20 Rustic Yet Refined Wedding Venues to Book Across the US

Cloud Camp at The Broadmoor: Colorado

It doesn’t get much closer to the heavens than Cloud Camp. Perched on the summit of Cheyenne Mountain, an additional 3,000 feet higher than The Broadmoor resort in Colorado Springs— so, at an altitude of about 9,000 feet in total—Cloud Camp was once the private mountain retreat of The Broadmoor’s founder, Spencer Penrose, and now hosts intimate, all-inclusive weddings and events for groups of 10 to 70 guests.

Between the main lodge rooms, the Fire Tower Suite, and the one- and two-bedroom guest cabins, Cloud Camp can sleep up to 48 guests comfortably, with additional guests staying at The Broadmoor resort and taking a 20-minute shuttle up the mountain for all wedding day events. (There's an option to make the trek by mule—but, perhaps that’s not the best idea in your wedding day finest.) 

The lodge’s great room—a soaring, 1,500-square-foot space with floor-to-ceiling windows and an adjoining deck that overlooks Colorado’s Front Range—is Cloud Camp’s main gathering space and a picture-perfect backdrop for photos.

Cedar Lakes Estate: New York

“Who doesn’t love fancy summer camp?” This is what one might ask oneself when attending a rustic wedding at Cedar Lakes Estate. Located on the outskirts of the small town of Port Jervis, New York, the venue is about 70 miles from New York City, at a junction on the Delaware River offering easy access to a host of recreational activities and where Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York State all share the same border.

With renovated cottage accommodations that comfortably sleep up to 50 guests—plus room for many more in glamping-style arrangements—rustic weddings here are best celebrated as a weekend-long affair. In addition to all of the at-your-leisure, camp-like amenities available on property for guests to enjoy, rustic wedding venues include an 85-year-old (and freshly restored) wooden deck platform that overlooks the lake and is surrounded by amphitheater-style benches, as well as a mountain top venue that can accommodate several hundred guests. 

The showstopper on the property is the 5,400-square-foot reception barn, built of reclaimed wood and featuring floor-to-ceiling glass panels, as well as handcrafted barn wood tables, crystal chandeliers, a 24-foot-long Prohibition-inspired bar, and grand bathroom suites. Additionally, couples typically host the rehearsal dinner in the Chef’s Garden and cocktail hour at the Pavilion or Poolside Patio. Wedding afterparties at The Treehouse can go as late as you’d like, as there’s no set “lights out” bedtime at this camp.

Alila Ventana Big Sur: California

Towering redwoods, majestic sunsets over the Pacific, rugged coastline views for days—nothing quite says “rustic wedding” like California’s iconic Central Coast destination, Big Sur, located on a remote stretch of Pacific Coast Highway about an hour south of Monterey Bay (which is a couple hours’ drive from the Bay Area).

Alila Ventana Big Sur captures the exceptional beauty of the natural surroundings with 12,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor spaces for wedding celebrations with up to 200 guests, available year-round. Exchange your vows under the canopy of the Redwood Cathedral, the Ocean Meadow Lawn (max 200 guests), or the intimate Sur Vista terrace (max 70 guests). Oversized wood-burning hearths anchor both of the property’s primary indoor venues, The Loft (newly renovated) and The Sur House Terrace & Bar. 

The Barn at Pickering House Inn: New Hampshire

Located in the hamlet of Wolfeboro, New Hampshire, on the shores of Lake Winnipesaukee just 50 miles from Portsmouth (and 100 miles north of Boston), Pickering House Inn is a New England gem. 

Since being lovingly updated by the current inn owners and reopened in 2018, this historic lakefront home-turned-inn and tri-level 1813 barn is a complete wedding weekend package that only requires a buyout of the inn’s 10 rooms and suites for a few nights. The perks include homemade country breakfasts in the inn’s Gathering Kitchen, daily snacks, refreshments, craft beers, and wine tastings—plus the ability to enjoy the inn’s lovely library, living room areas, wraparound porch, and courtyard fire pits.

