathie and her staff were incredibly supportive, professional, and VERY timely…It was absolutely perfect and I wish we could relive it. Thanks for everything La Joya Dulce and thank you Kathie for being one of a kind.” – Lizzi
"I honestly don’t know that any [venue] could top the level of dedication Kathie and Mandy give to their brides."

“Mandy exceeds every definition of a ‘day-of coordinator’ – she is professional, reliable, and was an integral part of keeping things moving smoothly when the weather changed its mind the week of our wedding. Beyond that, Mandy brings a calm to the storm that is wedding planning, and is a great voice of reassurance when things get stressful. Kathie (owner of LJD) is the kind of person you who makes you feel like family the day you walk in the door, and will go above and beyond in every way to make sure you have the day you have always dreamed about.” – Jessica
"Breathtaking views, incredible customer service, and staff that are 100% invested in your day"

“Kathie and Mandy had MULTIPLE zoom meetings with my groom and I answering questions. They went above and beyond before a dollar was spent or a contract was signed to ensure we felt comfortable…I hired Mandy Crabb for her full wedding planning service and would recommend her to every bride in the universe. Mandy was my peace through the craziness of planning a wedding and anyone can attest that once you get in her presence you just feel at ease. I was an involved bride with planning and Mandy helped me every step of the way by guiding my timelines and suggestions with her expertise and decor skills. However, on the day of, I just wanted to show up and have everything done. That is exactly what happened. The LJD crew went ABOVE and beyond making sure that every detail went off without a hitch the entire wedding weekend.” – Katie H.
"Impeccable service...absolutely above and beyond what we could have envisioned for our wedding day"

“Kathie and her team did everything possible to make our day special, carefree, and enjoyable for our guests. We received so many compliments on our wedding day, and cannot thank La Joya Dulce enough for everything. … BOOK THIS VENUE NOW, you will get to have a supportive extended family to help plan your wedding from afar, an amazing place to host your guests, and the opportunity to enjoy every second of your special day.” – Sara
"We were beyond impressed with our experience working with Kathie and Mandy"

“Kathie truly goes above and beyond for her guests. They provide an inventory of decorations that can be used, recommendations on vendors as needed, and answered any and all questions that arose during the planning process. … I would highly recommend hiring Mandy, the day of planner who also lives on the ranch. She was an absolute dream to work with. There was never a second that I did not feel comfortable with her running the show for us and I knew that she would make sure that everything was perfect- and it was! She is truly a shining light and amazing human and made me feel so at ease with any stress that I was feeling.” – Ann
"All our friends raved about Mandy and how she was on top of everything."

“Even through a pandemic, working with Kathie, Mandy, and the entire team at LJD was such a fantastic experience. We received a lot of communication from Kathie, especially once COVID-19 hit, and felt at ease throughout the final weeks leading up to our wedding…as a bride, I was able to trust the team with any last minute details or problems, so that I could really just enjoy the day. We have a fond spot in our hearts for this place and the people.” – Katie R.
"Kathie, Mandy and everyone at La Joya Dulce gave us the best experience I could imagine."

“I always heard from other brides that there will be things that go wrong on your wedding day, but you just have to go with it. On our wedding day, everything was absolutely perfect…It shocked me that they could take my vision and completely transform it into reality. They really were the BEST and I can't recommend them enough! Plus, my husband got to ride into our ceremony on a horse, so he will never forget the experience! After the wedding, we both couldn't stop talking about how great Kathie and Mandy were and how they really made the day perfect.” – Shelby
"These people are seriously awesome."

“We contacted them about five weeks out and they pulled everything together for us and kept us updated on all guidelines. The venue is amazing and Kathie and Mandy are the most detail oriented people on the planet. We had a beautiful wedding during COVID and I can only imagine what they can do when they aren't restricted.” – Brianna
"Kathie and Mandy worked to make every last detail perfect for us."

“One of the things I wanted most was to use the horses. Kathie made it happen! During our rehearsal, she also had a great last minute idea to open the pavilion doors for my grand entrance down the aisle. Definitely recommend this venue. Our family still has not stopped talking about how fun our wedding was!” – Kristen
"Kathie, Wayne, Mandy were amazingly responsive, had great suggestions when we asked, and made our ideas and dreams come to life!"

We chose to hire LJD’s wedding manager, Mandy Crabb, and couldn’t imagine choosing differently! She is a total gem! … I’d recommend LJD to anyone searching for a venue in a CO mountain town (and we’re biased, but Steamboat Springs is a magical place and our guests went on lots of local adventures). Our friends and family traveled from all over the US and we received so many compliments from them about our wedding and their experiences at La Joya Dulce!” – Courtney

Your dream team at work

Groom holding onto shoulder while blindfolded for first look

Staff member power washing ceremony chairs at La Joya Dulce

La Joya Dulce owner as officiant at wedding

Staff raising a toast to bride and groom

Staff with couple on vintage tractor at La Joya Dulce

Owner driving vintage Jaguar for photo session

Staff member driving wedding party in golf cart

Owner and staff sitting with bride at wedding

Young staff member opening overhead doors

Owner helping bride into horse drawn carriage

Owner and staff member riding horses up from greeting at gate

staff member putting boutonniere on groom

The Story Behind Our Name

La Joya Dulce came into being in 2013 when the Triple Diamond Ranch was split into three separate parcels. The split was fortunate for Kathie and Wayne – we couldn’t afford the entire Triple Diamond, but when a single jewel became available, we were happy to land a sweet deal.

Wayne’s last name starts with J, Kathie’s last name starts with D, and Wayne’s law degree is a Juris Doctor, so the first instinct was to name the place JD Ranch. “Not poetic enough,” Wayne said. “The initials need to stand for something.”

Many silly ideas were rejected. (Jaunty Donkey Ranch? No. Jolly Damsel Ranch? No. Jumping Dinosaur Ranch? No. And Kathie’s suggestion: Junkyard Dog Ranch? No.) Then Wayne consulted a Spanish/English translation site and learned that "Joya" means “Jewel,” and “Dulce” means “Sweet.”

“You are my sweet jewel,” said Wayne to Kathie.

So our ranch is La Joya Dulce, The Sweet Jewel. Our logo honors the Triple Diamond heritage by preserving one of the three diamonds.

Our Equine Team Members

La Joya Dulce is currently home to five horses, including Kathie’s Diplomat of the Breed and award winning mare, CH Spurwing’s Superfine Lady, better known as “Miss P” as well as Elvis, our rescue from Mississippi and bodyguard to Miss P. Their many trophies, including the World Championship banner and National Championship Awards can be found in our trophy room, one of our prep areas.

A sidesaddle entrance for the bride can be arranged (limited availability)