DIY Wedding at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte | Sophie and Dirk — Colorado Wedding and Elopement Photographer

Their dog as their ring bearer? Check. Friends taking care of their entertainment and coordination? Check. Homemade pies baked by the groom as desserts? Also Check! Sophie and Dirk’s wedding at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte Colorado was everything they hoped for and then some. The two wanted a chill vibe for their day, which with the help of their incredible friends and family they were able to pull off with FLYING colors!! Let’s take a dive into their DIY wedding day so you can see what I mean!

Wedding day flay lay consisting of rings, shoes, flowers, and fabric on a red wooden bench

Getting Ready for Their Wedding Day

With no first look in the schedule for their wedding day, Sophie and Dirk got ready separate from one another. Dirk got ready with his wedding party at the Nordic Inn in Crested Butte, while Sophie got ready with her friends and family at a side cottage of the Nordic Inn along with their pup Chaco! Chaco is a HUGE part of Sophie and Dirk’s lives, so he played many important roles throughout their wedding day as we’ll see later on! Once dressed and ready, and after a few happy tears were shed, we had a little time for portraits before making our way to Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte for Sophie and Dirk’s ceremony.

An engagement ring and two wedding rings sit atop a golden ring box as part of a wedding day flat lay

Black and white photo of an older man sitting on a chair in the grass

2 photos side by side, the left is of a wedding dress hanging next to a mirror and the right is of a bride looking at that wedding dress

A bride sits on a couch holding hands with her mother and soon to be mother in law before getting ready for her wedding

A bride sits on a couch between her mother and mother in law as they all smile at the guitar before the bride gets ready for her wedding

2 photos side by side, the left is of a wedding dress hanging in front of a window, and the right is of a bride in the dress being helped by her mother

A bride in a mirror adjusts an earring while getting ready for her wedding

2 photos side by side, the left is of a bride sitting on a couch adjusting her shoe, the right is of the same bride smiling at herself in a mirror

A bride sits on a couch surrounded by 4 other women who are all reading cards from the bride as they all smile

A bride sitting on a couch with 4 women around her smile as one kisses her on the cheek after reading a card from the bride

A bride standing in between her mother and mother in law all smile at the camera while standing outside in front of a tree

2 photos side by side, the left is of a bride and 3 women standing in front of trees, the right is of the bride smiling at the camera while her grandmother kisses on her cheek

2 photos side by side, the left is of a bride crouching down to pet her dog, the right is of the same bride standing in front of trees and smiling to the right

A bride smiles at the camera while crouching down next to her dog in front of trees and other plants

Detail photo of a wedding bouquet being held by a bride

Photo of mountains in Colorado behind a building

A groom and his father sit in leather chairs next to one another in a room while smiling at the camera

2 photos side by side of a groom sitting in a leather chair next to a bar, the left he is smiling towards the left and in the right he adjusts his tie

A groom stands between his 4 groomsmen and smiles as they all wrap their arms around one another

A groom stands with his groomsmen at a wooden table as they all unbox gift cigars from the groom

A Tearjerker of a Ceremony

The vibes were immaculate the second we made it to the venue as Sophie and Dirk’s friends Dan, Dave, and Chris were in charge of music for the ceremony and cocktail hour. Having a live acoustic band for your ceremony is already so cool, but adding in the detail of these three guys being close friends with the bride and groom really makes it that much more special and these guys crushed it!! As guests were seated in the Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte it came time for the ceremony to begin.

The moment Dirk saw Sophie the two instantly started tearing up, and honestly there wasn’t a dry eye in the crowd either! Their ceremony was a celebration of their love in the purest form, complete with Chaco walking down the aisle with his parent’s wedding rings! After a few speeches, Sophie and Dirk said their vows to one another with the gorgeous backdrop of the mountains behind them. Now, officially newlyweds, the two had some time for portrait photos at their ceremony space before joining their guests for cocktail hour.

