YMCA of the Rockies - Estes Park Center

2515 Tunnel Road, Estes Park, CO

$7,600 starting price

300+ guest capacity

This venue can host 300+ guests

About this vendor

YMCA of the Rockies Estes Park Center is a mountain wedding venue located in Estes Park, CO. Perched atop towering mountains, this venue offers sweeping views of Rocky Mountain National Park. Featuring on-site accommodations and scenic ceremony and reception sites, this romantic retreat is ideal for celebrating your love with your new spouse. At 75 miles from Denver, it is both a convenient and secluded location. Estes Park is one of the top destinations in Colorado and is known for its proximity to Rocky Mountain National Park. At YMCA of the Rockies Estes Park Center, you’ll be surrounded by pristine natural land and wildlife. Deer, elk, and birds are some of the common varieties of wildlife you may come across here. The resort is bordered on three sides by the dramatic landscapes of the park, and you can exchange vows among the crisp mountain air. The views and sprawling resort are sure to inspire love in you and your new spouse. This venue features multiple indoor and outdoor event spaces for weddings at any time of the year. Four stunning ceremony sites dot the property, each with their own character. The Sara Smith Chapel overlooks Ypsilon Mountain while Overlook Chapel is nestled atop Emerald Mountain. Both outdoor spaces offer panoramic views of the rugged landscape. Alternately, the Hyde and Ponder Chapels boast rustic interior spaces to tie the knot. Carry on the festivities in one of the spacious banquet halls. During the summer months, you may also opt to hold your reception in the Upper Cookout Pavilion, a relaxed, covered outdoor venue. You can spend a romantic wedding night in one of the resort’s cozy lodges or cabins. The team at YMCA of the Rockies Estes Park Center works tirelessly to ensure your wedding is unforgettable. They have an on-site event planner to help guide you through the process of selecting your event spaces. There are packages for ceremonies, receptions, or both here. This venue covers all catering services for events held here, and their experienced catering team can help you with your dining experience. Your reception package includes a tasting session for two people. This venue can accommodate weddings of up to 500 guests. The Assembly Hall is the venue’s largest space and is suitable for tremendous parties. The event manager is also happy to discuss locations for intimate weddings for as few as 50 attendees.

Amenities + details

Handicap Accessible

Liability Insurance

Covered Outdoors Space

Dressing Room

Indoor Event Space

On-Site Accommodations

Outdoor Event Space

Wireless Internet

Guest Capacity

300+

Settings

Ballroom
Historic Venue
Hotel
Park
Tented

Venue Service Offerings

Food & Catering
Planning

4.5

out of 5.0

65 reviews

Search reviews

11/19/2024 • Kirsten M

Did you know you could get married at the YMCA of the Rockies? Did you know you SHOULD get married at the YMCA of the Rockies?!? Seriously, I cannot look at the pictures from our wedding day enough. Sarah Smith Chapel was the ceremony location of my dreams. Private and intimate, as it is nested in a incredible pine tree forest and out of the way of a lot of the busier parts of the YMCA campus, but also SURROUNDED by mountains. We originally booked our reception to be at Willome, but the INCREDIBLE YMCA staff knew the size and vibe of our event and suggested we move our reception to Walnut Room instead. This beautiful room has a gigantic fireplace and offered our 70 guests plenty of room to dine, dance, and socialize. Our wedding here was, quite literally, perfect in every way. We got lucky having our wedding in the off-season (November 2nd), and a big snowstorm did hit the next day, but we felt so cared for by the staff, so appreciate of the incredible views that every room and step offered, and grateful that our wedding venue will forever be a place we can revisit, alone, then with our children, and perhaps even with our extended family again one day!!

9/17/2024 • Robin C

While we decided not to get married at the YMCA, we used it as our home base for the guests and rented out one of the large family reunion cabins and hosted our welcome party there. It was so great to have everyone together in one building. Bill was a pleasure to work with. The YMCA is amazing! It has gorgeous views and they have so many activities on campus. Our guests had so much fun, they are recommending it to their families.

8/05/2024 • Elyse B

We loved getting married here! Our ceremony was at Overlook Chapel and our reception at Mountainside which was wonderful. We loved having all of our friends stay up at Mountainside with us and the beauty is truly unparalleled (many guests said it was the most beautiful wedding they ever attended). It fit the rustic mountain vibe we were looking for perfectly. I would recommend being asking a lot of questions and being detail-oriented when working with the YMCA, as it's a complicated DIY venue with many rules (and they're not all communicated clearly which was frustrating at times). However, Bill and the staff at the YMCA did an amazing job and made us feel so taken care of the day of. I'm an anxious planner bride and felt able to relax and truly enjoy the day of. We are so grateful we got married here.

