Mindy Gonzalez was worried she and her boyfriend Benjamin Koenigsfeld were running late for dinner as she hurried over to his apartment to help him pick out a shirt. “I was greeted by our dog and Ben in a nervous state,” she recalls. As she kept trying to rush him, Ben continued to switch off the lights of his place until Mindy finally noticed that the entire living room was filled with candles and music. “In my mind, I was still thinking ‘We’re late! Let’s go!’” she says. It was only after he got down on one knee and pulled out a little black velvet box that things finally clicked for her. “It took me a good 30 seconds to process everything and get the word out—‘Yes!’”

Mindy, a social media editor and freelance photographer, first met Ben, a US Army Captain studying to be a JAG officer at Northwestern Law School, in Colorado Springs a year before they got engaged. She was working at tech company VSCO, while he was stationed at Fort Carson. After the proposal, the two agreed they wanted to tie the knot in the city where their relationship started and Mindy already had the perfect location in mind. “Growing up, we would visit the Broadmoor Hotel often for holidays and weekends,” she explains. “When I was about 7 years old, I saw a bride getting married and I asked my mom if I could get married there, too, one day.”

The couple hired wedding planner Ashley Summers, of Ashley Nicole Events, to help with their big day. For the decor, Mindy wanted a minimal yet elegant aesthetic and hoped the evening felt like an intimate dinner party. “Our wedding was in the mountains in November, so I wanted it to feel warm and cozy,” she adds.

With a clear idea of what she was looking for when it came to her wedding dress, Mindy ended up settling on a lace Liancarlo design that she later customized with the help of a seamstress. “I reworked the back so it scooped down more than the original and added a strap detail that turned out super lovely,” she explains. For her shoes, she chose a pair of crushed velvet light pink Manolo Blahnik heels, which she says were “the favorite thing that I wore the whole weekend.” Jewelry was kept simple and sweet: she wore her engagement ring plus a pair of diamond earrings gifted from her parents in a similar pear shape.

While her makeup was low-maintenance—a slightly smokey brown eye and a bit of flushed blush look—her hair went through several transformations throughout the night. During the ceremony, Mindy started out with a half updo with casual waves and a Jennifer Behr headband. For cocktail hour, the headpiece was gone and a few strands from her pulled back style were taken down for a more “romantic look.” Once it was time for dancing, her hair stylist took out the updo completely and teased the crown for some more volume. “I wanted my hair down and free!” says the bride.

The day of the wedding, the ceremony took place at an old chapel that used to be a carriage house. “It was the perfect size for our 150 guests,” says Mindy. Candles lined the walls and white floral decorations surrounded the benches. Both Ben and Mindy’s childhood pastors were present at the chapel; Ben’s minister performed the ceremony, while Mindy’s pastor gave both of them a blessing. “My dad walked me down the aisle, and I don’t think I’ve smiled so much in my entire life,” she adds.

After they were declared husband and wife, the couple treated guests to Champagne, wine, and their personal favorites: Moscow mules and sidecars. Once everyone was seated for dinner, the new Mr. and Mrs. Koenigsfeld made their way into the reception. The bride’s father later gave a welcome speech, followed by the traditional maid of honor and best man toasts, too.

Then, everyone danced until midnight. “We had an amazing DJ who really kept the mood going throughout the whole evening,” she says. As they twisted and jumped up and down, revelers were treated with paper cones filled with flavor-infused popcorn. When it was time to wrap up, many of the wedding guests continued celebrating at the Broadmoor’s hotel bar, conveniently located across from the ballroom where the reception took place. “There was a fire outside with chairs all around, as well,” Mindy recalls. “Ben and I joined them until I could no longer stand in my Manolos!”