Colorado Wedding Venue Feature: Mountain Wedding Garden

I have an exciting article for all of the DIY couples out there looking for a wedding venue in Colorado, as today I’ll be talking about the fantastic Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte!! This venue has been a LONG time favorite of mine, and you may even recognize it from some of my other blogs. It was the venue for Sophie and Dirk’s DIY wedding, and even made my list of top 10 wedding venues in the mountains of Colorado! Today we’ll be taking a closer look as to why this venue is one of my favorites, and why any couple planning a DIY wedding should keep Mountain Wedding Garden on their radar!!

Bride in a long white veil stands towards groom in a grey suit during their intimate vows. They stand in a grassy field with Mountains in the background.

What Makes Mountain Wedding Garden a One of a Kind Wedding Venue?

Million Dollar Views at an Affordable Rate

It’s no secret that the main draw of having a wedding in Colorado for many couples are the insane mountain views we get to enjoy throughout the state. There’s nothing quite like having the profound and breathtaking landscape of Colorado as the backdrop for your big day, and usually these views come at a considerable cost. That’s not the case for Mountain Wedding Garden though, and it’s the first of many reasons this wedding venue is SO special to me!

Mountain Wedding Garden has two spaces available, The Garden and The Pavilion, which we’ll take a closer look at in the next section. Weddings that take place Friday, Saturday, or Sunday are required to book both spaces, while weddings that take place Monday through Thursday can reserve the spaces separately if they’d like.

The cost of booking Mountain Wedding Garden for your wedding as of the time of writing this article is as follows:

Fridays and Sundays: Full venue rental for $2000
Saturdays: Full venue rental for $2500
Monday-Thursday: Garden only for $800
Monday-Thursday: Pavilion only for $700

These lower costs mean that the stunning, sought after mountain views of Colorado are accessible to everyone at Mountain Wedding Garden, something I truly appreciate in a wedding venue!

Bride and Groom dance on boho style carpets in a lodge style wedding venue as guests watch and smile.

Bride and Groom exchange their vows as their family sits and watches during and outdoor intimate ceremony overlooking Colorado Mountains.

The Spaces Available

Let’s take a little bit of a closer look at the spaces Mountain Wedding Garden offers as a wedding venue. First of course is the titular Garden space! This outdoor area is THE perfect space for a breathtaking ceremony amongst some of the most incredible views of the nearby mountains. The space is absolutely stunning no matter what season you have your wedding in, just take a look at the photos throughout this article to get an idea of what I mean!

The Pavilion has a very classic and rustic feeling to it, thanks to its exposed wood throughout. The space is a large part of why Mountain Wedding Garden is the ideal venue for any couple that wants to plan a DIY wedding. The simple layout and nonexistent décor mean that you can really make the space look and feel like anything you want. Whether you’re wanting to go all out for your décor, or keep things simple and let the beauty of the landscape do the heavy lifting, Mountain Wedding Garden lets you make the space your own!

The Pavilion’s construction consists of two full walls, a third wall with a barn door that can be opened, and a missing fourth wall to completely open up the Pavilion to the outdoors. The space allows you to feel as though you’re still enjoying an outdoor wedding while having the safety and comfort of a roof overhead!

The Garden can seat up to 200 guests, while the Pavilion can fit up to 125 guests. The openness of the space means people can mingle and enjoy themselves outside of the Pavilion as well! Finally, it’s important to note that there are no getting ready spaces on location, so you’ll have to get ready before making your way to the venue.

Bride in a lace dress stands in a grassy field holding hands with Groom as they look in opposite directions with Mountain Wedding Garden in the background.

Guests hold up their drinks as they sit at a reception table for a cheers during outdoor reception.

A True DIY Wedding Venue

Mountain Wedding Garden has a fully hands off approach as a wedding venue. This can be a turn off for some, but for others this is a literal dream come true! There is no on site staff, day of coordinator, planning assistance, set up or tear down assistance, bar, or kitchen. There are some amenities that the venue provides, which we’ll cover later on, but outside of that the venue gives you full creative control to make your day exactly what YOU want it to be!! It is worth noting though that without any on-site staff or clean up assistance the venue requires a $1000 clean up / damage deposit, which will be returned to the couple provided there is no damage or mess left at the venue.

Bride and Groom hold a knife cut a small cake and smile.

Mountain Wedding Garden’s Hands-Off Approach

DIY weddings can be a bit stressful to plan, but they are usually some of the most fun and creative wedding experiences around! This makes the challenge of the planning process worth it for SO many couples. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the other key factors you’ll want to know about Mountain Wedding Garden as a DIY wedding venue so that you’re prepared to make your wedding day here the one of a kind experience you deserve!!

Guests sit on white chairs as they watch gorgeous wedding ceremony surrounded by trees with mountains in the background.

Bride in a lace dress and Groom in a grey suit walk on a road smiling at each other with wildflowers and mountains in the background.

The Amenities Provided

While Mountain Wedding Garden does have a hands-off approach as a wedding venue, they do still provide a good amount of amenities to make their couples' lives easier. These include banquet tables, 125 white chairs, a storage trough for beverages, a charcoal grill, and restrooms.

There’s a few things to note here, first is that while the venue does provide 125 chairs, The Garden itself can seat up to 200. This means if you plan on exceeding a guest count of 125 you’ll need to provide any additional chairs, either through a rental company or other service.

Next, the venue does not provide any sort of tableware such as plates, silverware, etc. If you intend on having a full reception meal at Mountain Wedding Venue you’ll need to again provide the tableware for your day, either through a rental service or through other means.

Lastly, while the venue does have a charcoal grill on site, there is no full kitchen available. This means you’ll likely want to book a catering company or food truck for your reception meal, which will take up some of the 25 parking spaces.

Groom in a light grey suit spins Bride as guests watch during their outdoor reception.

Colorado Wedding photographer captures guests gathering around a food truck and cocktail tables in a beautiful outdoor reception space with trees around.

Other Important Things to Note About Mountain Wedding Garden as a Wedding Venue

There are just a few other things I want to note about Mountain Wedding Garden for anyone that’s thinking of booking the space as their wedding venue!

First is that the limited parking spaces can seem like a challenge, but thanks to the venue's close proximity to Crested Butte Mountain Resort, guests can ride the Mountain Express bus to and from the venue for free!

For couples wanting to have alcohol at their reception, the venue does not require a liquor license. You have to provide your own liquor for the event, but as long as you don’t operate a cash bar during the reception the venue has no issue with how you run your bar for the evening!

Couples that book both the Garden and Pavilion for their day have the spaces from 9am to 10pm, while single space rentals only allow for 3 hours of use.

The venue is closed from October through May due to the cold temperatures.

Bride and Groom hold each other as they stand in a wildflower field with mountains in the background for romantic wedding portraits.

With all of this in mind, it's easy to see why Mountain Wedding Garden appeals to SO many couples looking for a DIY wedding venue here in Colorado! The venue frankly offers an insane amount of freedom to its couples, and it’s something I am ALL for!! Be sure to check out their site for availability in order to reserve your date, and if you’d like to book me to document your wedding send me an inquiry through my contact page. And if DIY venues aren’t really your thing, check out some of my other wedding venue feature pieces!