7/15/2024 • Jessika S

Mountainside Lodge includes a main lodge and a cabin, for a total of 36 people. The lodge features a large living room with a fireplace, a dining room for 50, a fully equipped kitchen, a basement with a living area, a large patio with mountain views, 3 queen rooms, a room with 2 queens, a room with 6 bunk beds, and 5 bathrooms. The cabin has 2 queen rooms, 4 bunk rooms, and 2 bathrooms. Each bed comes with linens and towels, and the bathrooms are stocked with soap, shampoo, and toilet paper. Though there's no AC, the windows and fans keep things cool. The main room’s fireplace is also available for use. Mountainside is your's for the entire weekend, so we had our rehearsal the day before at 5 pm. We hosted the rehearsal dinner in the lodge’s dining room, comfortably accommodating 50 people, with drinks and games on the patio. We had pizza/salad catered directly to the lodge from the YMCA. This saved us a lot of money hosting the rehearsal at the lodge. Ceremony There are three parking lots near the lodge, pavilion, and ceremony site, with ample space for guests. The YMCA event planner helped direct parking and kept hikers out. The ceremony site has an electrical box for DJ hookups. Flower petals or rice aren't allowed. We lined up in the aspen trees, which was a short 40-second walk, instead of starting from the lodge. It was a gorgeous place to get married with the view down the valley of Estes park. Reception Our reception was under the open pavilion, with curtains for warmth and we had patio heaters by the tables in case it got cold. There are plenty of outlets, and you can hang lights. Glass centerpieces, candles, and sparklers aren’t allowed. YMCA catering is required, and we chose a BBQ dinner with brisket and pulled pork, which was delicious. They provide water and iced tea for free, with optional additional drinks. We opted for snack bags instead of appetizers, which saved us tons of money, and got our cake from a local bakery. The YMCA provides tables, chairs, tablecloths, napkins, cups, silverware, and plates, along with tables for the cake, DJ, and sweetheart table. You can chose between 6 person rectangular tables or 8 person round tables. They assist with food, cleanup, and moving shades all night long. Dinner is served buffet-style, latest by 5:30 PM. They set up before 10 AM, let you decorate after this time, and handle food cleanup by 8 PM, and leave tables and chairs for cleanup the next day. Checkout is at 10 AM on Sunday, so they just require you cleanup bu checkout. For alcohol, Peak Beverages is required. They had great drinks and service! The YMCA provides a setup diagram based on guest count. For our 90 guests, we had 11 tables, a sweetheart table, and plenty of room for the dance floor. In case of rain, the pavilion can host the ceremony/reception or dinner can be moved indoors to the lodge. I recommend a 30-minute buffer for the ceremony start time. In RMNP rain showers are usually brief and last only 30 minutes. So, don't worry too much about the rain, just have a buffer. This place was so special! A little piece of history at the historic lodge and being right at Rocky Mountain National park. We can't believe we got married here it is the most beautiful place in estes park! You will not be disappointed! And your guests will not be able to stop talking about the views! Photography by Tomi Photopositive

1/22/2024 • Maria F

Don't try to contact them through the knot because they don't check that but if you email the wedding coordinator, he is both accommodating and friendly. The venue was a good price and, while you are required to use the in house vendor for food, which was a little annoying, we ended up having the barbeque meal, which all the guests said was delicious. We had our reception in the walnut room, which was beautiful and perfect for a woodsy themed wedding. The catering crew was helpful and professional and overall, we had a wonderful experience.

10/10/2023 • A R

We chose YMCA of the Rockies for our venue due to the beautiful location in Estes Park, CO and the reasonable prices. We got married at the amazing Overlook Chapel, and we had our reception in the Willome Conference Center. We were very pleased with how everything turned out! They do their own catering which was good for us as it meant less vendors to find. The staff was professional and very helpful day of! The wedding contact was helpful with our many questions throughout the process. Highly recommend for an affordable wedding in the Rocky Mountains!

7/21/2023 • Alexis R

This venue (Mountainside lodge) and the views were worth every penny of the headache/stress that came along with the process. Point being, the YMCA has struggled to keep the same wedding coordinator/catering staff, but throughout it all, they were always willing to go above and beyond to make sure we had a great experience. Bill and Brittany were wonderful to work with. If you do book this venue, please do yourself a favor and hire a wedding coordinator, or at least a day of wedding coordinator so that you have a very special and wonderful experience. Through all the hiccups of changing wedding coordinators and changing their computer system, they were readily available the entire weekend to help us with decor, changing the drapes positions so we could see mountain views, letting my personal coordinator go get the table linens on the day of, changing the layout of the table positions the day before the wedding, etc. They did amazing and were awesome. We also had a huge kickball game on Friday which was so awesome. We had about 40 participants and everyone had a blast!! The views were amazing and we all had a wonderful weekend. The food was great too! We got the Italian pasta bar and one entree and it was delicious!

10/27/2022 • Anikka G

I would not recommend this venue to any bride. Although it was a beautiful setting, the chaos/stress/frustration that went into working with this establishment was not worth it. Throughout the 15 months of wedding planning with the YMCA we worked with five different wedding coordinators. There was no communication from one coordinator to the next. We were never notified that we are working with someone new, we either found out by getting no response to our emails or calling and getting a new person. Some of the many details that have been lost between coordinators was our request for a cabin instead of a hotel room (which was eventually fixed after I complained), reserving the wrong reception venue, increasing catering prices (eventually fixed when I complained), etc. When I tried to pass along the information we had decided on with one coordinator to the next, I was told anything discussed verbally and not written would not be honored. When we toured the venue we chose it because we were told it had AC, but when we asked for it to be turned up on the wedding day we were told it wasn’t possible. The reception venue foyer we learned the day-of would be used by a church group as a nursery room. The venue was not set-up and ready at the time promised on the wedding day morning, so when we arrived to decorate, it was still being cleaned/set-up pushing out my day of timetable and making me late to hair and make-up. The wedding coordinator never showed up the day-of, and finally we ordered two wedding cakes that were never made or served! They tried to charge us for the missing cakes and when I complained I was told they needed to "fact check my concerns". It took 7 weeks for me post-wedding to get the bill settled because they said they were so behind. We acknowledge that they are busy and understaffed, but it was made clear to us that this venue was overcommitting itself and unable to perform for all the brides. Other Estes Park vendors confirmed our fears that we were not the only wedding party experiencing these challenges. We were eventually refunded some money but it will never make up for all the stress that was associated with our wedding day due to this venue. Although the setting was absolutely beautiful, I would not recommend it as the entire process so incredibly frustrating, chaotic and stressful.

