Cadillac Jack's Gaming Resort
Ask us about a wedding here →Quick Facts
Photographer's Notes
MAIN STREET
Main Street runs along the bottom of a canyon, so there's depth in every direction, with soft light early and late in the day. Twenty minutes during cocktail hour is enough for it. If you want to set anything up on the public street, you'll need a special event permit from the city, applied for at least 45 days ahead.
MOUNT MORIAH
Mount Moriah is five minutes uphill and has views over the gulch that you can't see from the street. It's a cemetery first, and we act that way when we photograph there.
Planning a Wedding Here
Cadillac Jack's Gaming Resort puts your wedding in the middle of Deadwood, 55 to 60 minutes north of Rapid City on US-385. The event rooms handle the ceremony and reception without any permits or weather worry. The reason to marry here, though, is what is outside the door.
Main Street is the portrait session
Deadwood's Main Street runs along a canyon floor with the hills rising steeply on both sides, lined with Victorian storefronts and wooden sidewalks. Almost every direction you point a camera has depth and layers in it. Early morning and late afternoon give the soft, angled light that flatters all that aged wood and brick. Whatever we have already shot indoors, we almost always walk out to Main Street during cocktail hour. Give us 20 to 25 minutes on that street and we will hand back some of the most character-rich frames of your whole day. Couples are usually grinning by the second storefront.
One note on logistics: private event spaces need nothing, but anything staged on the public street itself needs a Special Event Permit from the City of Deadwood, applied for at least 45 days ahead through the city's Finance Office, (605) 578-2600. That one is yours to file, and we're happy to point you to the form, so tell us early if you are imagining a ceremony outdoors on Main.
The ridge above the town
Mount Moriah Cemetery sits five minutes up the hill, the burial place of Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, on a ridge looking back over Deadwood Gulch. The view from up there does not exist at street level, and the location is as specific to Deadwood as a photograph can get. It is an active historic site and we treat it that way. We mention it to every Cadillac Jack's couple in the planning call. Some pass. The ones who go come home with photos that could only have been made in Deadwood.
About the first week of August
The Sturgis Rally floods Deadwood during the first full week of August. Rooms triple in price, parking disappears, and Main Street becomes a very loud river of chrome. We have shot rally-week weddings and they can work, but it is a different day than the one most couples picture. If August is your month, take the back half. The week right after the rally is often the best of the whole summer here.
Getting ready happens at the resort, and the season stretches May through October, skipping that one loud week if you are wise. Coverage here usually runs nine to ten hours, though we can do anywhere from eight to twelve depending on what you need.
If Deadwood is your town, send us your date and we will plan the Main Street walk before anyone books a room.
Sample Timeline
| Time | Event | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 10:00 AM | Getting ready in hotel suite | SpringHill Suites rooms on-site; confirm suite inclusions with venue coordinator |
| 12:30 PM | Vendor arrival and setup in Roosevelt Room | Twelve-hour event window; coordinate load-in timing with venue; parking is manageable outside Sturgis week |
| 2:00 PM | Wedding party portraits — hotel interior and Main Street | Cover both the interior and the Victorian exterior while guests are not yet present |
| 3:00 PM | Ceremony in Roosevelt Room | Chandeliers are the primary light source; bring off-camera flash for moving subjects during reception |
| 4:00 PM | Cocktail hour / couple portraits on Main Street | 20–25 minutes outside captures Victorian streetscape, canyon hills; plan around afternoon sun angle in summer |
| 4:30 PM | Optional: Mount Moriah Cemetery portraits | 5-minute drive up the hill; ridge views of Deadwood Gulch; allow 20 minutes if including this |
| 5:00 PM | Reception in Roosevelt Room | Room divider can separate ceremony and reception configurations; confirm setup with venue |
Portrait Spots
FAQ
The location. Deadwood's historic Main Street is directly outside the event rooms: Victorian storefronts, canyon hills, and a century and a half of the American West. If the standard Rapid City ballroom setting does not distinguish your wedding images from any other hotel reception, Deadwood does. The venue fee also runs well below comparable Rapid City spaces, leaving more budget for everything else.
The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally runs the first full week of August every year and draws hundreds of thousands of visitors to the northern Black Hills. During rally week, Deadwood's Main Street becomes densely crowded, hotel rates spike, and parking gets complicated. We have worked in Deadwood during the rally; it is manageable but different. Outside of rally week, August in Deadwood is excellent. If your date is in early August, discuss the logistics with your coordinator before booking.
Yes. The resort complex includes SpringHill Suites by Marriott rooms, and bridal preparation suites are available as part of the wedding package. Having the getting-ready location and ceremony space in the same building or complex is always a timeline advantage — it removes transit time and a common source of late arrivals.
Room rental at Cadillac Jack's tends to run modest compared to Rapid City hotel ballrooms, but food and beverage minimums apply separately in a casino resort context — the real total includes those minimums. Ask the sales coordinator for the full breakdown before comparing to other venues.
The indoor Roosevelt Room is the confirmed ceremony space. Deadwood's canyon topography, with hills rising steeply on both sides of Main Street, limits flat outdoor event space in the immediate area. The resort does not have a dedicated outdoor ceremony lawn. If the outdoor ceremony is a priority, this venue is not the right match; if a distinctive indoor setting with remarkable exterior portrait access is the goal, it is worth a serious look.
Approximately 50 miles north on US-385, a 55–60 minute drive in normal traffic. The route takes you through the central Black Hills and into the northern canyon country. It is a commutable distance for Rapid City vendors, though some may add a travel fee. For guests, Deadwood is a destination in its own right — the casino resort setting means most out-of-town guests are happy to stay in Deadwood for the weekend rather than driving back to Rapid City the same night.
Our collections show what each one covers and what it costs. Tell us about your day and we'll help you work out what it needs.