When I talk to couples who want to have an intimate wedding, Colorado is a location that almost always comes up! Colorado is absolutely breathtaking, and it’s home to countless destinations perfect for a small ceremony. In this guide, I’ll share the best Colorado small wedding venues.
From outdoor and affordable venues to indoor locations and those with lodging, there’s something for every couple ready to tie the knot in Colorado! Best of all, these sites don’t have minimum guest counts, so they’re perfect for a small ceremony and reception.
Why Colorado for intimate weddings?
Colorado is easily one of the best places to say “I do” for couples planning an intimate wedding. While many venues have a minimum guest count, Colorado is home to so many magical places that don’t. These venues are ideal for a small ceremony, and many of them also offer a reception space.
Below, I’ll share incredible locations for your intimate wedding and their capacity. The venues are divided into 4 sections – venues with lodging, affordable (& gorgeous!) venues, outdoor locations, and indoor spaces.
Here’s a quick rundown:
Venues with Lodging
- Juniper Mountain House; Evergreen, CO
- Dunton Hot Springs; Dunton, CO
- Piney River Ranch; Vail, CO
- The Lodge at Breckenridge; Breckenridge, CO
Affordable Venues
- Maroon Bells Amphitheater; Aspen, CO
- Sapphire Point Overlook; Dillon, CO
- Golden Gate Canyon State Park; Golden, CO
- San Sophia Overlook; Mountain Village, CO
Outdoor Venues
- Great Sand Dunes National Park; Southern California
- North Star Gatherings; Idaho Springs, CO
- Denver Botanic Gardens; Denver, CO
- Rocky Mountain National Park; Northern Colorado
Indoor Venues
- Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art; Boulder, CO
- Great Divide Brewing Co. The Barrel Cellar; Denver, CO
- The Manor House; Littleton, CO
Keep reading for details on these locations, or contact me if you don’t see what you’re looking for!
Colorado Small Wedding Venues with Lodging
Planning a Colorado wedding and want to make sure you have a convenient place for you and your guests to stay? These intimate wedding venues are not only epic locations to tie the knot, but they also offer on-site accommodation options.
Juniper Mountain House
- Location: Evergreen, CO
- Maximum guest count: 60
- Description: Juniper Mountain House is a boutique hotel and wedding venue that sits on 10 wooded acres and overlooks the foothills of Evergreen. Various indoor and outdoor areas offer unique spaces to hold a ceremony and reception.
Dunton Hot Springs
- Location: Dunton, CO
- Maximum guest count: 44
- Description: Dunton Hot Springs offers the ideal romantic setting for an intimate wedding. It boasts scenic views of mountain peaks, rivers, aspens, and meadows. You can rent the entire property for a magical experience. If you have less than 14 guests, no need to rent it out, and you can use this gorgeous space on a budget.
Piney River Ranch
- Location: Vail, CO
- Maximum guest count: 200
- Description: Couples can book Piney River Ranch from June 21st through the last Saturday in September for an unforgettable wedding. This venue sits next to the Piney Lake and offers breathtaking mountain vista views. Guests can stay overnight at this stunning site in cabins or glamping tents.
The Lodge at Breckenridge
- Location: Breckenridge, CO
- Maximum guest count: 150
- Description: The Lodge at Breckenridge is an award-winning wedding venue, and rightfully so! It’s beautifully nestled cliffside with a captivating backdrop of the Rocky Mountains. The rustic boutique hotel offers charming accommodations for guests. And if you’re looking to bring your fur babies along, this one is also one of the best pet-friendly Colorado small wedding venues.
You might also be interested in reading: Elopement vs Wedding: What’s the Difference & Which One is Better?
Affordable Colorado Small Wedding Venues
Who says you can’t have the perfect wedding day on a budget? These venues are stunning and affordable!
Maroon Bells Amphitheater
- Location: Aspen, CO
- Maximum guest count: 50
- Description: Maroon Bells Amphitheater is every nature enthusiast couple’s paradise. This scenic venue boasts meadows with colorful wildflowers, lush Aspen trees, various wildlife, and outdoor activities. While there’s no place to hold your reception on-site, there is one nearby at the East Maroon Portal Picnic Site.
Sapphire Point Overlook
- Location: Dillon, CO
- Maximum guest count: 35
- Description: Sapphire Point Overlook is one of the best Colorado small wedding venues for a picturesque panorama and easy planning. This popular overlook offers gorgeous views of Lake Dillon and the Gore and Tenmile mountains, with plenty of space for a few guests to join.