10/18/2022 • Amelia C

First of all, Overlook Chapel is AMAZING and was worth every penny. Overall, YMCA is great. They struggle to keep staff, so I had to talk to many people during the planning, but the day of was absolutely worth the stress.

7/10/2022 • Angie B

We had an amazing June 2022 wedding at the YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park. We booked the Mountainside Lodge which we highly recommend. You get lodging at the Lodge and the Annex building (next door) which can house 30-40 guests, the covered Pavilion, and the outdoor ceremony Chapel all included within the venue booking! The additional advantage is that the entire area is yours from Thursday night until Sunday morning. It was so nice that we could set-up our decor and use all the spaces when we wanted and knew that we were the only ones that would be there. Everyone at the Y we worked with was amazing and so excited for us. They are all very busy and you likely will communicate with a few new people over the planning process. You may have to follow up with them on emails, but they are very kind when they respond. I would not let this scare you if you are good at over communicating because the day of the wedding, everything went so smoothly! They set up the tables early so we could decorate on the morning of the wedding and the catering staff worked so hard during dinner to feed everyone quickly! The AV team was also so great and their systems are very easy to use for mics and music. Another advantage is that you can supply your own cocktail hour food, alcohol (beer and wine only), and dessert which helped to save us money. The main meal has to be ordered through the Y but they offer so many delicious options that we were very happy with the meal provided by the Y Catering! We mainly worked with Holly, Caroline, Jennefer, and Nicole and they were all so great to work with!

6/22/2022 • Christina H

My fiance and I wanted a small, casual outdoor wedding with a beautiful backdrop, and the Overlook Chapel was just that! We had our reception elsewhere, but worked with the Y and their Chaplain Greg Bunton for the ceremony. Greg was amazing and made the ceremony beautiful, personalized, fun, and reverent. Everything went smoothly and we could not have asked for a more beautiful setting!

5/07/2022 • Mary Kate M

We wanted a full wedding weekend in the mountains with our friends and family, and the YMCA of the Rockies was the perfect location! Mountain weddings in Colorado have become ridiculously expensive, but the YMCA is still incredibly affordable -- without sacrificing very much. The wedding coordinator, Holly, was friendly, helpful, and responsive throughout the entire process, and it was no trouble at all to postpone our wedding due to COVID. The Sarah Smith Chapel and Upper Cookout Pavilion were perfect for the more low-key vibe we were going for and required very minimal decoration -- just a few flowers and some string lights. We also requested a room for our welcome dinner the night before the wedding, and while I was expecting and would've been fine with a boring conference room, it was actually a beautiful room with wood paneling and doors that opened onto a large outdoor patio. Even though the YMCA does not focus exclusively on weddings, we were able to get all the support we needed throughout the planning rocess. Holly helped arrange to keep extra bathrooms open and even gave me tips on where to copy some of the photos I saw tagged on Instagram. We also used the YMCA for catering, and they helped us create a custom Thai food menu that was still very reasonably priced, and the guests thought it was delicious. Almost all of our guests stayed on the YMCA property for the entire weekend, and everyone talked about what a special and fun experience it was. We did not hire a wedding planner or day-of coordinator, but our wedding weekend was still incredibly low stress and full of joy because the YMCA made everything so simple. I feel incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to get married there, and the weekend truly was everything we had hoped for.

3/05/2022 • Geya K

We had our wedding reception at the Y back in January and it was a beautiful venue nestled in the Colorado mountains. We loved the venue, pricing, and catering staff and lead. Our only issue is with the wedding coordinator, Kate. She was terrible to work with and highly unresponsive. We practically had to remind her to respond to every email by following up with a call. On the day of, she forgot things that we clearly went over with her prior to the day. Just know that you will have to hold her hand through the process because she does not know what she is doing. If you have the time and patience to deal with Kate, YMCA is a great venue. Our guests loved staying at the lodges and it was perfect in the January snow.

11/30/2021 • Jessica P

We picked YMCA of the Rockies because the view from the Overlook Chapel is amazing. Our reception was held at the Upper Cookout Pavilion. The staff was easy to work with from the day we toured to our wedding. They made moving our wedding due to COVID-19 very easy. Holly, the event coordinator is very responsive and quickly answered any question I had. Samantha, the catering coordinator was very helpful during our tasting and provided us a form to make sure our food choices, reception setup, and timeline went according to plan. The YMCA gave our wedding a fun summer camp feel. A lot of our guests stayed on the property and we were able to enjoy the games and firepit at the YMCA.

8/25/2021 • Jennifer G

The Overlook Chapel is breathtaking! Both the wedding coordinator and banquets managers made the whole process so easy and enjoyable.