Wedding celebrations in the Barn at Pickering House can readily accommodate 30-150 guests, while the Avery Room is better suited for more intimate ceremonies and rehearsal dinners (12-24 capacity). A full buyout of rustic Pavilion—the property’s reimagined restaurant and lounge—is also available for between 30 and 60 guests.

Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado: New Mexico

Set on 57 acres of majestic New Mexico wilderness in the foothills of the Sangre de Christo Mountains on the rural outskirts of Santa Fe, true to its name, the Four Seasons Resort Rancho Encantado Santa Fe is quite enchanting in every season. Whether dusted with snow in the winter months and early spring, or sunny but relatively temperate (thanks to the region’s altitude) the rest of the year, there’s no shortage of blue sky days—or those spectacular New Mexico sunsets. 

The property’s Monte Vista Terrace frames the views perfectly for rustic, refined weddings with up to 300 guests; elopements and micro-weddings (for 2 to 20 guests) are also welcome. Adjoin to the Terra Lower Patio for an intimate reception, or, to the Aspen Ballroom for a grand celebration that won’t soon be forgotten.

Aurora Cellars: Michigan

Dotted with apple and cherry orchards, small farms, cider houses, and bespoke wineries, Michigan’s northern Leelanau Peninsula is a pastoral dream. Hosting outdoor weddings (for up to 300 guests) during the prettiest months of the year here—from mid-May, when everything is freshly green and blooming, through mid-October, at which point peak fall foliage is waning—there’s a casual, rustic elegance to the grounds of Aurora Cellars, one of the region’s most awarded wineries. 

Exchange your vows in front of the vines—or a stately, soaring willow tree. Dance the night away in a heated, high-peaked reception tent while your guests raise a glass of Aurora’s own sparkling wine to toast the occasion. Aurora Cellars also provides yard games, a late evening bonfire, recommendations for local, vetted vendors (including lodging and catering options), and a two-night stay at the renovated Victorian farmhouse on the property, which sleeps up to six guests in three bedrooms and makes for an ideal getting-ready location on your wedding day.

Brush Creek Ranch: Wyoming

Located on 30,000 acres of a working cattle ranch in Wyoming’s North Platte River Valley about 100 miles west of Laramie—the other end of the Snowy Range Scenic Byway—Brush Creek Ranch takes rustic luxury to a whole new level, and its wedding venues and all-inclusive wedding weekends inspired by the gorgeous surroundings of the American West are no exception. 

Open seasonally from May through October and again for the holidays, Brush Creek Ranch welcomes elopements (and even offers an elopement package) as well as weddings of all sizes, up to 250 guests (a resort buyout is not required). Indoor and outdoor venues include the historic Cowboy Chapel, built in 1934; the elegant Saddle Barn; the timbered Trailhead Great Room; an early 19th Century Saloon; and outdoor gardens, the Creekside Dinner Camp, the Destination Yurt, and the Falcon Peak Overlook. 

The ranch has an exceptional culinary program that utilizes produce from the onsite greenhouse, fresh baked goods, and patisserie from the onsite bakery, and can handily pair ranch-raised American Wagyu with wine from their extensive cellars for your wedding reception dinner. There’s also a whiskey distillery and creamery onsite. 

Kin Loch Farmstead: New York

Located along the Niagara Wine Trail in Western New York State’s rich agricultural region on the south shore of Lake Ontario, about 40 minutes north of Buffalo, Kin Loch Farmstead was designed with modern, rustic, romantic wedding celebrations in mind. 

Set amid lavender fields (eight varieties that bloom variously all summer long), the newly-built barn and auxiliary structures—including “The Shed” bridal suite, a vintage mobile camper bar, restroom facilities, bar and catering prep space, and outdoor ceremony locations—are available for wedding ceremonies and receptions up to 130 guests, seasonally between late May and early October. 

