Christina and Thomas had their wedding at the O’Connor Pavilion on Fall River in Estes Park on a gorgeous Saturday in June. This simple but beautiful wedding venue is located on 70 acres of mountains and meadows, with Fall River running right by the pavilion. Many couples want to elope in Rocky Mountain National Park, but also want to throw a reception party afterwards, and O’Connor Pavilion is the perfect place to combine these!

(Want to see more Estes Park wedding venues? I have a guide for that.)

With a couple that had come all the way from Kansas to get married in the mountains, we of course had to go into the park for photos. We had set aside two hours to do the bride and groom’s first look and portraits, before going to the O’Connor Pavilion for their ceremony and reception. There’s always a ton of traffic going into the park on weekends in summer, but we got lucky and didn’t have to wait long. We had time to explore around the park, from the beautiful meadow at Moraine Park to the raging water of Big Thompson River.

The O’Connor Pavilion is one of the most affordable wedding venues in the Estes Park area. The meadow is a gorgeous ceremony location, as you can choose multiple different backdrops based on the time of day and lighting. The reception was held in a picnic shelter by Fall River, which would be perfect for a small self-catered wedding or even a food truck wedding. I loved the large campfire, and the quiet location away from the traffic and tourists that are all over Estes Park on summer weekends like this one.

As a way to get the dance party started after dinner, Christina and Thomas had gotten light sabers for all of the guests to do a “fake exit” with! Sparkler exits are really pretty, but they’re a huge fire hazard here in dry Colorado. It was so much fun to see this alternative take on the traditional exits! And it really did get the party started!

If you are planning an O’Connor Pavilion wedding, or an intimate outdoor wedding in Estes Park or Rocky Mountain National Park, get in touch and talk to me about how I can help capture your big day!