Wedding & Reception Location on a Budget

Knottie74948941

Hi,

My fiancee and I lived in the foothills of Colorado and are trying to do a wedding pretty inexpensively.  We are hoping to do an outdoor wedding and reception for no more than 30-40 people.  We are going to buy all of the food and since the wedding will be on the fourth of July, it will be "cookout style".  Any suggestions?  We have been looking around at state parks and open spaces in the area.  Thanks!

Jonathan

southernbelle0915

Try also posting this to your local board. This is an international forum so not everyone is familiar with your area. 

You might try looking into bed and breakfasts that have nice grounds. Also, if you're only having 30-40 people, have you considered having this at your house?

manateehugger

Yes, post this on your local board, but I live in CO so I'll try to help out. 

What do you mean by foothills? The front range is a huge place. What area are you trying to keep close to? Denver? I was going to suggest state parks (don't forget city parks either though - some "city" parks are pretty rustic) and open spaces. But I'd need to know where you want to be before I can offer better suggestions.

Knottie74948941

I just did that. Thanks for the tip.

We live in an apartment.  We are big on outdoors stuff, so definitely want an outdoor wedding if possibly to showcase what we love about Colorado.

Knottie74948941

PDKH, somewhere near Lakewood, Golden, Boulder, etc. We live in Lakewood.

manateehugger

Jefferson County has my favorite open spaces in that area. Mount Falcon Park is my favorite, but I think it's a hike to a pavilion large enough for you (I know there's one at the Eastern trailhead, but I can't remember how big it is). Pine Valley Ranch also has huge picnic areas and I think sees a lot of weddings. 

You can apply to reserve spaces online. http://jeffco.us/parks/reservations-and-registrations/ 

Keep in mind though, for the fourth, you're likely going to be surrounded by other random people out celebrating the holiday if you go with a park or open space and you may have trouble getting reservations.

Knottie74948941

PDKH,

Thanks.  We are familiar with both of those.  Might take a look at Mt Falcon, but it maybe to far of a walk, especially for some of the elder guests.  We loved Pine Valley, except the huge burn area down there.  We will have to explore some more today.  Taking a look up at Lookout Mountain as well.  

I know there will be lots of people out and about on the fourth, which we don't have a problem with, but are trying to find a park that has a few pavilions, or just one that we can reserve well in advance.

Thanks for all of your help!

wrigleyville

I'd probably send your STDs a bit earlier too, or at least pass this via word of mouth since it sounds like you're inviting your nearest and dearest. Many people have annual plans on the Fourth, so they'll appreciate the heads-up.

H and I spend every Fourth in San Francisco. If one of our friends or relatives were getting married on the Fourth, we'd definitely want to know well in advance since it would affect our flight plans. Since the Fourth is popular, we usually book our tickets about 7-9 months in advance.

Ooh, that's another point. If you have people flying in, the Fourth can be expensive. Letting them know early gives them time to start keeping tabs on flights.