frequently asked questions

Our capacity is 170 guests, including the wedding party. That includes the reception space and ceremony (each, not together).

This count does not include staff, and is subject to local laws and regulations.

It depends on your guest count and whether you go all-inclusive or choose your own vendors. For 100–150 guests:

• All-inclusive: most couples spend about $38,000–$51,000 all-in, including photography, flowers and decor, hair and makeup, and alcohol. Our partners’ bundled rates are lower than booking them on your own, and you skip the vendor search. See All-Inclusive for pricing by guest count.

• Your own vendors: most couples spend about $45,000–$65,000, depending on your caterer, service style and other vendors. It can be done for less, but it takes more time to research and book each vendor yourself.

Please confirm your budget prior to signing your contract to ensure wedding planning is stress-free and enjoyable!

We require couples use our Required Caterers and Bartending Services and select a day-of coordinator or planner from our list here. If you wish to work with a planner who is not on this list, please email us at hello@northstargatherings.com!

We do not offer catering buyouts.

The venue sits just below 9,000 feet in elevation. To prevent altitude sickness, we encourage guests to drink water regularly and eat at regular intervals. We also offer oxygen at the bar if guests are having trouble adjusting to the elevation.

Reach out to us here to start the booking process!

Priority for dates will be based on order of booking request, meaning it’s a first-come, first-served basis. Once you request a date we’ll hold it for 7 days. Your date is fully reserved once we receive both your deposit and a signed contract and you will then receive an email confirmation, and additional planning details.

Venue visits are by appointment only. Please book a tour here!

Yes! We require a professional (insured) day of coordinator for all weddings, selected from our list.

This person may not be a family member, wedding guest, or member of the wedding party. Your professional planner for day-of services will cover all things related to managing the flow of your day, setting up decor, catering, bartending, music, etc.

Trust us, this will be a life saver!

Yes! There are hotels 25 minutes away in Evergreen, 30 minutes away in Black Hawk, 30 minutes away in Golden, 30 min away in Georgetown and 30-40 minutes away in Denver.

Some of the hotels our couples block rooms at include the Comfort Suites in Evergreen, the Eddy in Golden, the Origin Red Rocks Hotel, the new Wyndham Microtel in Georgetown, or any of the Black Hawk hotels like Ameristar or Monarch.

In downtown Evergreen there's a bunch of really cute boutique hotels, and there's quite a few airbnb/vrbo options near the venue on Little Bear Creek Rd and closer to or in Idaho Springs.

We work with several shuttle companies to make it super easy to book shuttles for your guests. We recommend budgeting $5,000-$7,000 for shuttles.

Please reach out to us and we can share more information!

Please note: We recommend shuttles no larger than 30 passengers.

Yes we do! We believe in treading lightly and taking care to preserve the beautiful land we live on. We have a 45kWh off-grid PV system and a backup generator so we'll never run out of power. Please note: we still need to be very mindful of how we use our power. We can only allow LED lights to be plugged in and we need your DJ/band and caterer to communicate with us beforehand so they can understand our power limitations.

Because we have a big backup generator, our power is more reliable than the grid and we should never run out of electricity. The Generator is down the hill from our building so you won’t hear it or ever know if it goes on. Our plan is to mindfully monitor our batteries so this doesn’t happen, but if we have several days of clouds and not enough solar charge we’ll always have power!

Our pricing is straightforward and on the pricing page here.

Specific details on all the venue inclusions are on the pricing page here.

But whether you book our all-inclusive package, or our standard venue rental package, you will always get the venue for 12-hours, our staff, all tables and chairs, and two getting ready spaces with that stunning mountain view!

Guest Wi-Fi is available but it should not be relied on because service could become unavailable, cell service is pretty reliable on the mountain. We have found T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T get the best service. There’s a bit of a hole in reception at the bottom of the driveway, but other than that you should be good!

Yes, we will always have a team member representing us during your event. Our role on your day is to make sure everything with the building runs smoothly. We cannot take on tasks like decorating, flipping the room, etc. but if we aren’t busy and we see a place we can help we will absolutely jump in. Meet our team here!

We do require you hire a day-of coordinator or professional planner!

Food and beverage are not included in venue rental, and can be booked through our Required Vendor List. North Star Gatherings does not allow catering buyouts.

We do not currently offer any rental items other than the space, tables, chairs, and propane heaters. For details on what is included in venue rental, check out our pricing page.

