“I wanted to pass on to others our experience using Piney River Ranch as the venue for the marriage of our daughter this past July. Monique and her staff at Piney River Ranch bent over backwards from beginning to the end to help us plan and execute this once-in-a-lifetime event for our daughter. They were always available to answer our questions and to adjust their services to meet our needs. In other words, they provided the kind of personalized customer service that seems to be getting harder and harder to find these days. The result was a virtually perfect wedding day (and rehearsal the prior morning) from beginning to end.
Piney River Ranch is located about 12 miles north of Vail at the end of a Forest Service dirt road. While that doesn't sound very far, the road is rough. It takes about 40 minutes to drive that 12 miles from Vail. That results in some logistical challenges but it is well worth the effort and in fact enhances the feeling of arriving at someplace special. It's not until actually arriving at the ranch that the spectacular mountain backdrop rising up behind Piney Lake suddenly reveals itself, and when it does, it virtually overwhelms the senses. I'm not aware of any other venue that combines the kind of jaw-dropping scenery Piney River Ranch possesses with the convenience of having all the facilities needed for a wedding ceremony and reception. I would describe the ranch as having a sort of rustic elegance which exactly fits with the nature of its location.
Our wedding was sized at approximately 150 people and the facility was able to comfortably accommodate that number. While it is theoretically possible for the ranch to accommodate up to 200 for weddings, I suspect things will start feeling crowded and the layout will get more challenging if the number gets too much above 150.
The ranch has a number of cabins and glam tents along the lake that can be booked. It worked out well for us to utilize one of the cabins as a base for the groom’s party and one of the glam tents for the bride’s party. For smaller weddings, there are a couple of small rooms off of the main reception area that can be utilized for that purpose.
Because of the logistical challenge the road to the ranch presents, I would recommend using vendors with previous experience there as they will understand what adjustments they need to make to their operations in order for everything to proceed smoothly. The ranch maintains a list of recommended vendors which proved helpful. In our case, we used Timberline tours for transporting wedding guests from Vail to Piney River Ranch and back. Piney River Ranch works with a local catering company, Cowboy Catering out of Gypsum and the food and service they provided were outstanding. We also utilized Event Rents out of Gypsum for glass water goblets and cloth napkins.
In summary, I would highly recommend Piney River Ranch for a wedding. It will provide a unique once-in-a-lifetime type experience for all of your guests, not to mention the bride and groom. I can’t tell you how many people came up to us afterwards to tell us how much they enjoyed it and what an amazing experience it was for them. While the location does present some logistical challenges, Monique and her staff are there to guide you through every step of the process to give you the end result you are looking for.”
