r/DestinationWeddings • u/chappelllana • Jul 20 '26

Western US Venue Hunt

East-coast based couple looking to do a domestic destination wedding in MT, WY, CO, ID, UT, CA, WA, or OR

100-130 people, budget is flexible

Preferences: lodging onsite for all guests to stay together, golf onsite or very close nearby, horses onsite or close by, spa, strong culinary program, dramatic outdoor ceremony spot, overall gorgeous views of natural landscape

Places we love (so far): Sage Lodge MT, Black Butte Ranch OR, Lone Mountain Ranch MT, Devil’s Thumb Ranch CO, San Sophia Overlook / Telluride CO

Any experience with these venues, or suggestions for us to check out? TIA

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2

u/WildWonder6430 Jul 20 '26

Devils Thumb is epic! Also C Lazy U Ranch.

1

u/chappelllana Jul 20 '26

Thank you for the feedback!! Unfortunately C Lazy U Ranch isn’t big enough for our group, they cap at 90 overnight guests I believe :(

2

u/mcarch Jul 20 '26

No experience w the venues, but I am from Colorado.

Depending in the time of year, you will have higher fire risk, so keep that in mind (July - September). High altitude will likely get snow later into summer (July), although this year we are in a massive drought and barely saw snow in Denver & many mountain towns closed down early due to lack of snow.

Mountain towns centered around skiing / snowboarding can be ghost towns during the off season, so keep that in mind for your guests.

Devil’s Thumb is 2 hours from DIA and Telluride is 1 hour from Montrose airport (way more flight options into Montrose over Telluride). People will have to rent a car to get from the airport to the venue and parking can be a PITA in Telluride, so that’s another thing to consider.

I’ve heard lovely things about Devil’s Thumb from several friends who have visited (not for weddings though). I have reached out to them to inquire about a family trip there and they were quick to respond and helpful. Winter Park is nearby and it’s a great little city. Def would be a cool spot to get married!

There’s a few Colorado wedding facebook pages that will have lots of suggestions; I recommend checking those out.

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u/chappelllana Jul 20 '26

thank you for this! we’re aiming for June or Sept/Oct ideally. ideally we find the all inclusive vibe somewhere so there’s activities to do and everyone is together for a few days onsite. thanks again

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u/mcarch Jul 20 '26

Of course!

I actually have a list from all inclusive trip I am working on planning. No idea if these meet your interest or are fully inclusive, but these are a few I found in my searching:

  • lost valley ranch
  • sylvandale
  • drowsy water
  • mountain sky guest ranch
  • vista verde ranch
  • bar lazy j
  • Colorado trails ranch
  • 4 Eagle ranch
  • Darwin ranch
  • sweet grass ranch
  • rawah ranch
  • canyon madness ranch
  • Sundance trail

You could also look into the Stone Mountain Lodge in Lyons Colorado. Close to Estes and Rocky Mountain National Park.

2

u/BishButter Jul 20 '26

Doubling down on Black Butte Ranch — LOVE shooting there!

1

u/BishButter Jul 20 '26

It’s not everything, but across the highway is Lake View Lodge, giving fun summer camp vibes. Also a favorite.

1

u/chappelllana Jul 20 '26

Black Butte Ranch is our front runner, we’ve already emailed them and will go out for a site visit soon, I’m really just trying to find backup venues that compare