Crestview Lodge was the perfect place for our destination wedding! My husband and I were determined to have a 3-day wedding weekend and have our entire wedding party and their plus...-ones stay with us. It was the most beautiful and intimate wedding ever. Our guests came from all over (Alaska, Florida, Maryland, and more) and we wanted to spend as much time with them as possible. Crestview was the ideal location for that "Colorado feel" and fit perfectly in our budget for 4 days / 3 nights.
Kate & Charles, the property managers, were a breeze to work with and answered all of my questions up-front. They were quick to respond to emails and promptly verified payment. We were allowed access earlier than anticipated (which is always great news for a wedding venue) and the lodge was incredibly clean and ready for us. Our guests enjoyed the hot tub, the kitchen, and the outdoors; they loved the lodge aesthetics and crisp mountain air.
We hosted all of the events at the lodge - the rehearsal dinner, the ceremony and reception, and a day-after party. As the bride and groom, we loved the primary suite and large getting-ready area for the bridal party. The groom's party got ready in the game room in the basement. There were plenty of comfy beds and bathrooms for all of the guests staying with us and for the guests joining during events. The venue was easy to get to from DIA and for guests staying nearby. I was so excited about the movie room and our wedding party used it as the "nap room!"
The weather did not behave (it was a particularly rainy summer in Colorado), so we had to shift from an outdoor ceremony and reception to all inside the venue. The bride, groom, officiant, and wedding party stood by the fireplace for the vows while the immediate family had a front-row seat. The other wedding guests looked down from the catwalk. Multiple guests have told me that they loved the birds-eye view! The Lodge didn't need much decoration to get the vibe I was hoping for and we used a lot of flameless candles to create the perfect intimate ceremony.
Kate and Charles and their team set up tables and chairs and worked with our wedding party to make sure all of our guests had a place of honor. We set up the food buffet-style in the kitchen and our guests had no complaints. The bride and groom sat at a sweetheart table near the large patio doors. We simply moved a table aside for the first dance. As guests finished their food, we cleared plates and tables and chairs to open the dance floor for the reception.
The day-after party was so laid back and the ideal "recovery day." The weather was better and so guests went for walks around the 13-acre property, played games outside and inside, and we had all the doors and windows open for that indoor/outdoor feel. We got to spend more time with all of the people who traveled so far to be with us.
Some logistics: we brought a lot of our own stuff to make our wedding what we wanted it to be and give our guests an ideal experience. We brought instructions for using the bathrooms (septic system), a few large speakers, microphones, flameless candles, glass goblets, fabric napkins, lawn games, and more. We did not hire a DJ so I curated and cut the music myself. We hired a TIPS-certified bartender for the wedding and reception. We purchased a medical oxygen machine because of the high elevation and SO many guests used it.
I can't wait to have an excuse to come back to Crestview Lodge & Ranch!