Golden Gate Canyon State Park
- Location: Golden, CO
- Maximum guest count: 40 for Panorama Point & 150 for Red Barn
- Description: Golden Gate Canyon State Park is a photographer’s paradise and a dream spot for couples wanting to tie the knot on a budget. Couples love renting out Panorama Point for the ceremony and the rustic Red Barn for a reception, although there are endless places to enjoy throughout the park. Guests can also camp out at Golden Gate or rent a guest house.
San Sophia Overlook
- Location: Mountain Village, CO
- Maximum guest count: 200
- Description: Say “I do” with sweeping ridge and valley views at the San Sophia Overlook. There’s a wooden deck for the wedding party and a grass amphitheater for guest seating, both surrounded by beautiful scenery and natural landscaping.
Outdoor Colorado Small Wedding Venues
If you’re an adventurer like myself who loves being outside, you’ll love these outdoor locations. Two of them are iconic national parks, while the other is a notable hidden gem!
Great Sand Dunes National Park
- Location: Southern California
- Maximum guest count: 15 for the dunefield; larger weddings held at the Amphitheater
- Description: Get married surrounded by the tallest dunes in North America at Great Sand Dunes National Park. While ceremony sites can’t be decorated as you would for a traditional wedding, the natural beauty is more than enough for couples who love the outdoors. Best of all, the photo-ops throughout Sand Dunes National Park are unlike any other!
North Star Gatherings
*outdoor wedding with indoor reception
- Location: Idaho Springs, CO
- Maximum guest count: 170
- Description: North Star Gatherings is the best small wedding venue for couples who want to get off the beaten path while remaining close to the city. This modern space provides seclusion and a picture-perfect mountain backdrop. Say “I do” on an outdoor ceremony deck that looks out at the Continental Divide, then enjoy the cocktail deck and indoor reception space with your guests.
Denver Botanic Gardens
*indoor and outdoor spaces
- Location: Denver, CO
- Maximum guest count: varies depending on the chosen site
- Description: While the Denver Botanic Gardens offers outdoor garden wedding venues, its indoor spaces are just as magical. From a secluded plaza to a charming solarium, there are plenty of spaces to fit almost any small (and large) wedding and reception.
Rocky Mountain National Park
- Location: Northern Colorado
- Maximum guest count: 30
- Description: Rocky Mountain National Park is easily one of my favorite outdoor Colorado small wedding venues! It offers a dreamy outdoor setting, with glistening lakes, cascading waterfalls, mountain peaks, and large meadows. While you can’t set up chairs and decor in the park, it’s the ideal spot for a simple ceremony with breathtaking backdrops and your loved ones.
Indoor Colorado Small Wedding Venues
If you prefer indoor spaces for their atmosphere or you’re planning a winter wedding, these spaces are amazing!
Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art
- Location: Boulder, CO
- Maximum guest count: 150
- Description: Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art offers a unique space for art lovers to hold an intimate wedding ceremony. Galleries feature fabulous art displays, natural lighting, and striking architecture. There are various spaces for your ceremony and reception, with multiple options to have the wedding you’ve been dreaming of.
Great Divide Brewing Co. The Barrel Cellar
- Location: Denver, CO
- Maximum guest count: 125
- Description: Great Divide Brewing Co. The Barrel Cellar is a unique space for the beer-loving couple to say “I do!” Enjoy this warm, fun, and welcoming space with your loved ones. It’ll be the wedding every guest raves about for years to come!
The Manor House
*indoor and outdoor spaces
- Location: Littleton, CO
- Maximum guest count: 200
- Description: If you’re dreaming of a simple yet luxurious small wedding, The Manor House is the perfect venue. This mansion offers various locations for your ceremony and reception, from an outdoor space in front of Dry Creek Canyon or inside next to a cozy fireplace.
Let’s Plan Your Colorado Wedding
With so many fabulous Colorado small wedding venues, I’m not surprised if you’re ready to start the planning! And if you’re interested in learning about other locations for an intimate wedding, I’d love to share more.
Among the Pines (that’s me!) is a Colorado wedding photographer for couples looking for a unique and personalized wedding day experience. I take photos of your special day and help with the entire planning process – location selection, vendors, carrying your dress train, and more. I can even officiate your wedding!
kinsley + caden
“Brooke was the perfect choice for our wedding day! We had a micro wedding at Sapphire Point in August. I had never been to Sapphire Point and Brooke was so helpful suggesting vendors, picture locations, parking, marriage license info etc. She was so kind and helpful before and during the whole process and was a large part of why the day went so smooth. She does so much more than just show up and take pictures, Brooke will truly go out of her way to make your wedding day perfect! The photos are gorgeous and I keep getting so many compliments! I truly cannot recommend her enough!”
