There are some absolutely incredible venues in Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, but one of the most overlooked and underrated venues is the YMCA of the Rockies. Yes, it’s a YMCA, but it’s the most gorgeous and diverse YMCA you’ll ever see. They have a huge variety of options for anyone looking to get married here including multiple ceremony and reception sites with gorgeous views. For this wedding, Shaye and Erik wanted to host their destination wedding in the mountains of Colorado and wanted to invite their closest family and friends while sticking to a budget. To do this, they rented out the “Generations” family reunion cabin which sleeps multiple people, has space for a ceremony, and enough room to seat multiple people for dinner.

To start the day, I captured Shaye getting her hair and make up done upstairs and also grabbed some beautiful shots of the dress hanging up in front of the huge window facing towards the mountains. Afterwards, I pulled her and her bridesmaids out for photos and did the same with Erik and his groomsmen. When it was time for the ceremony, her family built a custom arch decorated with with aspen leaves that they set up behind the cabin. The ceremony site sat in front of a small forest of evergreens and unique rock formations in the distance. For the reception, we had dinner in the main living room with the speaker and DJ equipment on the deck out front to host their dancing and celebrating. Before I left for the evening, there was an absolutely incredible sunset which I made sure to pull them out for. Whenever we get awesome sunsets, I make it a priority to get a photo of the bride and groom.

What a fun wedding with a lot of amazing moments! Take a look through the image gallery to get some ideas for your own YMCA of the Rockies Wedding!

YMCA of the Rockies Wedding

Estes Park Wedding Photographer

Thanks for checking out the photos from this wedding! If you’re hosting your own event at the YMCA of the Rockies, or anywhere in Estes Park, we’d love to be your photographer of choice. My wife Lyssa and I specialize in capturing weddings with a photojournalistic style, incorporating off-camera light to create bold, vibrant images. Feel free to check out some of the other Estes Park Weddings we’ve captured here, or check out our portfolio.