3/23/2021 • Tyler H

The Mountainside Lodge venue is absolutely amazing! There are very few pictures of all this has to offer but you’re essentially on top of a mountain with plenty of privacy as well as plenty of space and accommodations to feel at home. The mountainside lodge is large and rustic but has many bunks and bathrooms to fit 10-15 people. There’s a large dining room and plenty of outdoor areas to hang out. The pavilion has amazing views and can hold a small wedding gathering. The annex provides additional rooms and bathrooms for more guests. This venue surpassed my expectations and is so close to Estes Park!

10/10/2020 • Brooke W

I could not have asked for a more beautiful venue for my Colorado destination wedding! The staff was so helpful and Holly, the event coordinator, made planning and postponing this COVID wedding so easy. The views were breathtaking and the onsite lodging was perfect for our families and friends. It was the most amazing day and I would recommend this venue to any bride looking to get married in Colorado!

12/23/2019 • Cammie M

We booked this place without seeing it. We booked the overlook and the view is stunning. With that being said, there isn't a whole lot of parking and the roads to get up there aren't kept up the greatest (in all fairness some of the road is off the property) The staff was amazing to work with, and the food was really good too!

10/28/2019 • Erika R

Beautiful location and the staff are so nice and helpful. However, I with people were more proactive in engaging with us to let us know where they were on the day of. The rooms were great and the food was amazing. Overall a great venue for any event.

10/12/2019 • Libby H

Multiple people told us this was the best wedding they have ever attended. I can't recommend the *Mountainside Lodge* at the YMCA enough. This is the property at the very top of the hill with a huge lodge (sleeps ~35) and includes your outdoor ceremony and reception space all in one location. Lodging for our entire wedding party, ceremony space, and reception space for 4 days (Thurs afternoon to Sunday morning) cost $9,000. That is just THE ROOM in other venues in Estes Park on a Saturday. We all had so much fun hanging out at the Lodge together and really getting to spend time together. NO travel made the wedding day so much easier than having to load up cars or rent additional transportation. I walked right outside my dressing area and down to the aisle! A lot of folks are hung up on the only beer and wine deal. Your guests will not care and can enjoy anything else they'd like in their cabins. Do it. It is worth it. We also had a kickball game and ate in the dining hall the day before our wedding. I loved my time at the YMCA!

10/10/2019 • Morgan H

The end result of my wedding was beautiful but the process of getting there was extremely frustrating. I worked with Holly, and she was great! However, the catering manager, Genevia, was horrible to work with. She didn’t have food ready for our scheduled tasting, I had to be the one to track her down every single step, and she was not a great communicator. The day of the wedding, they did not have the number of tables I asked for. I had to track down someone else to get things set up. Even so, she argued with my coordinator about giving me the number of tables I requested weeks before the event. It is beautiful, and it is reasonable pricing. If you are willing to do the extra work and communicate, it may be worth it. Definitely expect to do some unnecessary heavy lifting!

9/17/2019 • Pam C

We had our daughter’s wedding in late July 2019 and the venue at the YMCA of the Rockies, Estes Park, was absolutely gorgeous. The ceremony was held at the Overlook Chapel and if your heart’s desire is an outdoor mountain view, you will surely not be disappointed! Our reception was held at the Upper Cookout and was perfect for our large family. We had a large number of young children and they had a blast on the grounds playing and their noise was not an issue since it was all outdoors. Furthermore, where else can you have an elk show up for the reception? We worked closely with Genevia Nall in catering for over a year and she calmed my Mother-of-the-Bride jitters more times than I care to admit and offered invaluable advice. Holly Cross was very helpful and absolutely saved us by securing my daughter a cabin on the grounds where the bridal party could dress and where their German Shepherd could safely stay so that he could participate in the wedding ceremony. The food was delicious and we had lots of compliments on it! The mac and cheese, salmon, and Kahlua pork were the favorites! I would suggest going to the food tasting offered by Genevia, as my daughter and fiancé (now husband), completely changed their menu and were very pleased with the final results. The food was well displayed and the menu options allowed us to accommodate gluten free and vegetarian guests. I would also highly suggest that you stick to the recommended list for DJ’s as this was our biggest issue and if we were given the opportunity for a do-over, we would definitely not choose A Music Plus Entertainment out of Denver again. Nick at Estes Park Trolleys was great to work with! (see separate review). Also, we chose Sarah Christine’s photography (Fort Collins) and her photographs were stunning and she and her husband did all they could to help with the DJ situation. If this is your first experience with planning a wedding, I would recommend using a wedding planner to assist with any issues that do arise, so that you can focus entirely on the blessed event. Overall, the YMCA of the Rockies was the perfect venue for our daughter’s wedding!

9/10/2019 • Chelsea V

We had our wedding at the YMCA of the Rockies on 8/26/2019. This is an amazing venue. The views that you get here are incredible. The ceremony was at the Overlook Chapel- it doesn’t get more picture perfect! And the reception was held at Mountain Side Lodge- such a cool place! Breathtaking, Spiritual, Historical. We worked with Holly Cross for wedding planning, Genevia Nall on catering, and Greg Bunton conducted the service. They are all well organized and were able to answer all of our questions. Genevia and her crew were absolutely fantastic the day of the wedding with the setup (and teardown) of the reception area and buffet. Everything went off without a hitch, and the reception was thoroughly enjoyed by all. Greg conducted a beautiful ceremony, and did such a wonderful job of making it personal and exactly what we wanted. The YMCA of the Rockies is a wonderful spot and organization that holds a very special place in my heart. We were so lucky to have had our wedding here.