Elsewhere on the 30-acre farmstead, local florist Fran DePalma tends to an organic cut flower farm where she grows flowers and foliage specifically for her business, Heirloom Soul Florals, which specializes in bouquets, centerpieces, and other arrangements for weddings from early spring through the fall.

Dunton Hot Springs: Colorado

Surrounded by awe-inspiring views of 14,000-foot mountain peaks an hour or so south of Telluride, the legendary ski town in Southwest Colorado, Dunton Hot Springs is something of an anomaly: an 1800s ghost town that lives again as an incredibly scenic, romantic, rustic, and refined alpine retreat. Featuring luxe cabin accommodations for up to 44 guests—plus eight ensuite safari-style tented accommodations at Dutton River Camp for another 16 guests—in total, the resort can host buy-out weddings of up to 60 guests. 

One of the huge draws of a buy-out wedding here? You’ll have exclusive access to all town facilities for the weekend, including the original Dancehall & Saloon, the Bathhouse, the open-air chapel, all meals and drinks, and a host of activities ranging from horseback riding, hiking, and fly-fishing in the summer to snowshoeing, dog sledding and back-country skiing in the winter. (Dutton River Camp is only open seasonally, June through mid-October, so wedding buy-outs outside these months are a maximum of 44 guests.) Elopements (two to four guests) and micro-weddings (up to 14 guests in six cabins) are also welcome, with no buy-out package required.

The Lodge at Blue Sky: Utah

Situated on 3,500 acres within the Wasatch Mountains about 40 minutes from Salt Lake City, The Lodge at Blue Sky takes rustic weddings to new heights—quite literally. One of the many options for ceremonies here includes flying by helicopter to a high-alpine location with 360-degree views, accompanied only by your officiant and a few friends or family members. 

While such an option is better suited for elopements and micro-weddings— celebrate with sundown cocktails and an intimate dinner at The Yurt on the property, or The Tavern, an original cabin structure that dates to the late 1800s— the 8,000-square-foot venue on the location of the ranch’s original indoor riding arena (aptly named “The Arena”) can handily fit up to 350 of those whom you so dearly love.

Abbey Road Farm: Oregon

An hour’s drive from Portland, Oregon, lands you squarely in Oregon State’s lauded Willamette Valley wine region—specifically, the small town of Carlton, also known as Oregon’s wine capital, as it is home to 22 tasting rooms showcasing the region’s wineries. 

Set amid 45 acres of bucolic wine country and Pacific Northwest forest landscapes a few miles from town, Abbey Road Farm has several options for charming, rustic wedding venues to suit weddings of any size, from two to 200. A former indoor horse arena now boasts 5,500 square feet of renovated and converted space for larger receptions; the lawn adjacent overlooks the vineyards. The Wedding Triangle—the property’s original wedding location—is located on a sloping lawn with an altar and vineyard views. The Silo Garden—located in front of the property’s Silo Suites B&B, five suites, and shared kitchen and entertaining spaces housed in combined and converted grain silos—is another option for ceremonies with up to 120 guests.

Terramor Outdoor Resort: Maine

Set on the fringes of Acadia National Park—the easternmost location in all of the United States where the sun first rises, also a stargazer’s paradise—Terramor Outdoor Resort is a rustic-luxe iteration of glamping-meets-resort accommodations with a big heart. (Its name derives from the words “terra,” meaning land, and “amor,” love.) 

Open seasonally from May through October, Terramor Outdoor Resort can readily accommodate intimate micro weddings and elopements to buy out wedding weekends for several hundred guests. (At maximum capacity, the resort has sleeping arrangements for 225 of your friends and family.) The bottom line is: a rustic wedding celebration at Terramor Outdoor Resort is, simply put, joyful. What’s not to love about lawn games, hikes into Acadia National Park, a boozy s’mores afterparty, or a farewell pancake brunch—featuring Maine blueberries, of course.

The Ranch at Rock Creek: Montana

Set on 10 square miles of stunning Montana landscapes—forests and ranch pastures, scenic valleys and vistas, and, yes, an idyllic river that offers robust fly-fishing seasonally as one of the many all-inclusive outdoor resort activities—the Ranch at Rock Creek is rustic and refined Montana wilderness at its finest. 

