How to Plan a Wedding in Wyoming
The rugged landscape of Wyoming can serve as the perfect backdrop to a wonderful wedding. Whether you want a down-home cowboy feel or an elegant mountain atmosphere, there's a good chance somewhere in Wyoming is the perfect fit for you. A few of the more popular areas in Wyoming to get married include locations in and around Jackson Hole (home to the Grand Teton mountain range in northwestern Wyoming), the historic downtown areas of Laramie or Cheyenne in southeastern Wyoming, or in state parks or national forests located throughout the state.
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Instructions
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Consider what kind of event you want to have. Do you want to get married in a church or outdoors? How many guests are you planning to invite? The requirements for a venue that holds 20 people is much different than a venue for an event that has 300 invited guests. Also consider whether most of your guests are local or will be traveling from out of town. While a wedding in Cheyenne or Laramie is a fairly easy drive from the Denver airport, a wedding in Jackson Hole would likely require guests to fly into the local airport (which often does not have as budget-friendly fares as Denver) or make an 8+ hour drive from Denver or Salt Lake City. Will you provide transportation for your guests, or will they be responsible for driving themselves?
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After choosing where to get married, pick a date. Although you may already have a date in mind, you may have to revise it after checking with venues in the location where you want to get married. Venues in Jackson Hole, including the Museum of Wildlife Art, Jenny Lake Lodge, and Jackson Lake Lodge, tend to book up a year in advance. Venues in smaller towns, such as Laramie, tend to not book up as fast, although popular dates, such as weekend dates during the summer months, do tend to go fast. When booking your venues, make sure that both the ceremony site and reception site are available on the same day and time period that you want to get married.
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In order to have the perfect event, you'll need to hire various wedding vendors. Before searching out vendors, put together a rough budget so you'll know how much you can spend for each vendor. Among the vendors you might need to contact include a florist, photographer, caterer, DJ or band, and ceremony officiant. A great way to meet potential vendors is to attend a bridal expo in your area. These events are typically held early in the year in Casper, Cheyenne, and Laramie. If your Wyoming wedding is a destination wedding, you may want to consider hiring a wedding planner in the locale where you plan to get married to help you find competent vendors.
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If you're planning to invite any guests to share in your day, you'll need to find accommodations for their stay. For example, Jackson Hole has accommodations for many different budgets, from low-cost campgrounds to luxury hotels including the Four Seasons Resort. Other towns have less luxurious, but still quite suitable, options. Laramie has a number of budget hotels and mid-range hotels including the Hampton Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, and AmericInn. Shop around to find the perfect accommodation for your guests, and be sure to negotiate a good rate for their stay.
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Don't forget to choose your attendants! Roles to consider include your maid/matron of honor, bridesmaids, best man, groomsmen, flower girls, ring bearers, readers, and other attendants. Be sure to give your bridal party plenty of time to procure dresses/tuxes before the big event. Many towns in Wyoming have local bridal boutiques. However, if your attendants will be traveling from out of town, consider using a national chain to help the bridal party obtain their clothing or get sized prior to the event at a location convenient to them.
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About six weeks before your wedding, send out invitations. While most Wyoming towns do not have a stationery chain such as Papyrus, you may be surprised to find that your local printing company also can order in quality wedding invitations. Another option is to check the many independent invitation designers that have websites online. If you are having a specific theme for your big day, consider letting this theme show through on your invitations. Roped lettering can help signify a cowboy or rodeo theme; a more traditional font signifies an elegant affair. Using design elements such as aspen leaves, mountains, or pine trees is a great way to celebrate Wyoming's rugged landscape.
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Once you have a final head count for your wedding, finalize all your plans. Decide on the layout of your reception and make a seating arrangement for all your guests. If you will be holding your ceremony or reception in an outdoor location, consider renting a large tent in case of bad weather. Decide on decorations for your ceremony location and tablescapes for the reception. If your event is in Jackson Hole, consider using natural objects, such as leaves or pine cones, as part of your centerpiece. Centerpieces for a Wyoming cowboy-themed event could include horseshoes, lanterns, or elements made of rope. Prepare a list of songs for the DJ or band to play during the reception. Get in touch with your caterer and make sure they know how many people to expect.
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Make giftbags for all of your out of town guests. Within these bags include a list of and map to local attractions. For example, for a wedding in Jackson Hole, provide a map and directions to Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, National Elk Refuge, and the Museum of Wildlife Art. For a wedding in Cheyenne, provide directions or brochures for local museums, including the Cheyenne Deport Museum, Wyoming State Museum, or Old West Museum. If your big event is in Laramie, include directions to the Ivinson Mansion, Wyoming Territorial Prison, or Medicine Bow National Forest. A visit to your local Chamber of Commerce or welcome center is a great way to pick up brochures and maps to include in your welcome bags for guests. In addition to maps, directions, or brochures, provide bottles of water, individual Advil packets, and snacks in the bag. If your wedding is a multi-day event, include a schedule of events for each of your guests as well.
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Make sure you have the proper paperwork before you get married! You must get a marriage license in person at the local county courthouse. The cost of a marriage license in Wyoming is $25 -- be aware that some counties only accept cash. In order to get a marriage license, you and your fiance will need your driver's licenses or notarized copies of your birth certificates. Other information to have handy includes your social security numbers, mothers' maiden names, and the states in which your parents were born. There is no waiting period after you receive your marriage license, and it does not expire.
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Get married! Remember to enjoy your day and revel in the beauty of Wyoming that surrounds you.
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Tips & Warnings
July and August are typically the warmest months in Wyoming. Snowfall can occur at nearly any time of the year, and this is especially true for mountain locations. Many locations in Wyoming are at a higher elevation than where your guests might arrive from. Be sure to prepare your guests for the higher elevation and remind them to drink plenty of water when they first arrive in town. Wyoming is a huge state--and many locations within the state are located far from one another. Encourage your out-of-town guests to make a longer vacation out of their trip to Wyoming for your wedding to take advantage of the different landscapes this state has to offer.
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- Photo Credit Alena Kratochvilova