9/05/2019 • Serena P

This is so hard to rate because although the venue was amazingly beautiful and everything ended up working out, the professionalism was subpar. This is a good venue if you can pretty much handle everything yourself. The wedding staff took about a week to get a hold of with each attempt and was very little help at answering questions or giving advice. Our caterer didn’t contact us with a menu until 3 weeks before the wedding and we had attempted to contact her multiple times before a couple months in advance. This didn’t allow us to do multiple menu tastings. (The food was excellent the day of our wedding.) Holly is the one in charge of weddings and although she is sweet as can be she wasn’t very helpful at anything other than showing us around the property. There isn’t anyone to give you advice on how to set up your tables or decor. There aren’t really any photos of previous weddings. This is more like a space that offers to do weddings not an actual wedding venue. They really should hire staff that is more helpful and easily accessible. There is no clear communication and we were finding out information very late in the process. I wish we we were more aware of that before we booked this place. As long as you’re prepared to handle that, everything is beautiful, the food is great, and the price is well worth it.

10/07/2018 • Aleah B

Beautiful venue! We opted for a destination wedding with close family and friends. Everyone was in awe of the mountains at the ceremony - we got married at the Overlook Chapel. Greg Bunton, our minister, was absolutely amazing. Our guests were very impressed with the entire ceremony and Greg made it go so smoothly. The food was wonderful and delicious - better than I expected! We had our reception in the Assembly Hall and we loved the high ceilings and how it was updated. Overall, it was pretty stress-free and easy to plan. I am from out of state and didn’t use a wedding planner, either. The only hiccup throughout the entire process was lack of communication. We were told we could set up our decorations in the Assembly Hall the night before and I called to reconfirm, and never got an answer. Luckily, a couple YMCA employees were able to let us in and get started. We were told all of the tables would have their table cloths on. They weren’t on the tables, so my family and I had to figure out where each of the cloths went. It took a while, but it ended up being just fine and it looked beautiful. Everyone is extremely helpful there. They let us hold our wedding cakes in their fridges as well as our beer and wine. I am extremely pleased with how everything turned out and I would recommend this place to anyone who is wanting to get married in the mountains. Thank you YMCA of the Rockies!

9/28/2018 • Greg H

One phrase for the YMCA- You get what you pay for. I will preface this review with the fact that the catering staff the day of the event helped redeem the YMCA as they were very helpful. I have 8+ years experience in event services and catering and can say the YMCA’s professionalism and organization is sub-par. We only ever heard from both Ashley, the wedding coordinator and Genevia, the catering manager was when we booked, during our tasting and when we got the invoice and BEO. We still have un-answered emails and phone calls. When trying to gain access to the walnut room the day-of, we were told “the event staff is at lunch and they can help you in an hour or so”. We were told that they were flexible for the ceremony time and reception time, as they only book one wedding per day. What they failed to mention is that other departments use the same space and can book those spaces as well. A month prior to the wedding, we asked to moved our ceremony time at the Overlook chapel by 15 minutes. At this time, we were told that a rehearsal was scheduled for 30 minutes after our ceremony was supposed to end. We asked the YMCA to call to see if the couple could push their time back by 15 minutes for their rehearsal. The YMCA called me back 3 minutes later saying that the couple wasn’t willing to move it back. I told the YMCA that I was frustrated that no one told us that a rehearsal was booked 30 minutes after our ceremony, knowing we still had to shuttle 100+ guests down. Ashley then responded that “because we didn’t ask to change our ceremony time earlier, we lost our opportunity to change the time”, after being told that they were “very flexible on changing time”. Ashley’s tone was very passive aggressive, rude and did not make me feel like I was a valued customer. I understand that they do weddings all the time and that we are just another wedding, but we only do this once and we did not feel very valued. I had to email the YMCA about 4 times asking for the BEO and diagram. It is sad that I had to prompt them to do their job. They had also double booked our backup space/ preparation space the day-of adding more stress. Again, the catering staff during our wedding was great, but everything prior to made it more stressful. I heard they are increasing their prices and I would warn others of the lack of communication and organization from this venue.

9/13/2018 • Anna C

Rented the Mountainside Lodge and Big Horn Annex area for my Labor Day weekend wedding (Thu-Sun) and it was amazing! The area includes the ceremony site, reception site, and lodging in the Lodge and Annex which together house 38 people for 3 nights. When it comes to medium/large size weddings (120ppl) this place definitely gives you the best bang for your buck! We decided on the Y because it is beautiful, is a great price, and it gives you the most freedom and flexibility when planning a wedding. The only hard and fast rules are no liquor or drugs and you must cater through the Y. However, they work around your Day-Of schedule and make sure set up and catering runs smoothly. The YMCA coordinator and head caterer provide and handle set up of tables, linens, dishes, coffee, and chairs, cocktail hour, catering, AV equipment, and setting up a shuttle stop. You need outside vendors for cake, photographer, shuttles, outdoor heaters (4), and alcohol but you are not required to hire a bartender or day-of coordinator. We went without either and it was fantastic! For music we downloaded a fun wedding Spotify playlist and some awesome people in our wedding party handled changing songs during dance time. There is plenty of time for setting up decorations and breakdown is also very easy! We had an 11am wedding (to avoid wind and rain) and 5pm cocktail hour that lead into dinner. The caterers breakdown and leave by 8pm but they leave a coffee bar and the AV equipment so you can dance all night! I am so happy we chose the YMCA for our wedding!

