Crested Butte Wedding & Elopement Guide

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Top 3 Reasons to get married in Crested Butte, Colorado:

  1. Wild Flowers

    Know for its amazing wildflower season, there’s even a festival to celebrate all of the magnificent flowers. You can easily be surrounded by wildflowers to enjoy on your hike or mountain bike ride near town.

  2. Local

    There might be a top ski resort and tourism in Crested Butte but the town still seems super local. There’s this hometown feel that makes you feel like one of the mountain folks just grabbing food and cursing in town on your bike. No one is really in a rush and everyone is super friendly.

  3. Aspens

    The Aspen groves are everywhere! Aspen trees are the largest land-living organism on earth because of how they sprout from themselves vs from seeds. Aspen trees’ white bark is spectacular year-round, and the transition of their light green leaves in the summer to bright yellow leaves in the fall will have you visiting multiple times.

About Crested Butte

Crested Butte Location and History:

Crest Butte is located about four hours southwest of Denver. There’s only one paved road to travel on to get to Crested Butte; it feels super secluded and local once you get there. One of the things that makes it really special is that no one locks up their bike?!?! It’s so intimate that it feels like you're stepping back in time. The Ute Indians would spend their summers here! The first European settlers were beaver trappers. It really boomed during the mining days then transformed into a supply and ranch town. These days Crested Butte is known for its skiing in the winter and mountain biking during the wildflower and fall leaf seasons.

Crested Butte’s Best Wedding Month For:

Want to know when you're more likely to have the wedding of your dreams in the season that you're craving?!?! Well, the weather can be pretty unpredictable in Colorado! I'm here to give you the best possible chance for having a Granby skiing wedding or Granby summer wildflower wedding or a Granby fall wedding. These months are based on years of what I've witnessed but as you know, every year is different based on the amount of snowfall we get.

  • Crested Butte’s Powder Day Skiing Wedding or Elopement - January

  • Crested Butte’s Summer Wildflower Wedding or Elopement - July

  • Crested Butte’s Fall Leave Hiking Wedding or Elopement - October

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Crested Butte’s Wedding Venues and Elopement Ceremony Locations

Crested Butte’s Wedding Venues:

  • Ten Peaks - With fantastic views of Gothic Valley on the tiered patio. Ten of colorado’s 14ers surround the spot for this awesome easily accessible venue. The reception is adjacent to the ceremony site with tent options. 

  • The Barn at Sunset Ranch - The ceremony spot has fabulous views of the mountains! Having it all in one spot is great for out-of-town guests! The Barn is the perfect place to relax with your family and friends to get ready for your ceremony. The Barn is huge and has enough seating for your whole crew to join in the party.

  • Sorpris House - For the perfect backyard wedding, this is the venue for you. This four-bedroom house originally build in 1882 as a saloon has a great backyard patio for you to host your intimate wedding and reception. 

  • Rocky Mountain Biological Lab - Located in the old mining town of Gothic, it hosts field biologists most of the year. This is the perfect fall venue to nestled into the mountains. The Community Center is great for entertaining your guests.

Crested Butte’s Ceremony Locations:

  • Woods Walk - Just a little walk from town and nestled in the aspen trees for your intimate wedding ceremony. Owned by the Crested Butte Land Trust to protect the open space areas.

  • Peanut Lake - This is the perfect venue on Lake if you want all of your guests to ride their bikes to your ceremony.  I mean how fun would that be! With mountains all around this is the perfect spot for fall or Wildflower season.

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Crested Butte’s Eats and Stays

Crested Butte’s Rehearsal Dinner or Telluride Reception Sites:

  • Brick Oven - Y’all know how much I love pizza and beer!

  • Montanyarum Distillery - The best place for a steller charcuterie board and old fashioned. 

  • Bonez - The perfect spot for a margarita and fajita and to dance the night away.

  • Slogar - Looking for that home cookin, this victorian where you’ll find your fried chicken you’ve been craving.

