Violet + Addyson Crested Butte Intimate Wedding Locations
These are a handful of location recommendations for your elopement! I kept in mind keeping hiking to a minimum, though I included a few options that are maybe more hiking-oriented. And as we discussed over email, it’s tricky to find a ceremony location for a larger group that won’t disrupt the environment in a negative way, so there’s a variety of options here that are more geared toward a group and then some spots that are geared toward just you two as a couple (for portraits).
I can’t guarantee any single spot will be bursting with wildflowers on the date we pick but I will scout locations the day before to ensure we find the best spot for that specific date. Therefore, we can establish a few options that you like best. I can check them out on the 29th to see how they’re looking and report back. If they don’t look up to snuff, I can hit up any other spots to see if they’d be better and we can adjust the plan accordingly. How does that sound?
I’m assuming you’d want to do an afternoon ceremony? You two have three hours of coverage so essentially subtracting three hours from sunset time would get you a good time to begin.
Now onto the info!
Crested Butte Town Guide
There are essentially two main sections to Crested Butte. The first one is going to be the main town. It’s got a lovely little main street filled with lots of great restaurants and bars and colorful houses. This part of town is great for just walking around and enjoying the small mountain town feel. It’s a lovely place to stay, IF you can snag a hotel/rental. But it’s often pretty expensive and places are reserved pretty far in advance. Below, I’ll include a few options that I haven’t necessarily checked for vacancy.
The second part of Crested Butte is going to Mount Crested Butte, just a few minutes up the road from town. This is where the resort is along with a bunch of condos and aparthotels. There are a minimal number of restaurants/coffee shops here. There are a LOT of VRBOs and Airbnb rentals here. I won’t list any (okay I did list two) because there’s simply a ton to choose from. Just be careful of really high hidden fees on VRBO if you go that route!
Places to Eat/Drink:
(not a comprehensive guide, just some of my faves)
Hotels/Rentals to Stay in Town (either for just you two or for a big group)
Crested Butte Hostel (specifically their two separate flats/apartments)
Keep in mind, if you found a rental that allows a big group of people and has lovely views, you could potentially have a ceremony at your vacation rental! And then venture out for photos afterward.
Elopement Locations
Crested Butte Land Trust Ceremony Locations
These are a great option if you want something you know will absolutely have space for your group and will definitely be open and available only to you. Peace of mind!
Woods Walk:
“Nestled in the aspens, just steps above the Town of Crested Butte, the Woods Walk is our most popular event site. In summer and fall, a single-track trail leads you on a short walk through the woods from the Kebler Pass Road. Crested Butte Mountain sets the backdrop to this site, where summer’s wildflowers grow tall and fall’s golden aspens dance around you.”
Peanut Lake:
“Resting on the shores of the lake, the Peanut Lake event site is open, with grasses, willows. Located just off of Peanut Lake Road. Stunning, 360-degree views await, with a serene lake in the foreground. Note: Peanut Lake venue is not available in winter and usually melts out around June 15.”
These locations do require reservations and payment.
“A $2,000 payment is required at the time of booking for scheduling an event venue, $500 of which is a refundable deposit to ensure the property is left in a clean and natural condition; you will receive a tax donation receipt letter for a $1,000 donation.”
You can read more about them on the CB Land Trust website.
Peanut Lake (not my image)
Woods Walk (not my image)
Emerald Lake
A really stunning location but can be a bit difficult to get to. You do need a confident driver and a 4x4 vehicle. So for a ceremony with your guests, you’d want to carpool as much as possible. The road can also be a little washed out with snow melt this time of year too. Not bursting with wildflowers this time of year but very green and lush. There’s a good chance you won’t have the location to yourselves but it’s a large area so it shouldn’t be too bad even if others are there! I know, lots of qualifiers but it is a beautiful location!
Here’s an elopement I photographed here in early August one year at sunrise.