9/03/2018 • Bethany W

We had the most beautiful mountain views on our wedding day! We were lucky enough that the haze and smoke cleared up for us. We rented a reunion cabin for the weekend to host our bridal and groom party along with a couple other close friends, had our ceremony at the Overlook Chapel and then our reception at the Upper Cookout Pavilion. We couldn't have been luckier with weather! If you want a more DIY wedding with decorations and dessert, this place makes it so easy. The only difficulty we had was some confusion with the catering, but all was worked out and managed quickly. Another great thing about the Y is you need to provide your own alcohol, beer and wine only, so that also helps save on cost! Would highly recommend any Colorado wedding here-especially if you want your guests to have their mountain mind blown!

8/26/2018 • Lauren S

Gorgeous ceremony site! Got married at the Overlook Chapel (outside) and couldn’t have asked for a better view. Everyone loved it! Pictures are amazing! And food was great at the reception and decently priced. We did not have a huge budget, this place worked so well for us! Everyone day of was awesome, as well as leading up to the day.

6/05/2018 • Emily A

This is a great venue if you want to get married in the mountains but don't have a huge budget. We held our welcome dinner, ceremony and reception there, and all of their facilities were great. Despite some hitches in communication with the staff leading up to the event, everyone on site was very helpful (special shout-out to Bear, who managed our catering both nights). If you're not planning a high-stress, elaborate, formal event, this is a great option.

12/24/2017 • Hannah L

I've wanted to get married at the YMCA since I first visited back in 2009. I'm so happy that my now husband also fell in love with the spectacular views and beautiful outdoor chapel. We had a very small wedding at the Sara Smith Outdoor Chapel with the reception at the Pine Room. The views were wonderful, the food was tasty and the location was so convenient! All of our family stayed onsite in the lodges and cabins and were very comfortable. We couldn't have asked for a better place!

12/22/2017 • Megan R

We absolutely loved YMCA of the Rockies for our reception!! We had our reception in The Pine Room and it was BEAUTIFUL! Everything was set up on time, the staff was so organized, very attentive to e-mails, and responded in a timely manner. All of our guests kept saying how this venue was the perfect place for a mountain town wedding!! It turned out amazing. The staff was so accommodating throughout the evening and very attentive to all of the guests. I would highly recommend YMCA of the Rockies to have your reception. We selected chicken florentine, sirloin steak, roasted rosemary potatoes, and rice pilaf...all of it was wonderful!!! This venue was so reasonably priced as well. We wanted a DIY type of reception and we got to choose and pick out exactly what we wanted!!! Definitely go with YMCA of the Rockies! :)

9/26/2017 • Amanda D

YMCA is a beautiful venue! If you're looking for rustic and DIY at a very affordable price, this is the place for your wedding. We had a great experience working with Ashley in weddings/events and also Kim in catering. The food was tasty and affordable. Our family/guests had a great time. A lot of people stayed the whole weekend of our wedding, renting cabins and lodge rooms. It was so nice for us and family to stay right on site. Great experience!

8/17/2017 • Ali K

The YMCA was a beautiful and cheap place for our June wedding and reception. The outlook chapel is breathtaking and the best place for the most amazing wedding pictures. It was clean and the pine benches were wonderful. We were blown away at the low price of this venue. The reception was in the Pine Room (the smallest of rooms). The food was absolutely delicious!!! However, they fell short of a 5-star rating due to the lack of clarity with the booking and ordering. Things were miss communicated to us, like no a/c in our hall and we even were double booked and almost lost the reception hall, the forgot to put our dance floor in, so we had to get that figured out last minute and the tables weren't set up and ready for us to decorate when we came in (they only give you 2 hours the day of the wedding to decorate) and we were given the worst camp fire ring for our rehearsal dinner (there was construction going on and the ground was all tore up). With it all said and done, it was absolutely perfect, we just had to work through several issues, issues that no bride should have to deal with.

8/13/2017 • Lindsay K

The Mountain Side Lodge was the perfect venue for the outdoor wedding of my dreams. Everything was included and was all in one spot: lodging, ceremony, and reception.

7/07/2015 • Michelle B

We chose the YMCA of the Rockies for our wedding because it was one of the few places in Estes Park that fit our budget and guest list. I am so glad we did! We got married at the Overlook Chapel on the grounds and it was the best part of our wedding. The view was breathtaking! Our reception was in the Assembly Hall and there was plenty of space for all of our guests to spread out and for the dance floor. Another reason we were attracted to the YMCA was because they allow you to bring in your own alcohol (beer and wine only) which saved us a ton of money. It was also nice that all of our guests could stay on-grounds. My only cautions would be to try the food first (they have tastings you can attend). While the items we selected were delicious some of the food we tried at our tasting was sub-par. The staff was very helpful, although a little hard to get a hold of once wedding season began, and the venue was perfect for the kind of wedding we wanted. If you are looking for an outdoorsy, mountain wedding the YMCA is a beautiful place to go!

9/25/2014 • Vickie B

The Overlook chapel is absolutely beautiful! The staff were very helpful and courteous. I would totally recommend this vendor to anyone. We used Dick Lewis hall for the reception, it was great as well.

