Estes Park · Colorado
Monday · April 12 · 2027
We’re getting married in the mountains
With the mountains as our witness
Seven thousand feet up, where the Front Range finally opens into meadow and elk outnumber traffic lights, there’s a room with a wall of glass and the whole of Rocky Mountain National Park standing on the other side of it. That’s where we’ll say yes. Bring a warm coat and a camera. Colorado in April is not known for making promises.
01 · Our Story
Some couples find each other over a shared taste in restaurants. We found each other over a shared willingness to drive four more hours because someone said the view was better up there. Joshua brings the plan. Hailey brings the reason the plan is worth doing. Between the two of us we have never once taken the direct route, and we have never once regretted it.
The ring lived in a sock drawer for longer than it should have. The plan changed four times. The weather did not cooperate. And then, on a small wooden bridge under a willow, none of that mattered at all, because she said yes before the sentence was finished.
Because the mountains are where we’re happiest, and because we wanted our people to have a reason to get out of town, stay a few nights, and see something enormous. Estes Park sits at the front door of Rocky Mountain National Park at 7,532 feet. It is a long way from Texas in every good sense of the phrase. We’d rather ask you to travel than ask you to sit through something ordinary.
“Prepare for anything.”
02 · The Details
Everything happens in one place. Ceremony, dinner, and dancing all take place on the Black Canyon Inn property, so once you’ve arrived you can park the car and leave it there.
Ceremony begins at 4:00 in the afternoon. Please plan to arrive at least thirty minutes early. Mountain roads have opinions about schedules.
800 MacGregor Avenue, Estes Park, Colorado 80517. Indoors, heated, and pointed straight at the Continental Divide.
Cocktail or formal attire, with a real coat over it and shoes you can walk on gravel and possibly snow in. Nobody has ever regretted layers at 7,500 feet.
Find your seat, find the view, find a drink.
Indoors at The Boulders, with the peaks behind us.
Photos for us, golden hour for you.
Sit down, eat well, let someone embarrass us.
Until the mountain tells us to go home.
Schedule is tentative. Final timings will be confirmed closer to the date
03 · The Venue
Timber, river rock, and a wall of glass that does most of the decorating for us. Photograph by Lara Photography, courtesy of the venue.
The Inn sits on a hillside just north of downtown Estes Park, a five-minute drive from the shops on Elkhorn Avenue and about ten minutes from the Beaver Meadows entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park. The whole property is ours for the evening: ceremony, dinner, and dancing all under one roof.
There is on-site parking, plus additional parking off MacGregor Avenue. If you’re staying on property, everything is a short walk, though “short walk” in Estes Park still means uphill, in the cold, at altitude. Wear the boots.
04 · Getting There
Whether you’re flying into Denver and renting a car or driving from home, you’re going to make this drive. It is genuinely one of the prettiest stretches of road in the country: canyon walls, a river running alongside you, and then the whole valley opening up at once. Have your camera ready, and give yourself more time than the map says.
Because of unpredictable conditions in and around Estes Park, we strongly recommend renting or driving an AWD vehicle. It isn’t mandatory, but under winter storm conditions the Colorado Department of Transportation can activate Code 15, the Traction Law, which allows them to cite or turn away front-wheel-drive vehicles without winter tires or chains.
CDOT clears the highways well. The road to your rental cabin is a different story.
There are no Ubers, Lyfts, or rideshares available in Estes Park. Do not plan to take a rideshare from Denver, and do not plan to rely on one to get back to your hotel after the reception. Rent a car, carpool with family, or arrange a designated driver in your group.
On your way to or from Estes Park you’ll pass through Boulder, a charming college town with beautiful views. If you have an hour, stop at Pearl Street Mall, a four-block pedestrian promenade full of shops, patios, and street performers.
Want to hear a genuinely funny story about a vehicle that could not make the drive up to a mountain Airbnb in Colorado? Ask Joshua, Hailey, Charlie, Taylor, or Sultan at the reception.
05 · Altitude
If you’re traveling up from the south, your body has never met air like this. Please take a few minutes before your trip to read up on altitude sickness and what helps.
Drink far more water than feels reasonable, go easy on alcohol the first day, and give yourself a slow first afternoon. Read more about altitude sickness at the Cleveland Clinic, or compare your hometown against Estes Park with this customizable altitude chart.
