October in the Rocky Mountains. Scenes from Fall in and around Breckenridge, Colorado.

Yes, it is October believe it or not.  I'm listening to spooky music to match all the Halloween decorations that I see everywhere already.  We love to visit family in Kansas City and go to the real deal, the warehouse district transformed into a myriad of haunted horrors, with a street party vibe.  

But what made me look back at the summer was me going through all the photos.  All the photos  I'm trying to pull together to show you, tell you about, and to inspire the countless other brides, grooms, planners and family  members that will stumble upon this site in their quest to solve a wedding planning problem or issue, or maybe to just look up an idea that crossed their mind.  

However you find us, I just want to tell you that we're a bonafide brick-and-mortar business, not just some wedding blog who advertises vendors, but doesn't actually work weddings, or actually work with said vendors.  We do it all.  That's how this blog came about.  From a local to you, let's solve problems, get inspired and plan the wedding of your dreams.  That's what we're here for.  No other online resource is here for you the way we are.  We are the local mountain experts.  

Mt. Baldy is the mountain you've looked at a thousand times if you've ever skied at the Breckenridge Ski Resort.  Below is a rare, messy shop photo that I took in the midst of wedding prep earlier this week.  Out of the chaos comes beauty.

We are literally surrounded by nature as our barn / design studio lies in the heart of the historic downtown area of Breckenridge, on the bike path in between the gondola and the Gold Pan.  That's all you need to know and you'll find us.

This and other images of Main Street in Breckenridge have been picked up by the social media team (click here to see our tweets among many other tweets that'll have you waxin' your sticks tonight) at the Breckenridge Ski Area, even repinning stuff to their own wedding, or no, wait, it's love in the mountains I think.  Either way, they share our stuff from time to time.  Thanks team Breck!

We went back to Rubywood, acouple's favorite private home rental from Paragon Lodging, picked up a few rental items and then went for a hike up on Baldy Mountain.  Ask us how you can take your friends and family on hikes that are approriate, camera-friendly and will have them talking for years to come.  We know which hikes go into the woods and are shady with not many views, while others are easily driven up to, grandma-and-toddler-friendly hikes and / or walks.  We want to help make it fun.  We find new trails here every year, and we'd love to share our favorites with you!

I've watched the leaves change colors here since 1996, and this gondola wasn't here when I first showed up in town.  I stayed at the Fireside Inn, and then camped out a few nights before landing a place in Blue River.  I taught skiing by day to kids, worked at the spa in the afternoon, and worked the door at a bar at night.  I was where I wanted to be.  And, for you, all that should matter is that you want to get married in the mountains.  And because of that, you will.  The numbers will fall into place (after long, mind-numbing nights of detail-oriented focus by the way), the right vendors will make their way into your plan, and the details will not work out the way you originally thought they would.  They will be better than you ever imagined.  

The couple we worked with earlier in September had a tent put up on the back deck at the Warming Hut, our neighbor to the north.  Please tell Stacey you saw this post and maybe she'll be extra sweet, which will be hard, she's super nice and they serve a nice bourbon slushy.  That was recommended via a fellow tweeter from the Vail Valley.  I'll tell you more about him at another time.

The image above got some retweet love from the ol' twitter feed from the ski area.  Thanks Breck.  We love ya.  Our sign is just beyond the thrift store sign and after a short walk through the garden, you'll find the barn, our basecamp for adventure wedding planning.  

Smoke and other stuff in the air makes for fun photos sometimes, but I always wonder how things are going where the smoke is coming from.  It was a helluva start to fire season this year, and our hearts and thoughts are with those who are still rebuilding.

Victor and Katie Girtman of Studio Kiva, a Breckenridge-based wedding photography company, make final preparations before Kristye and Bill's wedding on Boreas Pass.  This alternative wedding venue had no solid structure for the event, but instead, was created by the natural surroundings.  Check back for more photos from this event!

The image above and a few below are from the Arapahoe Basin.  The Black Mountain Lodge gets booked up pretty quickly, so ask us how to get it all dialed in once you've secure this location.  And if you want remote, mountain valley settings, we've got a few more in mind. Please contact us to learn more and start the dialogue regarding your custom special event.

 The musicians and DJ get the sounds just right, moments before the ceremony, which happens at the top of nearby chairlift, the Black Mountain Express.  For wedding favors that are darn right practical for this type of alpine venue, we've seen other couples give out mini-lanterns for the end-of-the-night-good-luck-riding-that-chairlift exit, to a nice warm, fuzzy, fleece blanky, or the not-so-stylish-but-very-functional Elmer Fudd-type hat, while looking kinda dorky, keeps your ears very warm.  

Meredith, from the Araphaoe Basin wedding team, checks on vendors and the bridal party as part of the normal pre-wedding routine.  

Oh, and did we tell that we did the flowers for the Procycling event that came through town this year, and last?  

Here's a quick sneak peek of some of the other places we worked this past summer.  The image above is of the Keystone Ranch, just west of the ski area, with a nice private valley setting on the golf course.  And below, Vail's Donovan Pavillion.  We worked with a bride who blogged about her whole planning experience, and hope to have her and other brides share their stories as we share the best venues, vendors and planning resources for Breckenridge, Summit County and now, the Vail Valley.  Check back soon to learn more about how we'll be spending more time in Vail and Beaver Creek, touring venues, talking to vendors, and learning more about all the good stuff the valley has to offer.  Thanks for reading!