9/23/2014 • Niki H

We had our ceremony at The Overlook at YMCA of the Rockies. The views are so breathtaking and the price was a steal. All of our guests were in awe of how beautiful it was. The weather did not cooperate for our wedding day, which was a bit of a bummer since it is an uncovered, outdoor venue, but we muscled through wind, rain, and even some hail because it was worth it for us to have those beautiful panoramic views as the backdrop for our photos on our wedding day. Emily is the events coordinator at YMCA of the Rockies. She was very responsive and a pleasure to work with. She is very accommodating and helpful in getting you what you want for your wedding day. There are several different scenic overlooks and chapels to choose from on site, which is great because you have different options to get exactly what you want from their property as a ceremony/reception venue. The Overlook did not have any electricity available, so if that is important to you, it is something you should definitely consider. We bought a small/portable, wireless, battery operated sound system for about $150.00 to use up there and it worked wonderfully for us. We just couldn't pass up on the opportunity to have the amazing scenery The Overlook provides for our special day.

9/19/2014 • Julie M

We had our ceremony at the Sara Smith chapel. It was a beautiful setting and perfect for our 120 guests and our rustic mountain wedding. I found working with the YMCA wedding planner to be difficult. Though she did respond to emails in a timely way, sometimes it seemed like she'd never assisted with a wedding at the Sara Smith Chapel before. I asked about a sound system, and she offered me a battery powered unit. Luckily my husband is an audio nerd, we called the sound department and they told us that they don't use that unit and we got an actual set-up. Though, when we arrived, the audio equipment would not have worked without some of the extra things my husband brought. And to use that for your rehearsal meant you had to pay the whole fee again...which is more than it costs to rent the space in the first place. When I asked about parking, I was told we could use the lot across the street, even though it's not nearly big enough for 130 people to park in. We carpooled and squeezed, some people had to double park. On the day of the wedding, there was a huge traffic jam coming into the YMCA because they were directing a lot of arriving guests where to go, who apparently were not in a hurry. This delayed the start of my wedding as it took more than 30 minutes just to enter the park. It seems like a bargain and the setting is great, but the stress and cost of the sound equipment (that wasn't even complete) may make it not worth it.

9/15/2014 • Tara P

The YMCA of the Rockies is the perfect venue for it all! My ceremony and reception were held here and the YMCA staff provided my catering as well. Leading up to the wedding, the Wedding coordinator for the YMCA was very professional and answered all of my questions/emails timely. The Overlook Ceremony site was beautiful and fit my 80 guests wonderfully (holds 100). The catering service was fantastic. I originally thought the price per person was expensive, but for the amount of food that is provided, it is definitely worth it and is also in line with other catering vendor prices. I also received many comments from guests on how good the food was. My only complaint for the night was that the toilets were broken for a period of time. The staff posted a sign that they were closed but some of my guests were confused as to where they could go. The building next door was available, the guests just had to ask someone. The bathrooms were fixed fairly quickly and the YMCA apologized following the ceremony. Overall - if I were to do it all over again, I would definitely choose the YMCA of the Rockies again.

4/23/2014 • Emily C

Gorgeous venue, everything was a dream !

7/27/2013 • Heather S

Very nice people, but no AC in their facilities! We ultimately decided this wouldn't work for our summer wedding! My advice - check out Granby Ranch.

6/25/2013 • Kara L

The views of this venue cannot be beat! 360 degree mountain magic!

2/19/2013 • Erin M

I had my wedding at YMCA of the Rockies, Estes Park - the staff wasn't the most helpful bunch, but the location is stunning and all your guests can stay on-site with you in their rustic cabins without spending a fortune on lodging. This is a great place for DIY weddings as the staff was very hands-off in the planning and execution. They will let you bring in your own alcohol, and the catering was a great value. Overall, I highly recommend YMCA of the Rockies, but only if you're willing to put in a lot of work in planning.

11/27/2012 • Hannah S

This was a low cost, beautiful chapel to get married in. Their catering prices seemed to be a bit high, so we did not have the reception here, but the ceremony was beautiful. You don't need many decorations if you have your wedding here because the chapels are all wonderful and the view is breath taking. One thing that I would recomend is to give guests a road map because navigating your way through here can be a bit hard, and several people were late for the ceremony because of it.

10/17/2012 • Julia S

Easy to work with and produced delicious food.

10/16/2012 • Stephanie W

My bride and I had our ceremony and reception in the Pine Room at the Estes Park Center. It's a beautifully rustic room with a gorgeous view. The food is delicious and the prices are quite reasonable. Some of the staff were incredibly helpful (and we had ribbons and extra candles provided free of charge) The downsides to this venue are the wedding/event coordinators and the lack of space for getting ready. The Estes Park Center coordinators weren't around the day of the wedding, so one of their employees was left to help us set everything up herself. Since all our communication was with the center's event coordinators (Amber Maus and Emily Herman), it was frustrating to not really see them or feel like they were making sure that everything got set up the way it was supposed to. Also, the place that was given to us to get ready was a drive from the pine room and we couldn't afford to leave the pine room long enough to get ready because there were no coordinators to greet our vendors or make sure everything was being set up the way we had previously discussed, so we had to get ready in the tiny bathrooms. This was definitely less than ideal and a great frustration. Eventually the walnut room opened up and we were able to finish getting dressed in there, but The Estes Park Center YMCA needs to come up with better arrangments for their brides and weddings! Otherwise we were incredibly happy with the woman who did help us (renae...one of the regular event staff...she really should be the manager!), she was so helpful and patient and hard working and made everything happen that we needed even though we'd never worked with her before. The food was delicious, and everyone (including my bride and I) had a wonderful time! I'm very glad we chose this place for the food and beautiful setting.

