Hudson Gardens Wedding Venue

If you’re looking for a Colorado wedding venue that gives you beautiful gardens, lots of variety for photos, and easy access from Denver without requiring your guests to drive into the mountains, Hudson Gardens deserves a spot on your list.

As a Colorado wedding photographer, I love venues with a variety of backdrops and vibes. Hudson Gardens definitely falls into that category. With 30 acres of gardens, ponds, pathways, mature trees, open lawns, and multiple ceremony and reception spaces, you can get a surprising amount of variety without ever having to load everyone into a shuttle.

Here’s my honest guide to getting married at Hudson Gardens in Littleton, Colorado — including pricing, capacity, logistics, photo opportunities, and a few things I think you should know before signing a contract.

Where is Hudson Gardens?

Hudson Gardens & Event Center is located at:

6115 S. Santa Fe Drive
Littleton, CO 80120

It’s just south of Denver and minutes from downtown Littleton, making it a particularly convenient option for couples who want a garden wedding without sending their guests into the mountains.

The property is also open to the public throughout the year, with free garden admission from sunrise to sunset. Private events can result in portions or all of the property being closed, though, so your wedding day experience will be different from simply visiting the gardens on a random Saturday afternoon.

There’s free on-site parking in several surface lots, which is a huge plus for guests.

How much does it cost to get married at Hudson Gardens?

This is one of the questions I hear constantly when couples are venue shopping, so let’s talk numbers.

Hudson Gardens currently uses hourly rental pricing, with rates varying depending on the season, day of the week, and whether you’re renting during the daytime or evening.

Peak-season pricing

Peak season is May through October and December.

Day	Daytime	Evening
Monday–Thursday	$250/hour	$400/hour
Friday or Sunday	$475/hour	$625/hour
Saturday	$600/hour	$750/hour

Off-peak pricing

Off-peak season is January through April and November.

Day	Daytime	Evening
Monday–Thursday	$200/hour	$325/hour
Friday or Sunday	$400/hour	$475/hour
Saturday	$450/hour	$575/hour

These are the venue’s currently published rental rates, so I would still ask Hudson Gardens for a quote for your specific date and setup before putting together your final wedding budget.

The rental fee includes tables and chairs, two dressing areas, a catering preparation area, and parking. Catering, bar services, linens, décor, and your other vendors are booked separately.

Hudson Gardens requires 50% of the rental fee at signing, and that deposit is non-refundable. A $500 damage deposit and the remaining rental balance are due at least 30 days before the event.

How many people can Hudson Gardens accommodate?

One of the biggest advantages of Hudson Gardens is that there isn’t just one room with one capacity.

The property has several event spaces, so your guest count and overall wedding vision can help determine which spaces make the most sense.

The Inn — up to 175 guests

The Inn is Hudson Gardens’ historic log cabin, originally built by King and Evelyn Hudson in 1941. It’s surrounded by evergreen trees and gardens and is available year-round.

Capacity: 175

There is also additional outdoor space behind the Inn that can be used for ceremonies, cocktail hour, and other parts of your wedding day.

Bloom Room — up to 150 guests

The Bloom Room is the newer, more modern option. It has natural wood beams and trusses, wrap-around windows, and walls that can roll up to create more of an open-air feeling.

Capacity: 150

It also has dressing rooms and a catering prep area and is available year-round.

Pavilion — up to 150 guests

The Pavilion is an open-air reception space and is often paired with Monet’s Place for weddings.

Capacity: 150

It’s available February 1 through August 31, so this is one to keep in mind if you’re considering a fall wedding.

Monet’s Place — up to 150 guests

If garden wedding is the phrase that makes your heart happy, you’re probably going to want to see Monet’s Place.

Inspired by Claude Monet’s famous garden scenes, it’s one of Hudson Gardens’ most popular ceremony locations.

Capacity: 150

It’s also available February 1 through August 31.

Overlook — up to 50 guests

The Overlook is a much smaller, more tucked-away outdoor space.

Capacity: 50

It’s ideal for smaller ceremonies, cocktail hours, or intimate gatherings and is available February 1 through August 31.

Rose Garden — up to 175 guests

The Rose Garden is another popular ceremony location and backs up to the garden and an oval fountain.

Capacity: 175

It’s available February 1 through October 31, which makes it a particularly interesting option for spring through early-fall weddings.

What are the best ceremony locations?

This really depends on the look you’re going for.

Monet’s Place is the obvious choice if you want that romantic, garden-party feel.