Yes, we provide farmhouse style tables and matte black steel cross-back chairs for receptions, as well as brown resin folding chairs for ceremony, and high top tables for cocktail hour.

We have 19 nine foot tables and three 7 footers of the farmhouse tables and 7 high top tables for cocktail hour. We have more than enough chairs for everyone at capacity.

Yes, however, absolutely no alcohol is to be consumed before the bartender arrives to serve. If you really want to have alcohol prior to your event starting please inquire with your bar service about hiring an additional bartender to arrive early.

Yes! We offer the Getting Ready Loft above the main hall, and the Aspen House for wedding-day prep. If you visit our venue page, and scroll down, you will see photos and descriptions of both spaces.

When the contract is signed we take a nonrefundable deposit of 30% of your venue fee to reserve your date, then 35% is due 6 months prior and the remaining 35% is due one month before your wedding date.

You may send partial payments at any time prior to due dates for each payment, but failure to pay the allotted amount on time will result in losing your date. We reserve the right to request a credit card to keep on file in the event of excessive damages. Payment must come from the person signing the contract. If you have a parent paying, please let us know so we can send them the contract.

We accept payments via check or secure, direct bank transfer. We do not accept credit card payments.

The venue cannot receive mail, so please address all mail to our PO Box 17162, Golden, CO

Currently our parking lot holds 50 vehicles total. We can refer you to a shuttle service from nearby lodging, and there are some public parking lots in Idaho Springs. We strongly recommend the use of a shuttle service if you have more than 80 guests, or if guests will be drinking.

Nope! We only host one event per day so you have the space to yourselves. We also do not host tours or venue visits on wedding days. You and your guests will be the only ones on property for your rental period.

We do not offer rehearsals at the venue before your wedding. Our ceremony space is pretty straightforward, what’s most important in rehearsing is the people involved.

Dogs (no more than two) may be present during the ceremony only, must have a designated handler (may not be bride/groom), must be on a leash, and must be removed from the property once food is served. We know how important it is for your furry family members to be a part of your big day, but we wan’t to make sure they enjoy the day too, and are not stressed.

If you’re excited about bringing your pets to your wedding, we highly encourage booking I Chews You or Plus the Pups for day-of pet management.

At this time, we only allow full-day, 12-hour venue rentals.

No, never. We cannot allow any fireworks on the property, including sparklers. The fire danger varies greatly in our area, and we all want our beautiful mountains to remain green and safe for many lifetimes.

Do not plan to leave any vehicles overnight. We encourage you to plan ahead of time to shuttle guests in and ensure all drivers are very responsible. We by no means will allow anyone intoxicated to drive away from our property.

Music will need to stop no later than 9:45 p.m. so that all guests can be out at 10 p.m. Clean up will be from 10-11 p.m. and all guests, wedding party, and vendors must vacate the property by 11:00 p.m.

We know how early that sounds on paper, but promise it’s plenty of time to party it up!

Absolutely. There are some beautiful spots on the property for photos, just be advised the terrain is very rocky so you may want to bring more sensible shoes for getting to/from different photo spots.

Yes! Glad you asked.

Candles: Candles are allowed if the flame is fully contained (in a holder). Hanging candles are not allowed.

Hanging Lights & Drapery: Go for it! We have eyelet hooks throughout the venue for stringing lighting or other decor through the Great Hall. Please know that any lighting needs to be LED.

Hanging decor from the walls or ceiling: We allow florals/greenery to be hung from our chandeliers, and the use of Command Hooks/adhesives on our fireplace. We provide hooks around the inside of the building for hanging decor on the walls.

Nailing into the walls or using command hooks on the walls is not allowed.

No. All access starts at 11 a.m., doors will not be open until then. Please advise all deliveries of this policy.

All vendors are responsible for removing any trash they have brought in, and your caterer will be responsible for final cleaning of the Great Hall. We cannot store food waste on-site because it will attract bears and other unwelcome wildlife visitors.

On-site staff will assist in consolidating and storing trash during and directly after the event but vendors must be sure to remove everything. All personal items must be taken away with guests and the wedding party by 11 pm on the night of the event.

We encourage you to consider trash accumulation in your planning, and work to minimize waste at your event because we love the beautiful mountains we live in and we want to preserve the beauty! Every little effort counts.