Hey there! This is the North Star Gatherings story.
Photo by The Love Club
We are Evin and Barry Urban. We met during college at Penn State through a mutual friend (Barry’s childhood friend turned Evin’s best friend) and were married at Evin's mother's beautiful property, Blue Moon Rising on Deep Creek Lake, MD. The day was so fun, magical and perfect, our guests have been telling us for years that it was the best wedding they have ever attended.
After moving from the East Coast to Denver, we fell in love with the mountains and decided we could share the magic of our wedding day by starting our own venue. Starting in 2017, we began the process of securing land, rezoning our mountain property, blasting lots of rock, and building North Star Gatherings. A few years and two kids later, we officially opened the venue in 2020.
Our forest property sits on a variety of mining claims, and the now-defunct mine the venue is above was called the “North Star Mining Claim”, giving us our name.
We hope to share our passion for connecting with people and nature by providing a magical and unique space, powered solely by the sun and completely surrounded by our beloved mountains, for you to gather and celebrate with your loved ones. We consider it an honor to serve as the backdrop for such a special day.
Thank you for joining our journey!
Meet our Team!
What they say is true: it takes a village! We love our team. They are the heart and soul of North Star Gatherings, working weddings, responding to inquiries, and providing exceptional and personal service to each and every couple.
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Client Experience & Brand Manager
Sydney is the nuts and bolts of North Star Gatherings. She works with every single couple at the venue, and you will occasionally see her at a wedding, if you’re lucky!
What started out as a freelance relationship managing our social media, turned into us snatching her away from her marketing career to work full time with us at the venue!
From thoughtfully replying to every single email, phone call, DM, and walkthrough, she ensures the back-end operations of North Star Gatherings are running smoothly and our awesome couples feel cared for every step of the way. She keeps us organized, and we love her creative mind, hard work, and fun sense of humor.
She’s a lover of travel, yoga, reading, and rock climbing, speaks fluent French, and works remotely all over the world, hopping on a plane whenever she can. She and her husband, Ethan were married in 2020 and love exploring the world together.
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Lead Venue Manager
After a few years managing a boutique coffee shop, Audrey decided to bring her love for people and a party to the venue and we aren’t mad about it! You will see her working weddings at North Star Gatherings and giving tours.
Audrey is the venue hype man who keeps us young. She is a lover of coffee, and enjoys hiking, running and swimming. If you want to get excited about the outdoors, Audrey will do it with you! She googles literally everything (because internet knowledge is power), reads mystery novels, and really enjoys staying active.
Audrey’s super power is knowing literally all the songs. Ask her about music and you can connect for hours. We love having Audrey on our team!
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Venue Manager
Amber is a passionate event professional with over a decade of experience in the wedding industry, primarily as a wedding planner.. Her journey began in the world of bridal fashion, where she cultivated an eye for detail and a sense of style. You will see her working weddings and giving tours.
A Colorado native, Amber married her husband in 2016 at Space Gallery in Denver and has been enjoying married life along with their beloved furry companions ever since! As a self-proclaimed homebody she enjoys time alone but also loves nature and finds solace being in the mountains!
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Venue Manager
Julie is our resident yogi and Siamese kitty mother. She moved to Colorado a decade ago and has never looked back, spending her free time snowboarding, hiking, paddleboarding, camping, playing pickleball or mahjong, and loving the mountains.
By day, she’s a quality engineer, and by weekend, she’s absorbed by the beautiful mountains at the venue. In 2024, she received her yoga teaching certification in Costa Rica.
We love having her on our team!
Photo by Gaby Scheer Photo.