Tuesday, June 28, 2011

The Inn at Hudson Gardens

One of my jobs in college was catering at the University Club. It's where I first realized my love of events! After college I found a full time job but continued to cater on the side for a Denver based company. I got to work a variety of events in venues throughout the Denver metro area and earn additional income!

When we settled on Colorado for our wedding (although I'm not sure there was ever an actual discussion) I had some really good ideas of where I'd like it to take place. We love the great outdoors, specifically the mountains, but I knew logistically with lots of out of town guest that would be tricky. I also knew, thanks to my catering days, there are tons of gorgeous outdoor venues in the Denver area.

From the beginning of the search my first choice was Hudson Gardens. I love the beautiful, well maintained gardens and that there are three unique reception and ceremony sites to choose from. I looked online at several other venues as well, but in my mind, I kept picturing our wedding at Hudson Gardens.

Over Memorial Day weekend we made a trip to Colorado for our friends Sara and Andy's wedding. We made the most of our time by also celebrating our engagement, spending time with friends and family, and venue shopping! We only visited two venues, the second being Hudson Gardens. When my mom and B liked it, I knew we were sold!

Of the three sites at Hudson Gardens, we chose the Inn, which is a historic log cabin nestled within the gardens.
{Charlotte Geary}


Our ceremony will take place behind the Inn, as seen below, in the backyard. I've always been drawn to the backyard weddings shared on blogs, so it seems extremely fitting to be married there! I also laugh when I picture Steve Martin's "backyard" vision from Father of the Bride. It won't be that kind of a backyard wedding!
{Hudson Gardens}

 Here's a peek inside the Inn where the reception will take place. I love high wood beams and the white lights. A huge perk to Hudson Gardens is that all tables and chairs are included in the cost of the venue. Another perk is the option to hire a cater from an extensive catering list and bring in our own alcohol (potential for huge cost savings on both items!). 

{Andrew&Jessica Photographers}

We picked the Inn based on its charm, but another plus is the option to hold the ceremony inside if there is inclement weather (it is Colorado, after all). If it does happen to rain, we can simply set up indoors and still have a completely charming ceremony much like this wedding

{Andrew & Jessica Photographers}

It makes me happy to know that we'll still have the Colorado rustic feel, with easier to manage logistics of being in the Denver area! Now I can start envisioning and planning all the lovely details for the Inn and backyard (hooray!).

Engaged? Check!
Photographer? Check!
Venue? Check!

2 comments:

Stevie said...

Michelle- I was searching for weddings at the Inn at Hudson gardens and stumbled across your blog! I am also thinking about the Inn at Hudson Gardens for the exact same reasons as you!

I was curious if you had any second thoughts about the Inn because of the highway noise? We love the space but the second time we toured it was a little noisy.

I would love to know your thoughts!

Thanks,

Stephanie Miller

Michelle said...

Hi Stephanie,

Thanks for stopping by my blog! While Santa Fe is pretty close to the Inn, the noise factor didn't bother me! It did occur to me that the street is pretty close, but with the tree and the actual Inn, I think your ceremony will be pretty sheltered from the traffic! Once you're inside I definitely think its a non-issue. If anything at least Santa Fe makes Hudson Gardens easily accessible :)

Good luck with your venue search and wedding plans!

Michelle