The Rose Garden is another beautiful option, especially if you love flowers and a more traditional garden ceremony backdrop.

The Overlook makes more sense for couples having a smaller wedding or wanting something a little more secluded.

And if you’re planning a ceremony and reception at different locations, Hudson Gardens has the advantage of allowing you to create a wedding day that feels like multiple settings rather than one room from start to finish.

What is Hudson Gardens like for wedding photos?

This is where Hudson Gardens really shines.

The property has 30 acres of gardens, pathways, water features, mature trees, open spaces, and multiple garden areas, so your wedding portraits don’t have to consist of standing in front of the same ceremony arch for 45 minutes.

Some of my favorite types of backdrops here include:

• Garden paths surrounded by greenery
• Water features and ponds
• The Rose Garden
• Mature trees and evergreens
• Bridges and garden structures
• Open lawns
• Seasonal flowers
• More shaded, tucked-away areas for softer portraits

There are also plenty of options for family photos and wedding party photos without necessarily having to hike half a mile to get there.

And that matters more than you might think.

Your wedding day is already a lot of moving pieces. A venue where you can get gorgeous portraits without spending your entire cocktail hour driving somewhere else is a very good thing.know what type of photography permit you’ll need.

One very important thing: a coordinator is required.

Hudson Gardens requires all weddings to have a professional day-of coordinator.

You can choose from their preferred vendors or bring in your own coordinator.

As a photographer, I’m actually a fan of this requirement.

A wedding day has enough moving parts without asking your best friend, aunt, mom, or cousin to become the unofficial logistics manager. A good coordinator keeps the timeline moving, handles vendor questions, cues the ceremony, and generally makes sure you and your photographer aren’t the people trying to solve every problem that pops up.

Your photographer should be taking pictures.

Your coordinator should be figuring out where the cake is.

Everyone wins.

A few logistical things couples should know

There are a handful of Hudson Gardens policies worth knowing before you book.

Decorating and setup

All decorating, setup, and teardown need to happen during your scheduled rental window.

There are also restrictions on things like confetti, flower petals, birdseed, glitter, sparklers, fireworks, staking, and attaching décor to plants or containers. Open flames aren’t permitted, either.

So if you’re envisioning a Pinterest board that includes 600 candles hanging from trees and flower petals dramatically flying through the air…you may want to adjust the vision slightly.

Alcohol

Hudson Gardens has specific alcohol policies, including no cash bars, requirements around bartenders checking IDs, restrictions on shots and straight spirits, and a required soft close to the bar 30 minutes before the event ends.

Definitely read the alcohol policies before you book your caterer and bar service so there aren’t any surprises later.

Pets

Only licensed service animals are generally allowed at Hudson Gardens, although dogs may be permitted during booked wedding ceremonies with prior approval.

If your dog is a non-negotiable member of the wedding party — and I completely understand — this is something to ask about early.

Tours

Tours are available by appointment, and Hudson Gardens also offers virtual tours of the event spaces.

I would absolutely tour the venue in person if you’re seriously considering it. It’s one thing to look at photos online and another to walk the property and imagine how your actual wedding day will flow.

Tour of a Hudson Gardens Wedding

Check out this real wedding day at Hudson Gardens! This day was in mid October so the fall colors were in full swing. The ceremony was held in the Rose Garden and the reception was in the massive and newly remodeled, Bloom Room.

Getting Ready

Getting ready spaces at Hudson Gardens are quite small– so most couples get ready off site and then do finishing touches on location. The main cabin rooms are located steps from the Bloom Room, making transportation a breeze.

Ceremony

There are several ceremony spaces available at Hudson Gardens, but my favorite is the Rose Garden. It features a dramatic, long center aisle so you can have an unforgettable reveal at the altar. There is space for large wedding gatherings but it can also accommodate more intimate days perfectly well too. One of my favorite things is the afternoon lighting– the ceremony space faces West meaning, you get that gorgeous glowy sunset glow as you say your “I do’s”.

Cocktail Hour

Cocktail Hour is held right outside the Bloom room on the main lawn. It’s not a far walk at all from the ceremony space, so it will be accessible for most guests. There is tons of room for your guests to spread out, take photos and enjoy their drinks. And of course, they are welcome to also explore the gardens.

