Granby and Grand Lake Wedding & Elopement Guide
Top 3 Reasons to get married in Granby/Grand Lake, Colorado:
Lake
This is the perfect mountain town lake to canoe, paddleboard, or sail on! With beautiful mountain views from all around the lake, it’s a great lake to be your mountain beach!
Access to Rocky Mountain National Park
If you don’t want to wait in massive lines to get into the park, this is a great way to access it without the lines. Trail Ridge Road is only open seasonally, so in the winter you can’t get to the east side of the park but there’s plenty to hike on this side!
Fly Fishing
Fantastic fly fishing for trout and salmon anglers looking for a wonderfully scenic spot to spend some time at.
About Granby and Grand Lake
Granby and Grand Lake History:
This area is about 8,000 feet above sea level sitting in a large cozy valley. The lakes aren’t human-made, they were formed during the Pinedale glaciation sometime during 30000 BP to 10000 BP. The Ute Tribe called Grand Lake, Spirit Lake because they believed the lake's cold waters to be the dwelling place of departed souls. This area was settled during the Homestead Act of 1862 because of the pristine ranching land.
Granby and Grand Lake Location:
Located about two hours from Denver International Airport with a Beautiful drive over Berthoud Pass, Colorado, it’s a great place to have a wedding, elopement or vacation! Also situated right next to the Western entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park, the Kawuneeche Visitor Center is practically in town! With so many things to do in town you'll definitely have to stay more than one day if you want to explore the park.
Granby’s Best Wedding Month For:
Want to know when you're more likely to have the wedding of your dreams in the season that you're craving?!?! Well, the weather can be pretty unpredictable in Colorado! I'm here to give you the best possible chance for having a Granby skiing wedding or Granby summer wildflower wedding or a Granby fall wedding. These months are based on years of what I've witnessed but as you know, every year is different based on the amount of snowfall we get.
Granby’s Snowy Wedding or Elopement - February
Granby’s Summer Wildflower Wedding or Elopement - August
Granby’s Fall Leave Hiking Wedding or Elopement - September
Granby’s Wedding Venues and Elopement Ceremony Locations
Granby’s Wedding Venues:
The Lodge at Crestview Ranch - Get married at this awesome ranch situated in the valley, surrounded by mountains. The property is a ton of fields and you can get married right next to the pond. The lodge sleeps 45, so most of your immediate family can stay right on the property with you while you celebrate your wedding day!
C Lazy U Ranch - Want the REAL dude ranch experience with lots of luxury on the side? This is a working ranch you can stay there, with the horses, just kidding, they have lodges! It’s like a ranch resort complex with a pool and spa! You can have your ceremony at the Woodsie Overlook, with a great view of the lake, or at the Hay Meadow, surrounded by mountains. They also have three reception site options at the ranch to choose from. Oh and your family can stay on the ranch with you between the cabins and villa.
The Winding River Ranch - (Greatly impacted by the fires, it’s closed for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.) One of the coolest things about the Winding River Ranch is that the Colorado River runs right through it. you even get to walk on the bridge over the Colorado River to get to your ceremony site say your vows. I just love the view from the ceremony site looking into the valley. It’s gorgeous!! This ranch can accommodate 50 people in cabins and allows camping on-site for your outdoorsy friends! It’s a great place to celebrate your love in the mountains!
Meadow Mountain Lodge - This is the perfect intimate wedding weekend venue! The ceremony site next to the pond or the bluff that both overlook the Never Summer Mountains are perfect for saying, “I Do!” You can truly customize your wedding at the Meadow Mountain Lodge.
Shadow Mountain Ranch - Get married next to the lake at this laid-back venue. This charming historic ranch is filled with little cabins built in the 1920s that accommodate guests.
Granby Ranch - For a Colorado Ski Resort feel wedding, this is the perfect spot! Ride the lift up the mountaintop to say your vows with your family and friends! With tons of locations to choose from for your ceremony, reception, and lodging it’s a great spot to do it all in one place! Your out-of-town guests will thank you!
Granby Ceremony Locations:
National Forest - Find the perfect lake or overlook for your intimate ceremony site for you two! With Arapahoe and Roosevelt National Forest trails right there you can pick a perfect outdoor spot.