All weddings here—which include elopements and micro-weddings for up to 20 guests, or a full property buyout for weddings up to 125 guests—are treated to the same all-inclusive, five-star hospitality The Ranch has built its reputation upon. You and your guests needn’t worry about a thing with complimentary airport transfers from Missoula, Butte, and Anaconda airports; day-to-night farm-to-table meals, beverages, and snacks; year-round outdoor activities with guides, gear, and expert instruction; and evening entertainment in the Silver Dollar Saloon. 

Rustic wedding venues and event spaces at The Ranch at Rock Creek include year-round and seasonal sites: the elegant Buckle Barn Great Hall & Lawn; The Den Lawn, site of popular pig-roast wedding hoedowns; the Granite Lodge and Patio; the Blue Canteen, which is part ivory glamping tent, part wooden cabin; and Destination Picnics at either Piney Pond or Bikini Beach—horse-drawn wagon transportation included.

Everhart Gathering Place: Ohio

Out in the middle of farm country in rural Northwest Ohio—about halfway between Columbus and Toledo—one multi-generational family is honoring their grandparents’ legacy by transforming the lovely gardens and grounds of the family farm into an elegant, year-round wedding venue. 

Known today as Everhart Gathering Place, the Gottfried family has for years welcomed the community onto the property for photo shoots or intimate wedding celebrations around the Koi fish ponds, under the grand willow tree, or in front of the log cabin their grandfather built by hand. (Elsewhere on the property, the actual grain silos and other farm structures work as a backdrop for more industrial-chic wedding photos, too.) 

In 2020, the Gottfried family broke ground on the first of two fully-realized permanent wedding venues—a strikingly modern, 10,000-square-foot event space with soaring ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows to capture the farm and garden views. The venue, which officially opened in January 2022 and can host up to 325 guests, comes complete with a full bar with the option for draft beer, a lounge, and a dedicated bridal and honeymoon suite. With one venue complete, the family has already begun work on a glass-enclosed Conservatory, which when completed will serve as a year-round ceremony venue for magical winter weddings of up to 250 guests.

Enchantment Resort: Arizona

Exchange your vows against a backdrop of red rock formations and bright blue skies at Enchantment Resort, which is set on 70 secluded acres within Sedona’s Boyton Canyon, a couple of hours north of the Phoenix-Scottsdale Metro Area. Ceremony and reception options on-site run the gamut from lavish ballrooms (up to 200 guests) to more rustic wedding venues that highlight the exceptionally beautiful location. 

The Village Terrace is framed by overhead string lighting and anchored with an oversized kiva fireplace, while Enchantment Circle—a sizable lawn at the far north end of the resort’s property, with that aforementioned backdrop of red rock formations and wide-open sky—works as a wedding location, an al fresco reception under the desert sky or can even accommodate a dreamy, tented affair. (Note that the resort requests all couples secure a wedding planner before booking any dates.)

San Ysidro Ranch: California

Located in the scenic foothills of the Santa Ynez Mountains just south of Santa Barbara and north of Los Angeles by 90 minutes or so, San Ysidro Ranch utterly charms with its relaxed and refined rustic wedding venues set amid beautifully landscaped gardens and grounds that offer peek-a-boo glimpses of the Pacific Ocean. 

The property’s garden venue and Stonehouse Restaurant—housed in a 19th Century citrus packaging house, one of the original buildings on the ranch—can accommodate weddings with up to 100 guests throughout the year. Couples planning more intimate wedding celebrations also have the option of the romantic Carriage House (up to 60 guests), the open-air Plow & Angel restaurant (up to 50 guests), and the Wine Cellar (up to 30 guests), which features a masonry barrel-vaulted ceiling, stone fireplace and private patio with a canopy of lantern-lit trees. Ultra-intimate weddings and elopements (maximum of six guests) may book the Old Adobe, a California historic landmark building that dates back to 1825—a singular setting for such a special occasion.

