Colorado Chautauqua

ng planning we were affirmed that we made the right choice of venue. LODGING: We had people coming in from different states and different countries. It was so incredibly convenient and lovely to have everyone staying on the Chautauqua campus. Everyone had their own space but was steps away, so we were able to make the most of our time together. Also, the spaces were so beautiful - the two-bedroom cottages literally have the Flatirons as their backyard. We had some members of our wedding party stay in Mary Galey Cottage, and it was the best wedding planning decision that we made. We got ready in the cottage, we had our rehearsal dinner in the cottage, my sister and best friend threw a surprise intimate bridal shower in the cottage. I'm so happy we decided to rent Mary Galey, it literally made the whole week. FOOD: So many guests complimented our menu! We are vegetarian, and we were able to choose an all vegetarian menu that was absolutely delicious. We were also able to accommodate a lot of different dietary needs. They had tons of options, vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, plus the regular "steak and chicken" type options. We did a tasting about 8 months before the wedding and it made it so easy to choose what food we wanted. We also went to breakfast the day after the wedding at the Dining Hall and that was delicious too! THE RECEPTION VENUE: Our reception was at Community House and we had about 85 people there. It was PERFECT. There are rooms upstairs and downstairs that were great for kids or anyone who needed a break from the party. The party spilled out onto the beautiful verandah, so there was a nice indoor/outdoor thing happening. We had cocktail hour in the Rocky Mountain Climbers Club, and it was super comfortable and pretty. Also the staff were great!!! VENDORS: Chautauqua has a recommended vendor list, but you can bring in people not on that list. We got our DJ from their list and they were awesome. Also, they touch base with vendors on the day to make sure everything will run smoothly. ABOVE AND BEYOND: Academic Hall is centrally located and always has someone there for Guest Services. This was massively helpful. We had multiple people in our families who needed mobility assistance, and Guest Services (and the grounds crew) offered to drive them where they needed to go on a golf cart. They are also so, so responsive and helpful to bring extra towels, linens, paper towels, anything that anyone in the cottages needed. The biggest of shoutouts to Rosy, the Wedding & Sales Manager/venue coordinator, who is the absolute best to work with and made everything go super smoothly from when we booked to the day of our wedding. OVERALL: This truly was like a small local business feel for a big event. All of the courtesy, kindness, and one-on-one care of a local business, with the polish and detail of a big professional venue. Also, they are a nonprofit. So our money went towards an organization that pours back into the community. We had the best time and can't recommend Chautauqua enough!!!!!