Rocky Mountain National Park - There’s lots of great sites to have your ceremony in Rocky Mountain National Park, check out my full guide for RNMP Wedding and Elopement Guide to find your perfect ceremony location.
AA Barn - Get married right on the river then fly fish after you say your vows! This is a great spot for an intimate wedding if your dreaming of a floral a-frame alters!
Canoes - I think it would be awesome to paddle to the middle of the lake and say your vows! PLEASE, let’s do this one!!!
Granby Eats And Stays
Granby Rehearsal Dinner or Granby Reception Sites:
Rehearsal dinners and receptions are typically where you feed your guests, and if your family is anything like mine they're always hungry! you can find some fancy meals or go as casual as you'd like! I'm thinking food truck at the brewery would be perfect for a rehearsal dinner get-together!
Granby Places to Stay:
For such a variety of places to choose from to rest your head after an adventurous day in Granby. Whether you want to be with your friends and family all day, get a huge house or condo or if you're looking for something on the more intimate side there's plenty of hotels, lodges and intimate Airbnb for you to choose from. Below you'll find a few of my favorite hotels, lodges, and Airbnb's. Remember that some of the venues have built-in accommodations at least for you in a few of your guests.
Grand Lake Lodge - The perfect summer getaway Lodge with an awesome pool and outdoor lounge areas. Great for getting a family together but also having your own little space.
Gateway Inn - The perfect local inn with great views of the lake. The rooms feel super spacious and have a modern Lodge feel.
River Run - Not sure if you want to live in a tiny home, why don't you try it out for the weekend! A great alternative to camping, if that’s not your thing, but if it is they have sites for that! You can also bring your own RV. This River Run RV Resort has way more modern lux than I have ever seen at any RV Park. The pool and workout center is huge and they even have a dog park! I really want to hang out with my family here!
Base Camp - Great Granby Ranch condos perfect for your Granby wedding guests!
Cozy Cabin On Trout Filled River - If you like the fly fish then you might have to rent this one! it's it's right there on the river and can accommodate 7 people. Perfect for an intimate wedding weekend.
Granby Activities And Festivals
Granby Activities:
The very best thing about being in a cute little mountain town is that you have full access to everything outdoors. The main problem is going to be wanting more days in the mountains to do all the fun activities.
Hiking
One of best ways to see the mountains all year round! There’s great trails from your doorway to tons of wonderful mountain trails. Your also close by to RMNP for an endless amount of trails.
Mountain Biking
There’s plenty of trails to access around Grandy.
ATV/OHV
Looking for something a little faster than your mt. bike, rent a motorbike to explore Rabbit Ears Pass.
Off-Roading
A little bit more relaxing way to explore the mountains. Just kidding, just no cardio! It’ll get my adrenaline shooting high with a four-by-four vehicle on the side of a cliff.
Dog Sledding
Love puppies and winter time? Then you should go dog sledding In the wilderness!
Golfing
With four golf courses to choose from don't think you'll be able to do them all in one weekend! I hope you get a hole in one!
Fly Fishing
There are tons of rivers and lake to fly fish. You can find mackinaw and kokanee salmon as well as rainbow, brook, German brown, and cutthroat trout in this area! Just make sure you have your fishing license!
Snowshoeing
If you want to hike n the snow, you should grab some snowshoes and get out there!
Bouldering
There's lots of bouldering right in Grand Lake.
Ice Skating
A great way to Have fun with everybody. There's a few ice rinks and rentals to choose from for this winter activity.
Paddle Boarding
One of the best ways to be on the lake is on a paddle board like you're floating in the water!
Granby Festivals:
While festivals are a fantastic town celebration, sometimes they can make wedding and elopement planning a bit difficult because of lodging, parking and day of transportation. It's always best to know what festivals or celebrations are happening in the town that you choose to have your wedding so you can plan accordingly. Part of the planning accordingly may be that your guests partake in the festivals! I mean how cool would it be to have your wedding day and then go to a festival or concert with all your guests!
Uncorked - August - A great excuse to hang out with friends and drink some wine.
3 Lakes Ice Fishing Contest - January - Nothing like a good old fishing competition.
Buffalo Days - July - Celebrate everything Buffalo including a 5K race, parade, water fight, bands, and all the buffalo you can eat.
Circus Horrificus - October - A Halloween-inspired festival and shows that Burns the Pumpkin King.
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