Ultimate Sapphire Point Wedding & Elopement Guide 2024

LAST UPDATED July 22, 2024

Why have a Sapphire Point Wedding

Colorado is jam-packed with stunning mountain ranges. Luckily for everyone, you don’t have to go too far from the main cities (front-range) of Denver, Colorado Springs, Boulder, and Fort Collins in order to see some of these magnificent geological formations. One of the closest and most easily accessible wedding locations in all of Colorado just happens to be pretty close to Denver! Ya, you guess it, we’re talking about Sapphire Point.

Sapphire Point is a very short walk from a parking lot, and is nestled in an overlook a top a hill with almost 360 views of the mountains surrounding Lake Dillon. So yea you get both a splendid lake, and soaring mountain tops. What makes this place even more attractive for a small wedding is it’s accessibility, which we will talk about later. So to recap,

Top 5 reasons to have a Sapphire Point Wedding:

1. A Sapphire Point Wedding has stunning views
2. A Sapphire Point Wedding is accessible (except in the winter and spring).
3. Sapphire Point Overlook can be reserved for your wedding at specific times.
4. A Sapphire Point Wedding is pretty close to Denver.
5. A Sapphire Point Wedding can save you a lot of money.

How to have a Sapphire Point Wedding:

Sapphire Point Overlook is a public space, located 500 feet from a medium sized parking lot. This space can actually be reserved so that you have priority for that space. While you can reserve it, you can’t prevent people from walking by, stopping, starring, and oooohhh ahhhinnng at your beauty (you may even want them too!). Not all tims are available to be reserved though. Due to it’s popularity, reservations also go quickly. So as soon as you know you want a Sapphire Point Wedding, be prepared to work around available dates, or try for a different time.

How to reserve Sapphire Point Overlook

You can reserve 2 hour blocks of time at Sapphire Point Overlook via the Recreation.gov website. If you are confused by the site, don’t worry! All the slots show up as camp-sites. You’ll see that the only sites that are available for reservations are the ones that are in 2 hour blocks. If it has an A, it’s available, if it’s an R it has been reserved, and X means you can’t reserve it at all.

Reservations open up in 6 month intervals. 

When to have a Sapphire Point Wedding

This is a really important question! The Dillon Ranger District does not plow or maintain the paths in the winter time. So snow and ice can accumulate on the paths, making it no longer accessible for wheelchairs and possibly not available for people with different mobility needs. If you are planning on having guests, make sure that the snow and ice will not impede their ability to go down to the overlook. 

Summer Sapphire Point Wedding

Summer is one of the best times for a sapphire point wedding. The weather is warm during the day and cool at night. You may have afternoon showers or rainstorms, but you won’t have to worry about snow. This is the most popular time to visit Sapphire Point, so you’ll have to consider that you will not be alone and dealing with company.

Fall Sapphire Point Wedding

The temperatures drop, with days being somewhat warm and nights getting colder, but it’s fall baby – so you can expect awesome scenery. The aspens start changing, the vibes get warmer. It’s just a cozy time to be out! Since you are in the mountains you should prepare for the possibility of snow. It can start snowing as early as September, but most often, it melts within a day or two.

Winter Sapphire Point Wedding

Winter’s up in the mountains are simply stunning. They are my favorite views. That being said, it’s cold. You really gotta bundle up and make sure you are prepared for the weather. You absolutely don’t want to risk frost-bite. Even beyond that, it’s just not fun if you are so cold you are miserable. I just wanted to get the warnings out of the way – because otherwise it’s simply stunning up there. Just be prepared for snowy and icy paths.

Spring Sapphire Point Wedding

Spring is a really tough time of year in the mountains. The trails haven’t really melted yet, and when they do, everything gets pretty muddy for a little while. Most snow doesn’t melt until June, so take that into account when you consider a Spring Sapphire Point Wedding.

Sunrise, Sunset, or mid-day

The best time to get married at Sapphire Point Overlook will be in the hours before sunset. Those times book up fast though, so make sure you snag your reservation asap! You can get married at other times, but for lighting photos, the best times are always right after sunrise or right before sunset, which is called Golden Hour.

Sapphire Point vendors

If you want to include other vendors, let’s say you are renting chairs for the ceremony, they will need to get a permit from the US Forest Service.

How to Get to Sapphire Point Overlook

If you are coming from Denver, the best way is to take i-70 straight past Eisenhower Tunnel and then turn off towards Sapphire Point. From the south, you’ll want to come through Breckenridge, and from the west you’ll probably want to come through Frisco. These are all great places to stop, grab a bite, and explore. Cute little ski towns.

Example timelines for Sapphire Point Wedding

Cost of a Sapphire Point Wedding

Average Cost of A Traditional Wedding (150 guests)

Venue: $10,000
Lodging: $2,000
Catering: $11,250
Rehearsal Dinner: $2,000
Attire: $1,000
Photographer: $4,000
Decor: $2,000
Transportation: $1,000
Officiant: $400
DJ/Band: $2,000
Marriage License: 200
Hair and Makeup: $250
Florals: $1,000
Cake: $500
Event Planner: $1,500
Invitations: $500
Favors: $500

Total: $31,100

Parking at Sapphire Point Overlook

There are about 20 parking spaces at Sapphire Point, and a single vault toilet. Parking can fill up, but the turn-over tends to be quick.

Pro Tips About a Sapphire Point Wedding

1. Make sure you reserve your space early.
2. Make sure all accessibility issues are worked out.
3. Try to have a late afternoon ceremony.
4. Venture down to the water before or after to experience the views from two different perspectives.
5. Make sure you practice LNT. Don’t feed the animals, carry out what you carry in.
6. If you are going to have guests, consider bringing chairs. 

Sapphire Point Wedding Accessibility

This is one of the only fully accessible wedding locations in the mountains that’s on public lands. You can get from the parking lot to the ceremony site with a wheelchair or other mobility device. Just be advised, in the winter, snow will significantly impede accessibility as the park services don’t plow or maintain the paths.

My Sapphire Point Wedding Packages

Sapphire Point Wedding and Elopement Packages start at 4800 for 4 hours.