"Brooke was a large part of why our day went so smooth and will truly go out of her way to make your wedding day perfect!"
We chose Brooke to capture our Colorado elopement and she did exactly that and more. She made it easy to plan our day out with locations and timelines so that we could focus on ourselves. We decided last minute to change our afternoon/evening elopement to a 6am sunrise one so beat the heat of the day. Brooke accommodated us without hesitation and even created a new timeline for us so that we knew where to be for the perfect sunrise. She was kind and understood what we wanted in terms of our elopement and we are so grateful to have her capture the day. Our photos turned out beautiful and truly helped us relive the day. I would recommend Brooke to anyone wanting their special day photographed.
"Brooke accommodated us without hesitation and even created a new timeline for us so that we knew where to be for the perfect sunrise."
erica + stacy
kirstie + colin
Brooke not only photographed our mountain elopement beautifully, but she put so much thought into the details and knew all of the answers the questions I didn’t even know to ask. She really puts a lot of thought into each photo and brings her expertise while still remaining very open to what we wanted and ideas we had. She even helped pick the perfect spot for us and advised us on the logistical details like securing a reservation at the mountain lake where we wanted our ceremony. She is SO easy to work with and very friendly and chill. My husband and I are super awkward in front of a camera but she made it so natural and easy - and the shots came out better than we could have imagined.
"She really puts a lot of thought into each photo and brings her expertise while still remaining very open to what we wanted and ideas we had."
amanda + jace
Brooke is many things; talented, calm, flexible, experienced/ knowledgeable, patient, incredibly responsive, organized, resourceful in a pinch, supportive, creative, professional yet a blast to work with, and goes above & beyond w her clients. Our wedding was a spectacular dream and we couldn't be more grateful that she made that single day last forever. Whether she's photographing nature or an intimate event, her pictures tell a story of peace, love, whatever your vision may be. We couldn't recommend her more and we look forward to booking with her for all of our vow renewals, seasonal and family pictures for as long as she'll have us.
"Whether she's photographing nature or an intimate event, her pictures tell a story of peace, love, whatever your vision may be."
linden + brent
Working with Brooke was a dream come true! Before we even met, my husband Brent and I were impressed by her portfolio. After meeting, we were even more convinced that her photography skills and knowledge, and her fun and easygoing personality were exactly what we were looking for in an elopement photographer. Brooke was able to take our vision and facilitate everything so that it worked out beautifully, especially when it came to finding the perfect location (the incredible mountains surrounding Ouray). Throughout the entire planning process, she was honest and flexible, and made it clear that her goal was for us to be 100% happy. In the end, her creativity and our happiness totally shine through in every single photo.
"Throughout the entire planning process, she was honest and flexible."
lauren + branden
I can't begin to express my gratitude for the intimacy and beauty behind Brooke's photographs. In capturing our wedding day, she went above and beyond to document our story, our families, and the depths of our love in ways that I'll forever be grateful for. Brooke has an eye for not only capturing the adventure and magic of your love, but deeply connects with your personal story, understands your relationship, and then gives that back in the most incredible way. She is truly an artist and tells your story in an authentic and creative way for you to look back on for years to come. We are forever grateful to Brooke for spending the time to get to know us, our story, and capturing the memories that we'll relive for years to come.
"Brooke deeply connects with your personal story, understands your relationship, and then gives that back in the most incredible way."
heather + jedd
“If you're contemplating which photographer to go with, THIS IS YOUR SIGN TO CHOOSE BROOKE!!!! She is so so so talented and was able to capture our elopement exactly how I pictured and wanted! We eloped in Ridgway, CO this past September and she was so helpful figuring out picture locations, recommendations of timeline for the day, and just made the whole day feel so smooth. She schedules multiple check ins, phone calls, etc., leading up to the big day to ensure everything is as you want it. Brooke has such a calming, down to earth presence and is one of those awesome people you feel like you've known forever after just the first time of meeting."
"Brooke has such a calming, down to earth presence and is one of those awesome people you feel like you've known forever."
christy + austin
Brooke is the absolute best. She truly went above and beyond for my fiancé and I to be able to get our engagement photos taken with the fall colors. Brooke is so sweet, fun, personable and incredibly talented. We could not be more in love with our engagement photos! Our engagement session with Brooke was such a special experience and a memory we will cherish forever.
"Our engagement session with Brooke was such a special experience and a memory we will cherish forever."