06 · Weather
To all of our southern family and friends: April looks quite a bit different up in the Rockies than what you’re used to. That is our venue’s official advice, and after some research we’ve learned “anything” can mean a gorgeous sunny spring day, or a blizzard.
April is Estes Park’s second-highest snowfall month of the year. Yes, really.
Thin, dry, bright air. Sunscreen in the snow is not a joke up here.
In the final weeks we’ll flag any major weather events that could affect travel between Denver and Estes Park.
Pack for all of it
07 · Where to Stay
Estes Park books up. Reserve early, and if you can, stay a few extra nights. You did not drive all this way for one evening.
A mix of 26 condos (one-, two-, and three-bedroom) and 14 hotel suites right on the wedding property. Units are individually owned, VRBO-style, and booked first-come, first-served, so book early.
WED
10% off · Nov–Apr stays
Black Canyon Inn’s sister property, with 60 condo-style accommodations on site and a rentable seasonal community room. A great option for larger families traveling together.
WED
10% off · Nov–Apr stays
Beautiful and historic, and one of the top recommendations for anyone visiting Estes Park. Four different lodging types accommodate groups of various sizes. Yes, it’s that Stanley.
Some of the prettiest lodging views in all of Estes Park, with options ranging from cabins to lake-side and mountainside rooms.
08 · Explore
The whole reason this town exists. The Beaver Meadows entrance is minutes from the venue. In April, expect some higher roads to still be closed. Check the park website before you go.
Elkhorn Avenue: taffy, coffee, outfitters, breweries, and more elk photographs than you planned on taking. Everything is walkable once you’ve parked.
An easy, flat walking and biking loop around the lake with mountains in every direction, a good first-day activity while your lungs adjust to the altitude.
Four pedestrian blocks of shops and restaurants, right on your route between Denver and Estes Park. The easiest good detour you’ll make all trip.
Planning to sightsee further afield? We like this guide to things to do in and around Denver for ideas beyond the mountains. Seasonal hours change constantly up here. Call ahead.
09 · Gallery
10 · RSVP
The RSVP form isn’t open quite yet. Once invitations go out, this is where you’ll reply.
Coming Soon
Please reply by Sunday, February 14, 2027
We’ve got it. We cannot wait to see you in Colorado.
11 · Questions
Denver International Airport (DEN). It is about 1 hour 26 minutes and roughly 65 miles from Estes Park. Rent a car at the airport. You will need one.
It isn’t required, but we strongly recommend it. April is Estes Park’s second-snowiest month, and CDOT’s Traction Law (Code 15) allows them to cite or turn away front-wheel-drive vehicles that don’t have winter tires or chains during a storm.
Even when the highways are clear, the roads to lodging and trailheads may not be treated.
No. There are no rideshare services operating in Estes Park. Please do not plan to take a rideshare from Denver, and please sort out a designated driver within your group for the evening of the wedding.
Cocktail or formal attire, and then a real coat over the top of it. The ceremony and reception are indoors and heated, but you’ll be walking outside between the car and the door, possibly in snow. Choose shoes accordingly.
Then we will have a beautiful, snowy wedding. Everything takes place indoors. In the final weeks before the date we’ll be watching the forecast closely and will flag any major weather events that could affect travel between Denver and Estes Park.
Estes Park sits at 7,532 feet, about 1.4 miles higher than Fort Worth and 2,300 feet above Denver. Drink a lot of water, take it easy on alcohol your first day, and don’t schedule a strenuous hike for the morning you arrive.
Read more at the Cleveland Clinic’s guide to altitude sickness.
As early as you can. On-property units at Black Canyon Inn and Estes Park Condos are individually owned and booked first-come, first-served. Both properties offer wedding guests the code WED for 10% off November through April stays.
Your invitation will list exactly who we’ve saved a seat for. If you’re unsure, or if plans change, please just reach out to us directly and we’ll sort it out.
Your presence at 7,532 feet is genuinely the gift. If you’d still like to do something, reach out to us and we’ll point you in the right direction.
Email us any time at joshuaandhaileylacy@gmail.com. We’d rather answer a question twice than have you guess.