This past weekend was our final weekend of venue shopping. While it’s been an absolute BLAST, I’m also incredibly glad it’s over. It has definitely been a whirlwind!
My dad came out to Colorado this weekend and joined us in Aspen and we drove him through some of our other favorites in/near Vail. The good news is that he loved our picks… but the good/bad news was that he brought up several other details that we hadn’t previously considered. More on that next week, but for now, on to our site visits!
Pine Creek Cookhouse
Ceremony space –
Reception space –
Pros: An obviously stunning view and the food is absolutely UNREAL. They also have an amazing indoor/outdoor space with heaters, so that we could enjoy the outdoors for an extended period throughout the night.
Cons: We didn’t love that the low walls would divide up our group, and we’d likely have to add on a tent outside to fit a band and dance floor. Also, this sounds silly but the bugs were intense in the area that would be holding the ceremony, which is not ideal.
Verdict: Cut, while the views were stunning, the bugs would be annoying the full time. Plus a snake (not a garden snake) crossed our paths while we were walking around the outdoor patio. Sounds like a bad omen to me!
St. Regis Aspen
Ceremony space:
Reception space:
Pros: Strangely, the #1 aspect that we loved here was the service. We stayed here and they dropped off a bottle of champagne knowing that we were celebrating the early stages of engagement and Raymond’s birthweek. They could be incredibly flexible with the various spaces available. They also had a large range of areas we could choose from, which meant that we could host a variety of events all within a short walk to the heart of Aspen.
Cons: The only space we didn’t love in the hotel was the reception area. Every other space centered on a view of the mountains, but we’d have to do some work to make the ballroom feel like Colorado.
Verdict: Keep, the service and variety of spaces is keeping it on our list. Though the ballroom may be a bit more work than we’re bargaining for on this one.
The Little Nell
Ceremony space –
Cocktail space – (they were setting up a wedding that would be hosted where our cocktail hour would be located)
Reception space –
Pros: We LOVED the everything would be located in one area – it was the only on-mountain venue we saw where you’d only have to take one gondola up and back down. Plus, everything was centered on the mountains, which is exactly what we’re looking for!
Cons: It’s a big space. But honestly the only negative we came up with is that it’s already high on our budget scale and it would likely take a lot of decorating to fill that space.
Verdict: Keep, we’re looking at the details for this space to figure out if it would make sense for us. We’ll keep you in the loop. 🙂
JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Have you ever been to Aspen? If so, what’s your favorite spot? If not, would you prefer to travel there or to Vail?
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