5 Tips for Quickly Planning Your Colorado Mountain Town Wedding
By Grace Willburn, Owner and Lead Planner of Graceful Wedding and Event Planning
Congratulations! You just got engaged and know you want to have your wedding in a small Colorado mountain town. But now you must be asking yourself, “Where do I start?” Planning a wedding is about being organized, flexible, establishing your priorities early, working with reliable vendors, keeping it simple, asking for help and making quick yet thoughtful decisions. Flexibility and keeping it simple are the name of the game if you’re looking to plan your wedding in a hurry. Most wedding planning timelines you’ll find are over the course of a year, but many weddings have been planned in a lot less time than that. Looking to get married three months after you’re engaged? Totally doable. Here are a few tips to help you plan your wedding in a short period of time in the mountains of Colorado!
1. Get organized & establish your priorities.
Sitting down together to figure out your wants for your wedding day is the best place to start. Making a must have list and another list with other wants can help you establish your priorities for your wedding. It will serve as a guide as you make decisions. Every country, state and county differs a little on marriage license so if you’re planning a short engagement you’ll want to check into the county you are getting married in to see when and how to apply. If you’re getting married in Chaffee County click here for more info. Another thing to check off right away is wedding insurance. Check out Wedsure or Wedsafe.
Photo by Yellow Feather Photography
2. Be flexible.
Be flexible with your date! Know what dates you can and can’t do before you start looking at venues. The more open dates you have the better chance you’ll have at getting the venue you want. Most likely weekend days won’t be available but weekdays will be. Bonus sometimes venues charge less for week day weddings!
3. Keep it simple.
From decorations, to food, to bridesmaids dresses, keeping it simple will keep you sane. Sticking to one venue will also make your life and the wedding day much simpler. So keep your ceremony and reception all at one location. Trimming your guest list to under 125. will considerably open your options for venues options. On the same note, keeping your rehearsal dinner small will help. Our small mountain towns are quant and a wonderful place to enjoy your wedding weekend with your loved ones however the options for large rehearsal dinners is very slim. Keeping your rehearsal dinner to your wedding party and immediate family will help you find the perfect rehearsal dinner location. Minimizing the DIY’s will also help you keep it simple. Yes they are all over Pinterest and look oh so fun but adding “cut down a tree for centerpieces" to your already large to do list is the last thing you want.
Photo by Yellow Feather Photography
4. Ask for help.
Leave it to the pros! Wedding pros like your planner, photographer, DJ and florist are planning weddings all year and you’re planning one in your lifetime. So anything you can give to them to take off your list will help you in the long run (see me pictured below pinning the groom's boutonnière on!) Yes, it might cost a little more, but letting the pro's take some pressure off you will help you enjoy the experience, and especially your wedding day! No one one wants to be bossing people around on their wedding day. It’s the time for you and your fiancé to relax, enjoy your loved ones, and immerse yourself in your wedding day! No need to know what time it is and worry about if the champagne will come out on time.
Photo by Yellow Feather Photography
5. Quick and thoughtful decisions.
Pick a town, date and venue quickly. All other decisions hinge on this decision. Planning a wedding quickly requires you to book your vendors quickly and doesn’t leave too much time for mulling over a bunch of choices. Stick to your gut and move on to the next item on your list. Since you’re planning a wedding in a small mountain town the options for vendors aren't huge but there are lots of amazing ones to choose from. The day you pick your venue, start contacting vendors and get them nailed down for your date as soon as possible. Start with choosing a wedding planner who can help you plan from the start and give you vendor recommendations.
Lastly...have fun! Your engagement is a short period of time so make sure you two enjoy it!