Let's face it, outdoor wedding venues in Laramie and Cheyenne are super limited. They also book up faster than our summers here in Wyoming seem to fly by! First piece of advice, as SOON as you know your date, get a venue booked (along with a fabulous wedding photographer, of course).

Here are a few of our absolute favorites in the area.

1) Deerwood Ranch, Centennial, Wyoming

Outdoor wedding venue near Cheyenne & Laramie

Deerwood Ranch is an outdoor wedding venue near Laramie and Centennial. I love Deerwood Ranch because of the variety in outdoor spaces it offers. It has open spaces with incredible vistas of the Snowy Range Mountains, shade along the creek, a secluded meadow with gorgeous trees and views of the mountains, and the opportunity for a barn reception afterward. Deerwood also has a beautiful getting-ready space with gorgeous natural light. A couple words of warning.....the bugs can be really bad, so be sure to prepare for that. It seems if Laramie hasn't yet sprayed for mosquitos, this area is especially buggy.

2) Brooklyn Lodge, Centennial, Wyoming

Outdoor wedding venue near Laramie, WY

Many people know that St. Albans Chapel in the Snowy Range Mountains is a ceremony option. While I like St. Albans, I often miss tree cover at that venue, especially in summer months. Brooklyn Lodge has a great little meadow to think about for a ceremony location (see a full wedding with this set-up here). You will likely have to rent chairs, but it is a great option for a rustic, mountain wedding in the Snowies.

One thing to note....the lodge itself is tiny. It doesn't really allow for many people inside for a reception. Most of our receptions here have been chill, open-air receptions, with outside dancing followed by bonfires and s'mores. This works well once July has hit. Earlier than that, and you might have snow. There also isn't much in the way of lighting, so just keep in mind that things get dark real fast in the mountains. The star-gazing is unparalleled, however. Not sure if they'd let you set up a tent, but that might be a thought for a bit more cover later on.

If you're curious about St. Alban's Chapel followed by a Brooklyn Lodge reception, see one of our favorite past weddings, Amber and Matt's.

3) Horse Creek Cattle Company, Cheyenne, Wyoming

Outdoor wedding venue near Cheyenne, Wyoming

Horse Creek Cattle Company is a gorgeous mountain wedding venue just a short drive from Cheyenne. We absolutely adore the owner, Dave Berry, and the options for photos around this place are incredible. There is a beautiful stone house for getting ready, and the outdoor ceremony location is stunning. I love the pond adjacent to the ceremony location, as it offers beautiful color, great reflections, and lovely views.

The stone house is a picturesque structure that allows for beautiful getting ready photos and a great family photo spot on the porch if the wind is whipping.

One thing to note about Horse Creek Cattle Company is that the stone house isn't really meant to be a reception hall. Most couples who have larger weddings here opt for outdoor seating and dancing on the porch. I'd also ask if you could add some lightweight lanterns and string lights to the trees for extra light and ambience.

Lastly, because there isn't really a weather backup option, this venue needs to be for a solid July/August date. I don't think I'd book one here in early June, with our unpredictable Wyoming weather. I'm also not sure if they would allow a tent at this venue, but that may also be worth asking about. Most couples also book the trolley to get guests back to Cheyenne post-reception.

4) Laramie Plains Museum at the Ivinson Mansion and Alice Hardy Stevens Center, Laramie, Wyoming

First of all, the Ivinson Mansion in Laramie is a GREAT deal (you can rent out the entire place all day for $2750), and they've recently made some changes to the event space to make it bigger and even more beautiful. For overall value, it may need to be closer to the top of this list. I love venues that allow for the ceremony and reception to be in one place.

The Ivinson Mansion is a historic home turned museum close to downtown Laramie. It offers a beautiful garden on-property, along with a large lawn for ceremonies or receptions with a backup ceremony location inside the Alice Hardy Events Center. I've seen tents set up on the lawns, but I don't think you'd need to do that anymore, considering the recent updates and expansion of the Alice Hardy Stevens Center.

The new indoor area is incredible, with attention to aesthetics that many other reception venues don't offer. Brenna and Nik ended up moving their reception inside, and we loved how they had it set up.

If you rent out the whole property, you can take photos inside the mansion as well, or you can pay by the hour if you do one of their a la carte options.

The gardens outside are beautifully maintained.

5) St. Alban's Chapel, Medicine Bow National Forest, Centennial, Wyoming

St. Alban's Chapel, nestled in the Snowy Range Mountains near Brooklyn Lake, is a gem of an outdoor ceremony spot. It's super rugged and very exposed, so pick a late summer date, and make sure you think through all the logistics of planning a ceremony here. It can be covered in snow through June, for instance. We love it for its vistas and for the type of couples that seem to pick this spot. They are adventurers who love wide-open skies and Wyoming's rugged beauty.

Most couples have their receptions at Brooklyn Lodge (see above).

Happy planning! As always, feel free to reach out if you have specific questions about outdoor wedding venues in the Cheyenne or Laramie area. We'd love to chat with you!

For more information about logistics of planning both outdoor and indoor ceremonies, see this post. We also previously wrote in more depth about a few outdoor venues here.