Pioneer Park Stanley Idaho Wedding Location In-Depth Overview

Pioneer Park is an excellent spot in Stanley to have your wedding ceremony and/or reception. Reserving the park is easy and super cost effective and there’s a stunning view of the Sawtooth Mountains. With the information gathered below we’ll help you decide if Pioneer Park is the right fit for you and your partner’s wedding.

Location

Pioneer Park is located right outside of the middle of Stanley and is a super quick drive from town. This also makes it easy to get ready wherever you’re staying in Stanley and then hop over quickly for the ceremony. The park is located on top of a small hill and you don’t quite feel like you’re right in the heart of town.

Pioneer Park Wedding Cost

Deciding to have your wedding at Pioneer Park is a super cost-effective way to have your wedding in Stanley. The cost for reserving the park for 1-100 people is only $350 for the entire day and the cost for 100-300 people is only $500 for the entire day. If you choose to have a tent set up, we highly recommend the ballpark. It is a little bit more expensive, (1-100 people for $1,000 and prices go up from there) but make’s the perfect place to to have both your ceremony and reception. Thanks to the super low cost of reserving the park for your wedding day you’re able to allow more budget for travel, lodging, and your vendors like photographers/videographers, hair, makeup, and your dress/suit. HERE’S a link to more information on booking the park for your day.

Pioneer Park is definitely a stellar choice to also have your ceremony and reception at. There is one restaurant in town that we know of that hosts receptions, these being the MOUNTAIN VILLAGE RESORT. Mountain Village also do provide catering options, so we highly recommend reaching out to them. STANLEY SUPPER CLUB will occasionally allow for receptions of 50 or less guests in their building, however at this time they are not offering catering services for big weddings at this time. (The Stanley Supper Club is absolutely delicious and our favorite restaurant in Stanley!!).

Other Things to Note

If you’re looking to have your wedding at Pioneer Park and don’t want to worry as much about weather we recommend late-May through Mid-October as this is the best weather period in Stanley. It’s definitely possible to do it in the winter or early spring but be prepared for very cold temps, rain, and snow!

Another great option is to have your ceremony at the Sawtooth Meditation Chapel (which is right next door) and then have your reception at Pioneer Park. This is what the couple in the photos seen above decided to do, and the Meditation Chapel is another great spot for ceremonies. CHECK OUT OUR IN-DEPTH GUIDE ON THE MEDITATION CHAPEL for more details.

While we haven’t gotten the opportunity to photograph a wedding at the Pioneer Ballpark, we almost had our wedding reception here! Unfortunatley there was another big wedding happening in town the only weekend we could, so we had to shift our plans. Let this be your sign to book the park, but also make sure you secure as much lodging as early as possible for your guests!

Pro’s and Con’s of Pioneer Park

Pro’s:

• A gorgeous Sawtooth Mountain backdrop
• Possible to have both a small and intimate wedding or a larger wedding
• Super close to the rest of Stanley
• Makes for beautiful photos and videos

Con’s:

• You’re pretty much on your own as far as the location goes (no venue staff to help with anything)
• The weather can be very cold and variable after October
• Expensive travel fees for most vendors to get up to Stanley, while you are saving money on the venue you may be spending 1-2k per vendor just to get them up to Stanley
• Can be limited lodging for large groups if there are any other events (such as weddings or festivals) or holidays

The pro’s certainly heavily outweigh the con’s, and Pioneer Park is probably the best combination of a great view and a low cost that you’re going to find in pretty much all of Idaho. We love capturing weddings here because the backdrop is stunning and Stanley is a lovely place. There’s also tons to do in the Stanley area so you and your families will have lots to explore while you’re there. We absolutely love Stanley, and if you’re having any hesitations about having your wedding in Stanley we can say without a doubt that it’s a great idea.

Summary

Location	2 minute drive from the middle of Stanley
Pricing	$350+ for the picnic area, $1,000+ for the ballpark area
Highlights	Stunning view of the Sawtooth Mountains, Intimate, Lower cost than a venue