And here’s a photo from a sunrise engagement session on July 11th of last year:
Lupine Trail
This is a random spot found along a hiking trail. If we time it right, we could be there when the lupine (these blue/purple flowers) are peaking. It’s essentially a beautiful meadow not too far from the road. It required a little walking/hiking (you can see it in one photo) but nothing too strenuous. This would be a portrait location, not a ceremony location. It would pair well with another meadow or river spot along Road 734 or Peanut Lake. These photos were taken at/just before sunrise in the beginning of July a handful of years ago.
Notice the dirt road near the pond in the background. That’s essentially where you park, in a small dirt lot.
View from the opposite direction of the photo above this.
Paradise Basin
Another spot that requires 4x4 driving (it’s relatively close to Emerald Lake; about 15 minutes up the road and definitely a bit rockier than the road to Emerald Lake) but it’s truly just such a beautiful landscape! Again, this area isn’t bursting with wildflowers in early July but it’s so green and breathtaking. Picture just open, alpine meadow and views galore. There’s a little lake/pond too and a handful of dispersed camping sites nearby so a good place for a group if you wanted to do the ceremony here. It’s also a good addition to Emerald Lake. Photos below are from the engagement session in early July, in the morning.
Washington Gulch Road
This is one of the most popular roads in Crested Butte. It leads away from town into the hills and then further into the mountains. It’s a dirt road, relatively easy to navigate but with a few dicey moments as you get further into the mountains. Again, would recommend a vehicle with 4x4 capabilities if you wanted to go further in, but relatively easy to get to the dispersed camping spots closer to town. This is essentially a stretch of locations where we could get out a couple times depending on what we like. It’s mostly meadow for a handful of miles, with pull-offs for car camping, which make it a good location for a lowkey ceremony site. That could be scouted the day before OR morning of (good option because you could have people leave some camp chairs or something to claim it). But then there’s a specific area I liked when I drove through a few years ago. It’s close to the start of the 403 Trailhead, so there’s a dirt parking lot to stop at. We could walk this trail a little bit—here’s what’s said about it: “It's a relatively easy start on local favorite 403, which sees a good number of mountain bikers in the summer. Wildflowers flourish all along this path as well.” This could be a good place to go after the ceremony as a couple.
I would help you narrow down a good spot for the ceremony!
Here are some phone photos:
403 Trailhead
Snodgrass Trail/Teddy’s Trail
I can’t really recommend this for the ceremony as it’s a hike (albeit short) and there are no good places to move off trail without harming the flowers, but it’s a really beautiful location for portraits! I photographed an elopement here last July 7th and the flowers were breathtaking. I think there’s a good chance they’d be good in late June as well as they seemed just about on their way out at the time of the elopement. It’s about a 10 minute walk uphill to this meadow of wildflowers and we could walk and take photos and enjoy the sunset(?). It also leads to an aspen forest which is really amazing as well. Here is that sunrise elopement.
Public Camping Site off Gothic Road
Very close to the above trail is this meadow for tent camping. It often has this amazing array of flowers in the early summer. But it’s a popular spot for camping so there are ALWAYS tents, no matter the time of day. It could make an okay place for a ceremony if you absolutely want some stunning flowers and don’t mind other people watching! Why I would recommend this spot for a ceremony but not the trail above is because it’s a highly trafficked area so the ground has a lot of small social trails that make it easy for a group to walk through and stand around for a ceremony without hurting the flowers.
Below is a photo of all the tents you might see, one photo that has been Photoshopped to remove the tents, and one more photo that is further into the meadow and away from the tents (the tents are behind me):
Honorable Mentions
Lake Irwin (popular lake with campgrounds and group areas, good for the ceremony)
Kebler Pass (a mountain pass teeming with aspens, could have some good pull-offs and views)
I don’t know as much about these spots but they are popular destinations and I could do more research on them if you’re interested!
I think that’s a good place to start! Let me know what you think and if you have any questions about these locations, the town, or anything at all!