Where do I start? We chose Boettcher Mansion as the venue for my son's wedding on May 4th, 2024…read more What an incredible result. We had family and friends converge from all over the world to experience the best of Colorado. The weather behaved itself as well as can be expected in early May and the venue and its recommended vendors were the best that they could be! Boettcher Mansion is in a beautiful setting, allowing for an outdoor wedding with the woods as a backdrop, and cocktail hour and pictures with the sunset emerging behind the mountains. While we had just a sprinkle or two, the clouds made for a perfect vista, and if a downpour had occurred, the wedding could be quickly moved inside.
We visited many potential wedding venues across the front range, including some beautiful options in Estes Park. We visited Boettcher Mansion first, and it inevitably remained our top choice as it offered several perquisites while also checking off the Bride and Groom's event venue expectations for the wedding. Ultimately, Boettcher Mansion's facility with its iconic outdoor colorado beauty, ample preparation accommodations for both the bride and groom and attendants, beautiful outdoor patio and reception space, and the ability to fully customize the event won us over. This venue provided a remote location with proximity to the Denver for out-of-town/country visitors to stay, and ease of access for all involved. As an added bonus, their fee supports Jefferson County Parks.
The ability to customize every aspect of the day at first seemed daunting, but ended up being important to the special day. Boettcher Mansion hosts an annual wedding show where you can talk to all their recommended vendors. If you veer from these vendors and go your own way, you can do so for an extra fee. But by sticking with the recommended options for the major items, you will find they are very familiar with Boettcher policies, allowing you to have an efficient event on the day and secure the return of 100% of your $500 damage deposit! We chose Roots for our catering, which deserves its own special review, but for now I will say that the food and service were spectacular. The food was prepared, plated, and presented beautifully, with delicious options for everyone. The caterer also handled the sparkling toast and cocktail and wine service with their trained and certified servers, but the offerings were provided by us. We could have hired Applejack (or whomever) to deliver what we wanted, which is a huge cost savings over other venues who require the customer to use in-house service, and permits customization to personal tastes. In this case, Applejack will accept returns for any unopened bottle at the end of the night. In our case, however, the Bride and Groom selected the unique dinner wines and champagne toast from their parents' cellared wine libraries, adding a nice touch to the experience of their special day and helping to control costs even further. The Grand Piano in Boettcher Mansion's reception hall offered a special moment, when, at the Bride's request, the brother-of-the-groom played Debussy's Claire de Lune as the processional. Boettcher Mansion offers a D.J. You can provide your own music, but we found the D.J to be helpful in announcing what was to happen next, etc. He also offered a Photo Booth, which provided the Bride and Groom with a thumb drive of all their guest's funny pictures throughout the evening. Other exceptional vendors for whom I should write a separate review include Jessica Shipman, the "Day of" planner. Can't have a wedding without her! She, incredibly, planned and coordinated everything throughout the entire day, allowing all the guests and family to enjoy the event and focus on the Bride and Groom without having to be worried about actually doing any decorating or coordinating leading up to, and on the day. TeeLee Florist put together a one-of-a-kind Tower of Flowers for the alter, while we secured a beautiful and cost-effective flower package from Costco for the bulk of the floral decorations and the bouquet/corsages. We hired a shuttle service to offer for people to go up and down Lookout Mountain, for those who found the drive daunting, or out-of-towners without a car. Berg Berg Photography captured special moments throughout the event, including the sunset, and even provided special lighting for effect. Special candles handcrafted by the mother-and father-of the bride, and table number placards artfully drawn by the sister-in-law of the bride represent additional custom touches permitted by Boettcher Mansion that made the day incredibly special.
In the end, our happy couple was forever touched by the gifts family and friends provided in memories we carry away from the wedding, indelibly amplified by the ambiance, staff, vendors, and personalization afforded by this incredible gem in Golden, Colorado.