Welcome back to Wedding Wednesday, where I hash out the wedding decisions Raymond and I are making, basically in real time. Today, we’ll dive into our first of three days of venue shopping. PLEASE NOTE, these thoughts are purely my own, and none of this content is sponsored.
Over 4th of July weekend, Ray and I visited our first three potential venues. While all were absolutely stunning and stayed strong to our goal of making our wedding a true “Colorado-feeling” event, we did have some things we liked and didn’t like about each of the venues.
On the morning after the Zac Brown Band concert, Ray and I got to Breckenridge early in the morning to visit the only venue in Breckenridge that’s large enough to hold the group we are planning to inlude. Ray was especially excited to check out the ski tools that are still sitting out next to the chair lifts nearby.
TenMile Station
Ceremony Space-
Reception Space-
Pros: We have very strong connection to Breckenridge (which you’re aware of if you’re a long-time reader 🙂 ), an obviously stunning view surrounding the entire venue, everything is available within the single space (no travel between the ceremony and reception locations), and a fantastic deal is available for guest rooms for our guests coming to town.
Cons: Incredibly high ceilings that it would take a lot of work to make it feel intimate, guests would have to cross the dance floor to get to the bar area, not a comfortable amount of space to fit a band, and only available on July 3 (holiday weekends are terrible for traffic in the mountains.)
Verdict: Cut, primarily due to the lack of availability date wise
On July 5th, we left Breckenridge early in the morning to head to the next venue…
Piney River Ranch
Ceremony Space-
Reception Space-
Pros: I mean… look at that view. It’s, by far, the best view I’ve seen in Colorado. They have plenty of space for our large group of family and friends, as well as fitting a large band. They also have a great rain space as a ceremony plan B, which is a necessity for Colorado weddings.
Cons: This space is SUPER rustic, maybe a bit more than we bargained for – 45 minutes down a dirt road, rustic. The fact that we’d need a large amount of transportation, as well as the fact that they will only do buffets, may be too much for us to handle.
Verdict: Keep, because we could definitely make this space work for us, but the buffet-only is going to be hard to overcome.
Cordillera Lodge & Spa
Unfortunately, it was pouring rain on our visit to this beautiful space, so these images come off the Cordillera website. Sorry they’re a bit blurry!
Ceremony Site-
Reception Site-
Pros: Absolutely stunning ceremony space and we loved the flow for guests – they would travel immediately to a cocktail hour, then into a dramatic entrance for the reception. We also liked the flexibility available on the lawn, that we would be able to create any type of atmosphere we’d prefer with the tent selection.
Cons: Honestly, our biggest negative with this space was one that we thought would be a positive. Since this resort is at least 15 minutes away from the closest town, we thought our guests might feel like they were stuck on an “island” rather than being able to experience all of the fun Colorado has to offer (hiking, walking around town, etc.)
Verdict: Cut, as we are hoping to plan several events across the weekend for our guests to enjoy. We’re thinking that this space would limit our options.
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