2 photos side by side, the left is of a wooden overhang set up as a wedding reception space, the right is of a picture frame with a Colorado postcard in it next to flowers

2 photos side by side, the left is of a man holding an acoustic bass outdoors, the right is of a small girl at a wedding ceremony holding a can of purple soda

Guests of a wedding at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte are seated as the ceremony is about to begin

A bride smiles while walking down the aisle of her wedding ceremony at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte by her grandparents

A groom tears up with joy as he sees the bride walking down the aisle of their ceremony at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte

2 photos side by side, the left of a bride hugging her grandfather and the right hugging her grandmother at her wedding ceremony

A bride and groom smile while holding hands in front of a mountain during their wedding ceremony at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte

A bride and groom stand together during their wedding ceremony at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte with guests seated watching

A bride and groom crouch down during their wedding reception at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte to say hi to their dogs

2 photos side by side, the left is of a bride and groom standing next to one another in front of a mountain, the right is of a woman giving a speech during the wedding ceremony

A dog in a yellow bow tie lays down to sleep in the grass with a leash on

Grandparents seated at wedding ceremony at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte watch a wedding ceremony take place

A bride and groom kiss one another in front of mountains during their wedding ceremony at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte

A bride and groom hold hands and smile walking towards the camera with their wedding parties behind them during their wedding ceremony at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte

A bride and groom kiss in front of their cheering wedding party members at their wedding ceremony at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte

A bride and groom smile at the camera standing next to one another after their wedding ceremony at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte

2 photos side by side of a bride and groom standing in front of a mountain, the left they are holding hands and facing one another, the right they are looking at one another while facing the camera

2 photos side by side, the left is of a bride and groom kissing one another, the right is a close up photo of a bee on a purple flower

Portraits and Dancing in the Mountains of Crested Butte

One of the best parts about Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte is how beautiful of a setting it is for a wedding day. With many of Sophie and Dirk’s friends and family being from out of town, they really wanted them to experience the true beauty of Colorado, and they couldn’t have chosen a better venue to do so!! Cocktail hour took place at their ceremony space with the backdrop of the mountains there for everyone to enjoy, but soon it was time to head to the covered reception space for a first dance! Afterwards Sophie, Dirk, and I snuck away for some portraits as the sun set on the incredible landscape surrounding us which was SO stunning!! We then made our way back to enjoy some homemade pies, dancing to the tunes of their DJ friend John, and a night with the ones they love the most.

Guests of a wedding at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte stand together in a field in front of mountains and mingle during cocktail hour

A dog lays in the grass and looks at the camera, behind the dog are the bride and groom shown from the knees down

A bride and groom stand with family members and smile at the camera with them at their wedding reception at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte

Guests of a wedding reception at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte smile at the camera with their arms around one another

A bride and groom stand with their guests and watch as members of a band in the foreground play music for them at their reception at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte

A bride and groom stand next to one another and embrace with guests around them during their wedding reception at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte

A bride and groom look at their wedding paperwork with 2 guests during their wedding reception at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte

A bride and groom smile at one another while walking hand in hand after their wedding ceremony at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte

2 photos side by side of a bride and groom, the left they look at one another with mountains behind them and in the right they are about to kiss one another

2 photos side by side of a bride and groom holding hands and smiling while walking up a staircase in front of mountains as they enter their wedding reception

A bride and groom dance together and smile in front of their guests during their wedding reception at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte

2 photos side by side, the left is of a groom smiling while hugging the bride, and the right is of the couple dancing during their wedding reception

2 photos side by side of a bride and groom dancing during their wedding reception as guests behind them watch and cheer

A bride and groom dance with one another as their guests watch during their wedding reception at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte

A bride smiles as a groom walks ahead of her holding her hand and looking back at her in a mountain range during their wedding at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte

A bride smiles at the camera as the groom stands behind her during their wedding at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte

A bride smiles as the groom hugs her from behind with mountains behind them during their wedding at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte

A bride and groom kiss one another in front of a mountain range during their wedding at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte

A bride is kissed and dipped by the groom in front of a mountain during their wedding at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte

A bride and groom hold hands and smile at one another in front of a mountain range during their wedding at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte

2 photos side by side, the left is of a woman talking into a microphone and the right is of a bride and groom holding hands and smiling while watching the speech

Guests of a wedding reception at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte sit at a table and raise their glasses as a toast

Guests of a wedding reception dance and play air guitar during a wedding reception at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte

2 photos side by side, the left is of a bride and groom cutting a cake together and the right is of them kissing after cutting the cake

Sophie and Dirk’s wedding at Mountain Wedding Garden in Crested Butte shows just how fun and perfect a DIY wedding can be! After their wedding day Sophie and Dirk had this to say, “Katie is extraordinary - her photography is authentic and timeless. Katie's warm and funny personality makes it a joy to work with her.” and honestly I feel the same way about these two! They’re an extraordinary couple that were SO much fun to work with and I am overjoyed to have been a part of their day!

If you’re ready to book me as your photographer for your wedding day head to my contact page to send me an inquiry! And if you’re looking for wedding venues in Colorado check out my favorites in the Denver area, or my favorite mountain wedding venues to get some inspiration!