Crested Butte’s Places to Stay:

For such a variety of places to choose from to rest your head after an adventurous day in Salida.  whether you want to be with your friends and family all day get a huge house or condo or if you're looking for something on the more intimate side there's plenty of hotels lodges and intimate Airbnb for you to choose from. Below you'll find a few of my favorite hotels, lodges, and Airbnb's. 

  • The Lodge at Mountaineer Square - This is the perfect spot for a ski-in, ski-out lodging in the wintertime. Or if you really love downhill mountain biking! It’s located in the ski village that’s right down the road from downtown.

  • Scarp Ridge Lodge - This is an adorable historic six-room right in the heart of Crested Butte. For its wild wild west exterior, the interior is refined western with modern sophistication. 

  • Opulent Forest Cottage Getaway with Mountain Views - This ultra-modern cabin is about 15 minutes from town and offers fantastic views with five bedrooms to fill up with family and friends.

  • Downtown Home - Amazing cabin with steller deck and hot tub with enough room for 10 people.

  • In-Town but Above it All - Luxurious extra-large house in town with plenty of living spaces and outdoor decks to spread out and take in the views. 

  • Purple Mountain Lodge - This little bed and breakfast will have you feeling like a local in a jiffy! With breakfast and bikes to cruise around town you’ll feel at home.

  • Elevation Hotel and Spa - Is a great hotel in the Mountain Village to accommodate all your family and guests but give you guys all your own space.  The Mountain Village is just minutes from downtown Crestview. 

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Crested Butte Activities and Festivals

Crested Butte Activities:

The very best thing about being in a cute little mountain town is that you have full access to everything outdoors. The main problem is going to be wanting more days in the mountains to do all the fun activities. 

  • Hiking

    • One of the best ways to see the mountains all year round! There’s great trails from your doorway to some wonderful overlooks and tons of waterfalls!

  • Mountain Biking

    • There’s plenty of trails to access from your doorway. One of my favorites is the 401 Trail, trust me, you won’t be disappointed!

  • Skiing & Boarding

    • So many runs take with stellar views! 

  • Fly Fishing

    • The Slate River running right next to town and offers so many great places to fly fish. 

  • Snowshoeing

    • If you want to slow down in the snow, it's great to take in the quiet and views at a slower pace.

  • Rock Climbing

    • Lots of bouldering right in town at Skyland Boulders and some Trad climbing available really closeby.

  • Ice Skating

    • The town owns a great one that’s covered that you can rent skates and have fun. A great way to have an excuse to get a cup of hot chocolate!

  • Off-Roading

    • A little bit more relaxing way to explore the mountains. It’ll get my adrenaline shooting high with a four-by-four vehicle on the side of a cliff.

  • Stand Up Paddle Boarding

    • A fantastic way to get around the lake and taking all the views especially when it's all glassy.

  • Dog Sledding

    • You might spot Cosmic Cruisers around town and giggle cause the pups have turned into bunnies and aliens! So if you just love puppies and wintertime? Then you should go dog sledding!

  • Cross Country Skiing

    • There’s a ton of groomed trails to choose from.

Crested Butte Festivals:

While festivals are a fantastic town celebration, sometimes they can make wedding and elopement planning a bit difficult because of lodging, parking, and day of transportation. It's always best to know what festivals or celebrations are happening in the town that you choose to have your wedding so you can plan accordingly. Part of the planning accordingly may be that your guests partake in the festivals! I mean how cool would it be to have your wedding day and then go to a beer fest with all your guests the next day!

  • Wildflower Festival - July - It’s the biggest wildflower festival in Colorado for good reason!

  • Chili & Beer - September - The perfect combination of warm and spicy with cold and hoppy!

  • Mountain Words Literary Festival - April - If you love storytelling in the mountains this is a must-do!

 

Check these out:

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Hello! I’m your photo -grapher & Guide, Ashleigh!

Ashleigh Miller Elopement and Wedding Photography can’t wait to hear your story!


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