Best time of year for a Colorado Ranch Wedding: Pros & Cons by season
- Sara
- 5 days ago
- 4 min read
What's the best month to married in Colorado? Each Colorado wedding season offers its own benefits and drawbacks and it can be hard to decide what is right for your wedding! Here's our take on the best and worst of each season!
Spring has sprung and it's moody!
There is something symbolic and beautiful about starting your new life together amid so much new life springing up all around us!
Pros:
Less popular than summer and fall, you are likely to find better deals on spring weddings in Colorado and deal with fewer crowds in popular towns.
Snow on the peaks and mild weather in the valleys. Dreaming of an outdoor ceremony? May is one of my favorite months for ceremonies in Salida, Colorado because we have more mild weather in town, but the mountain peaks still have snow. These create really gorgeous moody photos!
Greenery! In Salida, we tend to get a burst of green in valley in the spring, but this can fade over summer months which can sometimes be quite dry
Depending where you go, you can still catch the tail end of ski season in March and April.
Cons:
Snow - spring is often still quite snowy throughout Colorado. In Salida, the snow tends to taper off at the end of April and into May, but it's still a possibility. If you're looking for an outdoor ceremony, plan to have a cute jackets to coordinate with your wedding day clothes and make sure to prep your guests to plan for snow!
Too early in the spring means that grasses and other greenery has not had time to pop and you may have more brown on the ground than green.
Unpredictable weather - the weather is even more unpredictable in the Spring than the rest of the year - it could be 70 degrees, it could be 15! This can make planning difficult since you need to take into account many possibilities
Summer fun for everyone!
Summer is of course, one of the most popular months for ranch weddings in Colorado! Kids are out of school and it's a great time to be outside.
Pros:
Warm weather makes outdoor wedding receptions and ceremonies the most fun! It's almost a shame to get married in the Rockies and spend your whole day inside - summer months allow for outdoor ceremonies surrounded by the smell of pine trees, and nights under the stars.
Activities! Summer is one of the best Colorado wedding seasons because the state is just bursting with outdoor activities! Encourage your guests to your Salida Wedding to raft the Arkansas River, take a 4WD excursion to a mountain lake, or hike and bike the many public trails in our valley
Wildflowers! Wildflowers and cultivated flowers tend to pop start in July in Salida and will continue to bloom into early fall. Why not save some money on decor and dance among the wildflowers?
More daylight! Longer days make your outdoor wedding reception go on longer and guests can close out the night with an epic sunset.
Cons:
Outdoor wedding ceremony areas are rarely shaded and it can get hot, especially during longer ceremonies
This is peak wedding season which also means peak prices and more crowds!
Afternoon rain showers are not uncommon in the Rockies. That being said, they usually pass very quickly. At Blue Coyote we rarely need to do more than wait 20 minutes for the clouds to clear! The silver lining? You'll usually have a great rainbow for your photos!
It's easy to fall for Fall!
Neck in neck with summer for the most popular Colorado wedding season is Fall. Leaf peepers can't resist tying the knot during this colorful season!
Pros:
Fall leaves! Who can resist a photo backdrop of yellow aspens? Just make sure that your venue has enough deciduous trees to make the backdrop of your dreams!
Mild temperatures - September in Salida can see some of the nicest moderate temperatures.
Potential for snow-capped mountains, especially in late fall. This has a similar benefit to Spring - weather may be mild in the valleys but you still get a gorgeous snow capped mountain background!
Cons:
Weather can be unpredictable, and snow is always a possibility. Although we see some of the best weather in Salida's fall months, bad weather can be more extreme than in summer months
Predicting fall foliage is impossible - you may end up a week early when everything is still green, or a week late when trees are mostly bare.
As fall is still a popular season, you aren't likely to see significant discounts on wedding packages
Epic winter weddings!
There are few things as striking as a bride with a snow covered backdrop!
Pros:
Snow is a gorgeous backdrop for wedding photos!
Ski-themed weddings - if you're a big skier or snowboarder it can be so fun to integrate your passion into your wedding and hit the slopes in an all-white snow suit and veil!
As winter is not as popular for weddings, you can score a great deal on your Colorado ceremony and reception
Cons:
Well, snow. Although snow is a big selling point of a winter wedding it also limits your choices to indoor weddings and you'll need to take any outdoor photos quickly before your wedding party starts chattering!
Transportation can be tough, especially for out-of-towners. Snow introduces more possibilities for traffic issues and mountain towns can be difficult to access, especially if you have many guests coming from warmer climates
It's so hard to choose the best month to get married in Colorado! But hopefully this list will help you to narrow down which Colorado wedding seasons might be right for you!
