{ Real Mountain Wedding } Keri + John at the Chief Hosa Lodge in Colorado | Chris Gentile Photography

As part of our effort to provide inspiration for Colorado brides planning weddings, we are showing real weddings from around the various mountain areas. Inspiration doesn't just have to come from our venues and vendors, so that's why this post shows you Keri and John at the Chief Hosa Lodge with images provided by Chris Gentile Photography. See the full vendor list and links at the bottom of this post. We just got started with our new vendor directory, and brides are already asking for venue lists. We are working on building our directory and to provide hand-picked lists of venues and lodges to help save you time and money. Planning a wedding takes time, and hiring a planner is always a good idea. If a full-service planner is overkill, we offer planning by the hour services to help you kickstart your details. Contact us to learn more about finding your venue and vendors for your destination wedding in the Colorado Rocky Mountains.

From the Bride: "It was in the Sandia Peaks of Albuquerque were John got down on one knee and proposed. Little did we know that this event would spark the theme for our wedding.

As we walked through the misty forest we were reminded of how much we love the outdoors, especially in October as the leaves fell around us. We knew we wanted a small and simple wedding but weren't sure how to pull it off. Living in Colorado, we had numerous venue options that offered beautiful outdoor settings. However, the higher we went up in elevation the higher the costs became.

We stumbled upon a quaint lodge just outside of Golden and fell in love with the rustic ambiance. The space was stunning with pine tree flourishing everywhere and gorgeous views of the Rockies. The lodge offered the perfect cozy backdrop for our special day with exposed beam ceilings and natural stone fireplaces. The lodge could speak for itself and we opted to decorate minimally and with natural elements.

John and I spent the next few months adding as many personal touches as we could to make our day more memorable. With the help of our family and friends we created our perfect wedding, from homemade desserts to handmade candy cornucopias.

John, an amazing artists, drew our "guest book" which was a finger print tree. He even made a CD of all of our unique wedding songs as a parting gift. We wanted our guests to experience our love they we way we do. Our day, was just that "our day" and all of our hard work was a reminder of our dedication to each other and our future."