Destination Wedding Survival Guide!

Here are a few tips to share with your "sea level" guests about getting hitched up high!

Planning a wedding in the Rocky Mountains? That's awesome! We may be biased, but we think nothing is as magical as a sunset reflected on those majestic peaks. However if you and/or your guests are from a lower elevation, there are definitely some steps to take to make sure that you get the chance to enjoy every minute of this once in a lifetime event. Make sure to share these tips with your guests either on your wedding website, or, to really get their attention, in a welcome packet that has some Colorado essentials included in.

As a leading wedding planner in Colorado, we plan quite a number of destination mountain weddings, but most couples do not take into account how much the altitude will affect them and their guests - especially if they live closer to sea level. Even my team and I feel it when we travel to the mountains, and we live in Denver, the Mile High City!

There are three things that our Colorado destination wedding guests must NEVER forget:

First - wear sunscreen! We are much closer to the sun here in the Rocky Mountains and sunburns can happen in minutes. We all know there's nothing worse than nursing a hangover AND a sunburn the day after! Making sure to include a mini bottle of SPF 30 or above in the welcome bags, as well as having a planner (like us!) who always has sunscreen on hand is crucial!

Which brings me to my second crucial reminder: don't forget to drink water! I'm talking LOTS more water than you might normally drink in your (lower elevation) hometown, especially if you're drinking. Adding a personalized water bottle to your welcome bag is a great gift and a perfect gentle reminder to drink up (the H2O!)

And that leads right into reminder #3: Pace yourself with the booze! Higher altitude = lower tolerance and quicker dehydration. We recommend our destination guests stick to the "1-for-1" policy: one 8 oz glass of water for every alcoholic drink they consume. I always add a little note about this in our welcome bags so guests come to your wedding educated about this fun fact!

Another tip: Once the sun goes down, it can get COLD! And the higher up you go, the chillier it is when the stars come out. Buying all the bridesmaids cute ponchos or shawls as their gift would make your gift cute AND practical!

There's one more thing we tell our guests to help them acclimate more naturally to our beautiful state: if possible, don't just head straight up to the mountains from the airport! Take a day in Denver or Boulder to acclimate, then head on up the hill!

Following these steps ensures that our Colorado destination wedding guests enjoy every minute of the wedding weekend! 

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