Hotel Drover: Texas

While Texas may be synonymous with cowboy culture, the proper name for someone who moves cattle and livestock from place to place is a “drover”—that’s true whether you’re in Australia or on the open ranges of the U.S. In homage to its location within the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District, which still holds twice-daily cattle drives, Hotel Drover channels that spirit of the American West with indoor and outdoor spaces that are rustic with a touch of luxe. 

Case in point: Custom Italian crystal chandeliers hang from the vaulted ceiling of The Barn, one of the property’s most popular venues (up to 300 guests), which was in part built with reclaimed, 150-year-old timbers. Other wedding sites include the Barn Lawn, Legacy Hall, and The Backyard (a creekside oasis with fire pits, outdoor games, and a ranch-style pool).

RT Lodge: Tennessee

Originally designed and conceived by Susan Wiley Cooper Walker, the widow of Andrew Carnegie’s business associate, John Walker, in 1932—she struck a deal with Maryville College to build the secluded, 26-room residence on the college’s property to be closer to her sister— RT Lodge has worn a few different hats over the years, but hospitality has always been front and center and its rustic, woodland setting in Eastern Tennessee is nothing short of magical. 

Able to accommodate weddings of 30 to 200 guests, RT Lodge exclusively only books one wedding per weekend throughout the year, no matter the size. The Main Ceremony Lawn and Meadow on The Winding Road can accommodate up to 200 guests, while The Winding Road through the woods serves as the ceremony site itself for up to 150 guests and is quite the dramatic aisle. RT Lodge is a relatively easy buyout option with just 58 rooms to book the whole property for the weekend and most often sees weddings of around 100 guests.

The wedding planning team at RT Lodge extends the location’s magical ambiance well into the evening with a reception under a custom sailcloth Sperry Tent that includes seasonally-inspired hors d'oeuvres and a reception meal co-created with RT Lodge’s head chef, as well as all event and service staff, coordination with off-site vendors and just about every last detail you could possibly otherwise consider.

Winvian Farm: Connecticut

Located in the bucolic Lichfield Hills region of Northwest Connecticut a couple of hours north of New York City and less than three hours from Boston, Winvian Farm is a slice of pastoral New England countryside, featuring 18 unique, architect-designed guest cottages (19 overnight accommodations in total), a fully-restored 18th Century barn, a historic Manor House (circa 1775) with an on-site restaurant and tavern, a 5,000-square-foot spa sanctuary, organic gardens and heated, seasonal pool set amid 113 acres of woodlands and meadows. 

Open and available to book for weddings year round, the Gordon Brown House (the restored barn) is available for weddings of 40 to 115 guests, and the property can host weddings up to 220 guests seasonally, with the addition of a couple of sailcloth tent structures on the lawn. Seasonally, larger ceremonies are typically held in the Seth Bird Meadow, while more intimate ceremonies in the cooler months might utilize the solarium or relaxation room within the spa, the barn itself, or the different spaces inside the historic Manor House. The property’s wedding planner is at your disposal to help you decide.

C Lazy U Ranch: Colorado

Located deep within the Rocky Mountains about a two-hour drive northwest of the Denver metro area, C Lazy U Ranch has hosted guests at its rustic, alpine, all-inclusive ranch retreat for more than 100 years. The ranch’s gracious hospitality extends to weddings here as well, which requires a full buyout of the property (maximum 70 to 80 guests, depending on the month; two-night minimum required). 

One package price includes all guest accommodations, all meals daily, hosted bar options (including wine selections curated by the onsite sommelier), ranch activities for all overnight guests (fly fishing, horseback riding, hiking, cross-country skiing, etc., depending on the season) and exclusive use of the 8,500-acre property—which has four options for ceremony sites and three options for the wedding reception and other gatherings over the weekend, the most popular being Hay Barn, with its large dance floor, lofted lounge area, and striking antler chandeliers.