So you want a “green” wedding, but that doesn’t necessarily mean surrounded by trees deep in the mountains. I get it, the DIY outdoor wedding option certainly isn’t for everyone. If you’re dreaming of a modern rustic event, an upscale hotel soiree, or you still want to be in the mountains- just with bathrooms and electricity, there are a few gorgeous and sustainable options available across Colorado. Here are our favorites:
Venetucci Farm - Weddings at Venetucci's flower farm are some of our all-time favorites. Not only does every venue rental there include coordination services from your favorite sustainable wedding planner (that's us!), but earth-mindfulness is at the core of everything they do at Venetucci. From regenerative farming practices to a gorgeous barn wall made from reclaimed wood to compost and recycling services to eliminating single-use plastics to sustainable floristry, it's easy to see that sustainability is not just a gimmick; it's in their DNA. They also give back to the community in many ways and have community events (including an October pumpkin patch!) all throughout the year.
Woodlands Colorado - A beautiful, white, modern-rustic venue with getting-ready spaces for bride and groom, a side patio for cocktails, and very scenic grass lawn for your ceremony. They regularly donate their space for charity events, and are especially focused on giving back to Children’s Hospital.
North Star Gatherings - A similar style and layout to Woodlands with a super-sustainable twist! This gorgeous grey-blue building is entirely self-sufficient, running fully on solar power and well water! The modern venue has large windows all around to let in plenty of natural light. They use “all LED bulbs, radiant floor heat, an extremely efficient wood-burning fireplace, and highly energy efficient building materials.” Add on to all of those things the fact that the venue is only 45 minutes outside of Denver and yet feels like it’s completely tucked away in the mountains and you’ve got yourself a winning place to party it up.
Viceroy Snowmass - If you’re looking for a venue deep in the heart of the Rockies that boasts luxury accommodations, exquisite catering, spacious ballrooms and breathtaking ceremony views, all while minimizing their impact on the earth, look no further. This 4-star rated mountain resort is LEED Gold certified and has a wide range of eco-initiatives, which include energy-efficiency, low-flow water fixtures, non-toxic housekeeping supplies, recycling, and more.
Ridgeline Hotel - The Ridgeline Hotel in Estes Park has beautiful ballrooms, a tented patio, and would be the perfect reception space for your intimate Rocky Mountain National Park ceremony! Their parent company has a strong commitment to environmental impact and social responsibility. They have several “green meetings” options (including an onsite food digester for your compost!) that you can include to make your gorgeous mountain wedding an even more meaningful event.
SCP Hotel - Soul. Community. Planet. The venue’s name pretty well sums it up. This super-sustainable hotel in Colorado Springs was renovated with upcycled materials, has a locally-sourced market, partners with our favorite charity, One Tree Planted, to plant a tree for every room booked, and is very invested in building community. They are committed to “holistic hospitality,” and practice the belief that “SCP's success will be defined not by how much we take, but by how much we give.” They have some perfectly green spaces for an intimate ceremony or reception, including an indoor plant wall and an outdoor live moss wall! Oh, and Dream Catcher clients get a special discount for booking there. Win!
Wild Basin Lodge - Sitting right on the border of Rocky Mountain National Park, you really couldn’t ask for a venue with lovelier mountain landscapes. Wild Basin practices “a commitment to sustainability that promotes stewardship of the environment and drives consumer costs down.” They are truly focused on conserving resources in many different ways, including sharing food scraps with local farm animals, donating leftover meals to the local church, using low-flow water fixtures, automatic LED lights, recycling, and offering shuttle services to nearby hotels. Much like Dream Catcher, they also keep a full supply of decor from past weddings for their couples to repurpose!
Okay, so this list is shorter than we’d like. MUCH shorter. So what do you do when you find the venue of your dreams but it’s not necessarily a sustainable option?? Well, you can view it as one of two things: a disappointment or an opportunity. In my experience, many companies are very open to changing and growing, they just need a little nudge in the right direction. And YOU can be that nudge! Even if the venue is not ready to make company-wide changes to become more sustainable, they may be happy to accommodate your earth-minded requests for your wedding day. And once they see how easy it is to make eco-friendly changes that their couples are asking for, they just might decide to continue those changes beyond your wedding day - meaning you could leave a lasting positive impact on your wedding venue’s sustainability practices!
Our next blog post is a working list of changes that venues can make to minimize their environmental impact, ranging from small and simple swaps to large-scale transformations. After looking at this list, decide if there are a few items that are most important to you and then ask your venue if those are changes they’d be willing to make in order to gain your patronage. (P.S. Talking to wedding vendors about sustainability is something we love to do. If this feels too daunting of a task, we would be honored to be your advocate in this area. Click here to learn more about our Full Service package, which includes finding you the venue of your dreams!)
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