5 Reasons You Should Have a Winter Wedding in Colorado
As a Colorado local and an elopement and wedding photographer, it should come as no surprise that I'm a HUGE advocate for celebrating your love in this incredible state year round! Yes, that even means enjoying your wedding during a Colorado winter!! Summer and fall are often the go-to seasons when couples are choosing when to have their wedding in Colorado, and spring isn’t far behind those two. I feel that winter gets unfairly left behind though, as there are SO many reasons that make it a fantastic season for your celebration! Let’s take a look at 5 of those reasons and by the end you may just be ready to start planning a winter wedding of your own here in Colorado!!
1. Colorado is a Winter Wonderland!
The first reason I LOVE winter weddings in Colorado is how magical and out of this world beautiful the state becomes! Not to toot our own horn too much, but the Colorado landscape is seriously on another level. Majestic mountains, breathtaking ravines, scenic lakes, hidden waterfalls, rolling fields, sand dunes, the list goes on and on! Now, take that beauty and add in some of that winter time magic, and you can start to see the appeal of having a winter wedding here!! Those towering mountains are now covered in perfect white powder, the lakes are frozen over and able to be explored, and the rolling fields have now turned to endless seas of snow. Colorado becomes a winter wonderland in every sense of the term, and it makes for one of THE coolest (no pun intended!), settings to have your wedding in!!
2. Off-Season Pricing
A HUGE benefit of having your wedding during one of Colorado’s winters is that you often will deal with much lower pricing when it comes to your venue and lodging options! Having these overall lower costs is great for your budget since you can put your funds toward other aspects of your wedding day, or you can simply save and have a less expensive wedding all together. This off-season pricing is due to the summer and fall being Colorado’s peak seasons for both weddings and tourism.
This is pretty consistent throughout the state of Colorado with one important exception, and that’s ski season. Colorado becomes heaven on earth for winter sports enthusiasts, and as such lodges and wedding venues that are near the most popular ski slopes won’t have any drop in price. They may even have higher booking rates overall! Outside of those areas though, you can typically count on some lower costs for your wedding during the winter months!
3. TONS of Activities to Enjoy
Speaking of ski season, Colorado is home to world class experiences for anyone looking to enjoy some wintertime activities during their wedding getaway! The term ski season is a little misleading as there’s more to enjoy during a Colorado winter, a LOT more!! Snowboarding, snowshoeing, ice skating, ice fishing, hot springs, sleigh rides, and more. There is so much to keep you and your guests busy during your stay in Colorado, and if you’re not the outdoorsy type there’s still plenty to enjoy! Snuggle up next to the fire with some hot cocoa, check out downtown Denver and its plethora restaurants and activities, or do some holiday shopping at some of the adorable small businesses throughout the state. There’s a lot to enjoy during a Colorado winter outside of your wedding day itself!
4. Less Competition for Vendors
One of the most overlooked benefits of a winter wedding in Colorado is how much simpler it is to book your dream vendors for your wedding day! As I mentioned earlier, winter is overall the least popular season in Colorado for a wedding. This is true not just for the venue, but all the different members of your vendor team! That means there’s a lot less stress involved when it comes to finding and booking your wedding vendors as there’s less competition to book them as early as possible! There’s no easier time to put together the wedding vendor team of your dreams!!
5. Holidays Make Travel More Likely for Family
The last benefit we’ll be taking a look at is one for couples that are hoping to have the majority of their family present for their winter wedding in Colorado. Traveling for a destination wedding can be hard, especially for families that have children in school. The holiday season of the winter alleviates some of these issues though! Children typically have an extended break from school during this time, and their parents are more likely to get a longer vacation approved since it’s expected to take time off during this time of year. While many of these benefits can be said about the summer as well, the added benefit of the previous points in this article make winter a VERY appealing season for a wedding in Colorado!!
There are 5 of the reasons why I LOVE my winter weddings in Colorado, and why I think they’re so incredible! If you’d like a taste of what a winter wedding celebration can look like in Colorado check out this elopement in Boulder I recently wrote about. And don’t get me wrong, I love my summer, spring, and fall weddings JUST as much as the next photographer! Check out this article about what makes each season so appealing for a wedding in Colorado to see what I mean. Finally if you’re looking to book me to document your wedding in Colorado, winter or otherwise, head to my contact page to send me an inquiry!!