Photo Spots

There are truly so many different locations and backdrops for couples photos, family photos and wedding party photos at Hudson Gardens. You are absolutely spoiled for choice. I really love the iconic red barn, which isn’t too far of a walk from the Bloom Room. It has such a whimsical feel and really made an impact in photos. Of course this wedding being in October meant that trees were in their fall colored glory– always a perk! So definitely take that into consideration if booking a wedding November-May.

Reception

I really loved photographing reception events in the Bloom Room. It had huge vaulted ceilings and doors that could be opened if the weather permitted. There was so much space for a larger guest count wedding without things feeling cramped. The black iron really allowed for a blank canvas no matter what your decoration visions are.

The pros of getting married at Hudson Gardens

The gardens are genuinely beautiful.

This may seem obvious given the name, but it matters. You’re not spending a bunch of money on a venue and then having to bring in $10,000 worth of décor to make it feel pretty.

The landscaping does a lot of the work for you.

There are tons of photo opportunities.

From a photographer’s perspective, this is one of the biggest selling points.

You can get variety without spending a huge chunk of your day driving around Denver.

It’s convenient.

You get the garden setting without mountain-venue logistics.

That’s a big deal for guests coming from out of town, older family members, or anyone who doesn’t want to navigate a mountain pass in formalwear.

There are multiple venue options.

You’re not locked into one room. The Inn, Bloom Room, Pavilion, Monet’s Place, Rose Garden, and Overlook all have different capacities and personalities.

It works for a variety of wedding sizes.

Whether you’re planning something intimate or a celebration with up to around 175 guests in some spaces, there are options.

The venues are available in different seasons.

The Inn and Bloom Room are available year-round, while some of the outdoor spaces have seasonal availability.

That’s helpful if you love Hudson Gardens but aren’t committed to a summer wedding.

The cons of Hudson Gardens

No venue is perfect, and I think it’s important to talk about that, too.

It’s a public garden.

Hudson Gardens is not an exclusive private estate where nobody else will ever be around.

It’s a public garden that’s also used for private events. Depending on your date and the specific areas being used, you may encounter other visitors or public activity elsewhere on the property. Private events can also cause portions or all of the gardens to close.

If complete privacy is your number-one priority, I’d ask a lot of questions about exactly which areas are reserved for your wedding.

You have more vendors to coordinate.

Because catering, bar, décor, linens, and other vendors are booked separately, you have more freedom — but also more planning.

This is where having a great coordinator becomes especially valuable.

Some spaces are seasonal.

If you’ve fallen completely in love with Monet’s Place or the Pavilion, pay attention to those February 1–August 31 availability windows.

Likewise, the Rose Garden is listed as available through October 31.

Don’t assume that because the gardens are open year-round, every wedding space is.

What kind of couple is Hudson Gardens best for?

I’d recommend Hudson Gardens to couples who want:

A garden wedding without a mountain drive.

Lots of natural beauty without having to heavily decorate the venue.

A venue with strong photo opportunities.

Flexibility in choosing vendors.

A wedding that feels outdoorsy and romantic without being rustic or barn-focused

My photographer’s take

If I were helping a couple narrow down their Colorado venue list, Hudson Gardens would absolutely make the cut for couples who prioritize beautiful photos and a convenient guest experience.

The biggest thing I’d encourage you to do is think about how you want your wedding day to feel, not just what you want the venue to look like.

Hudson Gardens gives you a lot to work with. You can have an outdoor garden ceremony, wander through the property for portraits, enjoy cocktail hour outside, and then move into a beautiful reception space without completely changing locations.

That’s a really nice combination.

And from the photography side of things, I love venues where I can take you somewhere that feels different for portraits without making you spend 45 minutes of your wedding day in a car.

Because at the end of the day, I want your wedding photos to feel like you had an amazing wedding day, not like we spent six hours running around trying to collect pretty backdrops.

Hudson Gardens makes that part pretty easy.

Planning a Colorado wedding? Choosing your venue is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make, and it affects everything from your timeline to your guest experience to your wedding photos. If you’re considering Hudson Gardens, I’d recommend touring the property with your actual wedding-day priorities in mind — not just asking whether you like the ballroom.

Look at where you’ll get ready. Walk the ceremony-to-reception route. Ask about rain plans. Look at where your guests will park. And, most importantly, imagine yourself actually getting married there.

Because the prettiest venue on Instagram isn’t necessarily the best venue for your wedding.

And that’s what matters.

If you’re getting married at Hudson Gardens, send me a message! I’d love to chat with you!

Meet Leah

A Colorado wedding photographer and big fan of Hudson Gardens

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