Required Chairlift ride?

I went to a wedding recently that was on the top of a mountain. They had the enclosed chairlift which wasn't horrible. I'm terrified of heights and was panicked but it was about a 10 minute ride up and I survived! There weren't many elderly guests and their were about 4 children (all under 5).

ETA: The ceremony AND reception were at the top of the mountain. It was beautiful!

OP if you're concerned about cash then delete your b, c, d etc lists. just go with that 75 and you'll be good.

The more I read these comments, the more convinced I am that this is a bad plan. There are multiple issues that can come up for guests. You should be prioritizing guest comfort and safety ahead of a dream location.

Again, I would change the location of the ceremony and just do photos at the top of the mountain.

I would be cheering you from the bottom of said mountain.

Unless I heard about the b listing in which case I would let you have my spot(s) for the whole thing.

Sorry, it all sounds beautiful but more and more also sounds very inconvenient for your guests.

Is there no way for you to rent vehicles to drive up the mountain? Since it seems to be scale-able for the emergency ones.

This is nonsense. Seriously, total and complete nonsense. What you are doing is opposite of accommodating - you want your mountain top ceremony, so thats where you're having it - comfort of guests be damned - and you even have a B-list waiting if people decline because of it!

I had my heart set on getting married on the beach, but I realized that it would be a parking nightmare for my guests, and elderly family members would have a terrible time walking in the soft sand. Instead, we're getting married on the soundside of the island and hiring a shuttle. We're paying more, but we're actually accommodating our guests. I suggest you do the same.

Nope .... I would do it (I've done it to ski), but I don't know about my husband?. He could stay below with our baby, my 90 year old grandmother, my disabled (wheelchair) father, and my mother, who just had back surgery.

I see 10 weddings a week go up on the Gondola. It's a great plan - with a gondola.

This sounds terrible logistically. One chair lift for everyone is going to take forever. Your guests will be waiting in line for the lift, the first ones on will be waiting at the top forever. Same with going back down. What are you going to do if it's pouring rain? You should have factored the gondola into your budget when you decided on this particular ceremony.

@nin_rms - can you tell us what resort? Fellow CO bride here and almost ALL the resorts I looked at had an option for the elderly, kids or those afraid of heights to take a bus up the location. Even though they're service roads for most of the year, they typically will allow vans up the roads for weddings.

I would push it with your coordinator when they get back. They may not be the most forthcoming with the option but it should definitely be there.

I was going to come in with what Brooke said, a lot of these places will allows 4x4s to drive up there in the summer.

Cut the tiered lists and use the money towards paying the $3000 for enclosed gondola. That is the way to accommodate your guests.

ETA: Brooke's suggestion is also a great idea. See if they will accommodate that request.

I have never recommended a tiered reception before,but in this case I think you have 3 options:

1) proceed with plan and deal with the fact that some people may voluntarily miss the ceremony or decline to attend altogether

2) move the ceremony to a different location and take pictures at the top of the mountain (best option IMO)

3) have an intimate ceremony (you, FH, parents and siblings if they are down with the ski lift idea) at the top of the mountain and meet the rest of the guests at the reception. Again, I usually consider this type of tiered wedding rude but in this case if your heart is set on the top of the mountain, i would not compromise the health, safety, and mental health (for those anxious/afraid of heights, etc.) of 75 people.

also, please dont have a B list. Those invited after the original invitees decline will know and they WILL be offended.

Yikes. I ski, but I am unsure about using a chairlift in wedding attire. You mentioned that people are from all over the country. This East coast girl doesn't experience that kind of elevation--ever! Especially not at a swift climb! I'd expect that many of your guests will be in the same boat. I think you need to find the money for the gondola. Cut back wherever you can, or expect that not everyone will attend your ceremony, and some people will be ill from the altitude.

Holly has a great idea about vehicles. We used to cut firewood at our ski area when I was a kid and could drive a pick-up up an access road to the top. The resort should be able to tell you if that's an option and you could rent 15 passenger vans or SUV's for a lot less than $3k. I'd be interested to see if any posters here, or your guests, wouldn't ride a gondola before I revamped the budget to pay for one. I can't imagine being uncomfortable with an enclosed gondola, but height-fearing people might.

This is a romantic idea, but like pps have aaid, not very logistical. Ask your coordinator about vans instead. If that's not an option and you care more about the venue being perfect than your guest's comfort, just be prepared for fewer people to attend.

Is the reception also at the top of the mountain?

If it's your guys dream ceremony then keep it. Most will be fine on a chairlift.

I really appreciate everyone's advice, and especially those who are being kind. I certainly don't mean to come across as selfish or rude, and perhaps this was a terrible first post to write, as the huge stress that lead to this moment hasn't been published on here (and all of the circumstances leading to a "destination wedding"). In fact, I'm not quite sure how to respond to many of you, but I did read everyone's comments.

I will definitely push with my coordinator about alternate options -- this is in Keystone, and it is only the ceremony at the top; the reception is back at base level.

I hope I didn't insinuate originally that most people are terrified to be coming / riding the chairlift-- I've had one nervous aunt, and our friends with kids haven't even expressed concern; I was trying to anticipate possible issues and think about everything. (For instance, our wedding website already has an entire page dedicated to altitude sickness, what to do, how to prevent, etc.) I loved CO Bride's idea about having a page dedicated to riding chairlifts, what this one in particular will look like, etc.

I think you should consider if the guests skipping because of the chairlift are more important than the ceremony location. I would be afraid to ride the chair life especially in wedding attire.

Also - tiered guests lists are rude. If they aren't important enough to make list 1 then they shouldn't be invited. People generally find out when they are b-listed.

My cousin got married in Breckenridge and although it was pretty, our family all comes from sea level (FL, NY, RI and Seattle) so we were miserable. No one drank and they had a hard time meeting F&B minimums because only their friends from Denver could let loose. Everyone else felt sick. They rented SUVs that we had to take up since it was two lifts up the mountain and regular cars weren't allowed. I know for sure that my mom would not get on the chair lift even if you drugged her. She is that afraid of heights. Do the gondola, and highly suggest guests come at least a day early to acclimate. If they've never experienced it, they may not believe you, but altitude sickness is real. My poor aunt (a heavy smoker) spent 3 days holding onto things because she felt dizzy and like she was in a boat. She couldn't wait to get back down to Denver.