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Weddings
Custer State Park is one of the Black Hills' premier destination wedding venues. Contact our event planning team by filling out a contact form or calling 605-255-4672 to receive quotes and lock in a date.
We host a number of ceremonies and receptions each year, so brides and grooms may rest assured that our staff knows just what to do when the big day arrives.
From an intimate family celebration to a spectacular Black Hills bash, Custer State Park is the perfect setting for your special day. With our staff on hand to guide you every step of the way, we can effortlessly transform your vision into memories that last a lifetime. Browse our wedding venues, catering options, and connect with a member of our sales & catering team by filling out a request form or calling 605-255-4672.
A fresh breeze, constant wildlife watching, and the distinct smell of Black Hills ponderosa pine...this is why you chose Custer State Park. Take it all in at our Pavilion & Lover's Leap Deck.
"Words cannot express the gratitude we feel for all the work you did to make K and T's wedding special. Every detail was managed to perfection and executed flawlessly. We knew we were in professional hands, but you far exceeded our expectations."
– Mother of the Bride, Sylvan Lake Lodge
Catering
Our professional catering team prepare a wide range of delicious dishes with quality ingredients. Explore options for your big day that every guest will love.
Make your wedding a destination experience, and your guests will be retelling the stories for years to come. Wildlife encounters, daily live entertainment, and unlimited dining & outdoor activities await in Custer State Park, and long sunshine-filled days followed by peaceful nights (around a cozy cabin campfire, of course) bring guests back to a simpler time. The 71,000-acre wildlife preserve is bustling with energy for your big day. Reach our events team at 605-255-4672 or via the contact form to start planning your summer Black Hills destination wedding in Custer State Park.
There’s nothing quite like the stark beauty of a winter wedding in the woods. Winter wedding receptions can be booked November through mid-April at the State Game Lodge. Receptions are held in the Historic Dining Room, with ceremonies in the Event Barn.
During that time, you can take advantage of reduced sleeping room rentals for you and your guests at Creekside Lodge, and a few select cabins, including the Reunion Cabin. Reach our events team at 605-255-4672 or via the contact form to start planning your event.
Book your 2025 wedding of 75 guests or more between September 15 and January 31, 2025 to be eligible for a Deluxe S'Mores Station Enhancement Station Add-on.
When it comes to chosing your wedding destination, it is always worth a call to check. If you are flexible on your date, we can often times find something that works for you even with not much notice.
Absolutely. While Saturdays are always popular, we often see Friday/Sunday weddings in the Park because of it being a destination location. It can help your guests to make a mini-family vacation out of their visit, which helps them kill two birds with one stone in their travel costs (always nice!) We see lots of encouragement to "Come, enjoy the Hills on your own that weekend before our wedding finale on Sunday," and then guests travel home on Monday. (Most who travel any distance will have to take at least one weekday off, anyway, just to come for the wedding. This way, they are taking a day, but also getting a day or two to themselves). The same concept can apply to Fridays, as well.
We want your guests to stay with us in our resort cabins and lodge rooms for the full destination experience. Because Custer State Park Resort is a high-demand destination location, we will set you up a small courtesy hold at the time of booking. Rooms are held for a maximum of 90 days. This way, you can get the word out to your guests in your save-the-dates right away, giving them the best chance to call in and get a unit and unit type that they prefer. This method also makes it so you don't have to be held accountable for any rooms that don't book; at the end of the hold period, any rooms that aren't used will simply get released and will be placed back in available inventory.
Yes! These group cabins are a great option to house your wedding party or family for the week or weekend. They have designer kitchens, multiple beds/baths, and make fantastic hospitality suites.
While the Pavilion has a Bridal Changing Room, the other facilities do not. We advise you to use your rented resort cabin or lodge room and get ready there. The Reservations staff can help you find one that best suits your needs when you call 888-875-0001 to reserve that room.
Also, we suggest renting it for the night before the wedding and the night of, so you have it for the time that you need. Make note of check-in and check-out times; they are strongly enforced.
The primary reason for having a cocktail hour is to give your guests some mingling time before going straight to dinner. For a wedding, this purpose is two-fold. Often times, you will have a few final photos with your photographer immediately following your ceremony, and having a bar (if you chose to have alcohol available) and hors d'oeuvres out for your guests, along with some light entertainment, will often help to keep them entertained while you and the family are detained for a bit finishing up those last photos.
We suggest a cocktail hour be no more than that—one hour at most. Forty-five minutes seems to be a sweet spot. If you let it go for longer, you risk guests getting hungry (and potentially cranky...no one wants cranky guests!) To help keep your guests happy and keep the cocktail hour brief, we strongly encourage that you plan to take at least the majority of your photos prior to the ceremony. This also helps you to be more relaxed during that time, which makes for better photos.
That is a great question for your photographer. We see all ranges...some will just plan on taking photos a couple hours prior to the ceremony and just find some great photo spots on-site; others will want to explore other lodges or scenic spots throughout the Park, and will be out with their photographer all morning. Either way, we strongly advise doing at least the majority of your photos prior to the ceremony, so you aren't holding up your guests at dinner while getting that perfect shot.
As we are in a State Park, mandatory quiet hours are set as follows:
A fresh breeze, constant wildlife watching, and the distinct smell of Black Hills ponderosa pine...this is why you chose Custer State Park. Take it all in at our Pavilion & Lover's Leap Deck.
Featuring the new adjoining Lakeview Deck, the Auditorium's all-wood interior with floor-to-ceiling windows shines like never before.
Our Team Is Here For You
We know planning a wedding is a lot of work—but it's worth it. Our team is highly skilled at organizing weddings down to the finest details. Let us handle the planning so you can focus on your loved ones.