10/09/2012 • Lisa R

We are so happy we chose the YMCA to get married at! They did an amazing job with everything and were very flexible with all requests. They put on a spectacular event. The only issue I had was that sometimes our catering manager was difficult to get a hold of, but the banquet captain was there to help with everything we need. We highly recommend the YMCA. It is also great for brides on a budget!

10/02/2012 • Rene L

I was married 9/2012 at the Mountainside Lodge and I loved the venue but the catering staff was a bit unprofessional, and they seemed as though they are not capable of handling events as well as they should have. The food was great though.

9/01/2012 • Beth M

If you want a gorgeous backdrop for your wedding, Mountainside at the YMCA of the Rockies is the perfect place. For a laid-back bride, it's a great place. Just don't expect 5-star service. Many of my guests had trouble checking in, paying etc. because the place is run primarily with short-term, seasonal staff in the summer. I thought it was totally worth it, but you have to be a certain kind of bride to not get too stressed.

7/08/2012 • Erin M

our wedding was perfect at the ymca the aara amith outdoor chapel was our ceremony site and it is breathtaking. we had our reception in the pine roo which was beautful and quaint. the food (herb roasted chicken anc london broil was absolutely delicious and very affordable. the staff was extremely helpful and friendly. I highly recommend this venue.

6/21/2012 • Colleen N

I had my wedding reception at the YMCA in Estes Park. We were motivated by the fact that the cost was very low, and probably one of the few places we could have afforded in the area. The good The price can't be beat. At around $25 per person, which includes food, tables, linens, plates, etc, you really can't do better than that. Additionally, the food is fantastic - much better than what you would expect for the price. They were very flexible and let us set up the day before and tear down the day after. The bad The catering staff seemed generally confused. They really didn't get anything set up, and I had to go back to the kitchen throughout the night to get them to bring out basic things like water or the wine we purchased. This was quite frustrating.

5/29/2012 • Megan E

This was a great location for a destination wedding! We were able to stay for the entire weekend with 100 of our closest family and friends for the same price as just 4 hours at other venues! The views were amazing, the service was great! All of the guests loved the location and many have already made plans to come back. Thank you YMCA for a great wedding and family weekend!

12/13/2011 • Anne R

Amber, the food director, has years of wedding experience. She was helpful in the setup and decorating. She easily made menu accomadations. E food was delicious! I wish we had a box at the end of the evening though because we were starving and didn't get to eat much being the most important couple of the night.

10/14/2011 • Karen W

We had our wedding at the Sara Smith outdoor chapel, and our reception in the Pine Room. Everything was perfect! The food was wonderful. Amber and Emily were wonderful to work with.

9/19/2011 • Nickie E

YMCA estes park people were helpful and friendly. No complaints for the price. BEAUTIFUL and FUN

8/26/2011 • Stephanie M

We got married at the Sara Smith Outdoor Chapel (a really, really beautiful outdoor ampitheater) and had our reception at the onsite Walnut Room. First of all, not only was the venue beautiful, but it was a GREAT value. All the other Estes Park venues started at about $8,000; we paid just under $3,000 total for 80 people, including both venue rentals, dance floor, iPod dj, catering, sparkling cider, linens, dishes and flatware--essentially everything! The $3,000 also included a 3-night stay in a beautiful cabin for my husband and me. We worked with both Amber Maus and Emily Herman from the YMCA's special events and banquets department. Both were extremely friendly, professional, accomodating, and prompt in getting back to me. We worked really closely with Amber and she was particularly great in making our wedding day all we had hoped it to be. Our day was really amazing and I was so happy that we were able to have such a beautiful wedding on our small budget. My only (small) complaint is that the food was amazing at our tasting; however, at the wedding the food was good but not great. Perhaps that's to be expected when you are cooking for 80 people instead of 2. Still, the food was more than acceptable, and I was so happy that day that I didn't really care. After watching more than my fair share of wedding reality TV shows and reading others' horror stories on The Knot, I was really aware of all the things that could have gone wrong. Happily, none of them did! I highly recommend YMCA of the Rockies in Estes Park, especially if you have a small budget. I had my heart set on getting married in a gorgeous, outdoor mountain setting. Amber, Emily, and everyone at the YMCA made our day easy and gorgeous. Thank you so much!

7/16/2011 • Ashley L

Amber and Emily helped us up at the YMCA for our wedding. The location was gorgeous and Amber was a huge help with everything!! However Emily was HORRIBLE, she was very rude and the day of the wedding she tried to take over and at the start of our wedding the reception hall wasn't even set up yet. Luckily Amber came in and took over and everything was fine in the end. I highly reccomend this location but work with Amber only and make sure she will be there for your entire wedding day to help out.

7/11/2011 • Madison H

My husband and I were married at the Overlook on the YMCA campus. We had a mountainside all to ourselves, and you couldn't beat the price ($100!). We're big nature lovers, and this location provided a beautiful backdrop for pictures. We even had a baby deer run through our ceremony. It was truly one of a kind. We also rented a large cabin (Ranchhouse) for our wedding party to stay in. It was great place to have a small reception and enjoy each other's company.

6/30/2011 • Heather B

We stayed at the Indian Peaks Lodge, which was recently remodeled. These were nicer than I expected and all had a private patio or balcony. They don't have all the amenities - like an iron or adorable little soaps. But they had a hairdryer and microwave and minifridge. We also rented one of the 8 bedroom cabins and these were nice as well. Would stay here again.