100+ Small Wedding Venues in Colorado for Your Micro Wedding

Written By Katie McNaught

You’ve decided to forgo the traditional, expensive, conventional wedding in favor of something more intimate. Whether you’re looking for an affordable venue or ceremony site, a unique venue, a venue with mountain views, or a venue to host your reception, I’ve got a list that has them all.

Since 2020, smaller weddings have become increasingly popular, and it’s looking like they’re here to stay even beyond the pandemic. I’ve had loads of couples ask me for resources for planning their elopements and micro weddings, so I figured I’d make a resource I can give everyone that lists tons of different venues with varying vibes and price points- so whatever you’re looking for, this list will have it.

Maybe you need a venue because you’re having a reception afterward, maybe you have guests that have limited mobility and need a more accessible place, or maybe you have a group size that’s just a little bit too big to take on a hike- no matter what your reason is, there’s probably a venue somewhere in here that can suit your needs.


Table of contents

  • Affordable venues

  • Mountain venues

  • Venues with lodging

  • Venues close to Denver

  • When do I need a venue for my small wedding?

Affordable Venues

One reason you might be eloping or having a smaller wedding is because it’s much cheaper than having a big traditional wedding. Well, these venues all offer ceremony sites (and some reception sites as well) at much more affordable rates than traditional venues. Most of these venues are pretty bare bones when it comes to accommodations, but if you’re looking for something low-key or rustic out in nature, these will suit your needs perfectly.

Venues with Lodging

Maybe you have a lot of our of state family coming to your wedding, maybe you want to have a camping retreat with all your favorite people, or maybe you just want a fun getaway for you and your love to enjoy in the place you’re saying your vows. If that’s the case, these venues all have a variety of lodging from rustic cabins, glamping, boutique hotels, ski resorts, to everything else in between.

Venues in the Mountains

Many of the venues mentioned above have sweeping mountains views, but if you’re looking for even more of those stunning backdrops for your ceremony, all of these mountain venues have great outdoor settings and are in the middle of beautiful scenery. Whether you’re looking to ride a ski gondola up to your ceremony, or you want to go on a Jeeping adventure through the San Juans, all of these venues will be able to accommodate your adventurous day.

Venues close to Denver

If you’re looking for a place closer to home to have a reception, don’t care about having crazy mountains views, or if you just want something a little more unique for your day than the venues offered in ski towns, these venues are all great options for hosting folks closer to the amenities Denver and the front range have to offer.

When do I need a venue for my wedding?

Bigger groups

Most national parks and other free public spaces don’t allow more than 10-20 people including guests and vendors to gather for an event, and it’s generally bad practice to gather more people than that in a public space anyway, because it overwhelms the area, clogs up parking, disrupts foot traffic, and disturbs other people using the area. If you’re planning on having more than 10-15 people included in your wedding, you’ll need to reserve a space.

Privacy

With a venue you can usually (with some exceptions) guarantee you’ll have the space to yourself. Some public land (especially those within a 2-3 hour radius of Denver) can be very busy with other people. This means you’ll likely have tourists and hikers watching your ceremony, people in the background of photos, difficult parking, noise that disrupts the ceremony and private moments, etc. If you want to avoid this, a venue is a good option, and you can still take photos in some of the epic mountain scenes.

Receptions

A lot of people elope or say their vows privately, and then gather with family and friends after to celebrate with everyone. Or maybe you want to say your vows someplace out in nature, and then gather someplace else with seating and a roof for all the other festivities. As much as I love a little DIY picnic, sometimes it’s good to have an indoor space or structure to retreat to if the weather turns bad.

Accessibility

A lot of folks are themselves or have love ones and family members that are older or disabled, which makes some activities, like hiking to the top of a mountain, more difficult to do. Booking a venue usually ensures that the pathways will be easier to get around. The more bare bones venues in parks might still not be able to accommodate everyone, but most will have paved walkways and wheelchair accessible ceremony sites for everyone included that needs it.

Katie McNaught
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