Weddings in Colorado

Looking for a dramatic backdrop for your wedding? A destination with majestic, natural beauty and lots to do? A destination where the warm summer months are “low season” and can be a steal of a deal? A recent trip to Colorado confirmed what I already knew (but had forgotten): this state has it all!

A Colorado destination? Absolutely.

Denver is a bustling city, of course, and a convenient airline destination from anywhere in the country. If you want a destination close to the city I would personally recommend Red Rocks Park, which is west of Denver in the foothills of Morrison, Colorado. It has the convenience of the city with the awe-inspiring natural beauty that the state is so well-known for. It is an outdoor amphitheater flanked by giant red rock columns and surrounded by vast valley and mountain views. A wedding on Red Rock’s stage would certainly be dramatic, with huge rock formations standing as silent witnesses. You could also choose a more private, grassy area with magnificent views, or the Chapel at Red Rocks, a beautiful non-denominational chapel just north of the amphitheater. Photographers love Red Rocks Park…imagine your wedding party at the center of where the endless Western blue sky meets incredible red rock formations.

For a completely different atmosphere, just 15 miles west of Denver in beautiful Bear Creek Valley is Dunafon Castle. The seventeen-acre site has beautiful sweeping lawns among trout ponds, numerous ceremony sites (including a small island in a pond behind the castle), and rooftop patios with stunning views where you can dine after the ceremony.

Colorado Springs is about an hour’s drive, or seventy miles south of Denver. It is home to the famous Broadmoor Resort and Spa, which can accommodate weddings and receptions for parties of 20 to 1,000 people. Your guests will commend you for your choice, as they play golf on one of the hotel’s three championship courses, or indulge in spa treatments or lounging by one of the indoor or outdoor pools. While there, be sure to visit Indian Caves, and Garden of the Gods.

Vail is just under 2 hours from Denver, yet it can also be reached by the airport in Eagle, Colorado. Once your guests arrive and get settled there will be no more need for a car as everything is close, and the public transportation is wonderful. Weddings generally take place at the Vail Interfaith Chapel, or on the Wedding Deck at the top of the mountain at Lionshead. The Chapel sits close to a lovely mountain stream and bridge; an ideal backdrop for photos. The Wedding Deck provides an incredible vantage point: a breathtaking, 360-degree, panoramic view of the mountains. You could hold your ceremony at any of Vail’s many wonderful reception sites, but the Chapel and the mountaintop Wedding Deck are the two most common ceremony sites in Vail.

Most hotels and resorts have venues for weddings. Rock Resorts offers two very nice choices that can be used exclusively or in combination, and they offer a free honeymoon if a couple spends $25,000 in food and beverage between the two properties. The Lodge at Vail has two restaurant venues and one ballroom and the Arrabelle has a huge ballroom, as well as a number of smaller, more intimate Great Rooms. Its vaulted ceilings and archways evoke the splendor of Alpine mountain resorts, and it is just steps away from the Lionshead Gondola which is the mode of transportation to the mountaintop Wedding Deck. Both hotels have an outdoor terrace that can be used for ceremonies or receptions when the weather cooperates.

If you are interested in a venue that is unique and more remote you might consider the Game Creek Club either for a welcome party, rehearsal dinner, or for the wedding reception after a ceremony at the wedding deck. This is one of my favorites because it is so unique. It is a restaurant remotely located in one of the back bowls of the Vail ski mountain. You and your guests will get to it by taking the Lionshead Gondola to the top of the mountain where the wedding deck is located. In the summer, you will be transported to Game Creek via vans; in the winter via Snowcat!!!! The venue is magical any time of the year, as it is reminiscent of lodges in Heidi’s Switzerland. In the winter, it glows under a thick blanket of snow. In the summer, it is surrounded by lush green hillsides. The building is surrounded by a great deck that provides the perfect mountain vantage point. Inside it is a large, rustic (yet elegant) great room, that feels much like a nobleman’s hunting lodge.

If you really want to impress your outdoorsy friends, and share the magnificent beauty of the backcountry with them, Piney River Ranch is the perfect summer venue for your wedding! It is located at the end of a 10-mile (dirt) mountain road high above Vail Village. Your guests are welcome to camp on the property, and there are accommodations for as many as 30 people in six adorable log cabins on the shore of Piney Lake. The only inhabitants--other than the wild ones—will be you! Your ceremony will take place on a lakeside deck with the most majestic views imaginable of mountain peaks in the background.. The reception will take place under one or two log pavilions also close to the water’s edge. Piney River Ranch is one of the most photographed sites in Colorado—and in such a beautiful state, that is high praise indeed. Why? Believe me, once you reach the end of that long dirt road you’ll understand perfectly.

If you want an outdoor winter venue, consider Camp Hale, built in 1942 as a training camp for the 10th Mountain Division during World War 2. It is now the home of Nova Guides Lodge, a 5,000 square foot open, pine lodge with a fireplace in the middle that can be rented for events of up to 125 guests. It overlooks a wide, pristine valley that could be a beautiful location for a ceremony as well. The best part of this venue is that they can provide any or all of the toys for an “adventure” or “extreme” summer or winter wedding. You can incorporate snowmobiles, quads, snowcats or best of all…dog sleds! Each sled can hold two adults and one child (4 feet tall and under) with a combined weight of less than four hundred pounds. If you want to be married in the middle of a wintery wood, you can hire dog sleds to transport you and your closest friends and family to the place of your choice. You might also consider hiring the dog teams to transport you to another venue of your choice in the area.

Aspen is the farthest destination from Denver, however, they do have their own small airport that routinely welcomes the rich and famous. Aspen also offers a beautiful mountain village atmosphere and lots of activities year round. Venues include the historic Hotel Jerome right on Main Street in town, and the rustic Redstone Inn (at its most beautiful and romantic mid-Winter). The St. Regis in Aspen is in nearby Marble, Colorado, with nightly rates beginning at close to $2,000. The Redstone-Marble area is just a short distance from Aspen, and it has a different flavor, with its mining past, ghost towns and dramatic mountain scenery. The mountains of Aspen roll down into the Crystal River Valley. If the air in Aspen gets a bit heady, with celebrity sightings and big ticket meals, consider a trip down to some of the little towns in the area, like Glenwood Springs. Especially for a summer wedding, a side trip to a beautiful local swimming hole might make for a wonderful laidback excursion!

I’m ready to go back to Colorado… I’ve just scratched the surface of this state’s wedding destinations. As extraordinary as the venues were, it was the scenery—in its many remarkable forms—that was most impressive. You no doubt have friends and family on both coasts…Colorado is not exactly the country’s midway point, but its close enough! Split the difference, tuck some mountain columbine in your bouquet, and gather in the sun or snow for an unforgettable Colorado destination wedding!