Weddings at Garden of the Gods Resort.
Red rock, Pikes Peak, and a ceremony setting that does not need decorating. Few venues in Colorado give a photograph this much to work with before anyone has arranged a single flower.
The setting
Garden of the Gods Resort and Club sits on the ridge above the park it is named for, which means two of Colorado most recognisable landmarks, the red rock formations and Pikes Peak, sit in the same frame behind you. That is unusual. Most venues offer one view. This one offers a horizon.
It also means the property photographs completely differently at either end of the day. Red sandstone holds warm light and amplifies it, so early morning and the last hour before the ridgeline cuts the sun are extraordinary. Between roughly eleven and three, the same rock goes flat and the sky blows out. A timeline built without accounting for that gives away the best thing the venue has.
Where the ceremonies happen
The Reflection Pool is the signature ceremony setting and seats around two hundred and twenty. Water, red rock and mountain in one line of sight is the reason couples choose this property, and it is worth protecting that view in the seating plan and the timeline rather than treating it as a backdrop that will simply be there.
Where the receptions happen
The Three Graces Ballroom and Terrace carries about two hundred and pairs a glass walled foyer with a private terrace, fire and water features. The View at Kissing Camels holds around one hundred and twenty and looks out over the course toward Pikes Peak. The Garden Room and Terrace seats about one hundred and divides for smaller groups, and the Hill Room and Terrace is the intimate option at around forty, round, with picture windows and its own terrace.
Terraces are the opportunity here. Every one of these rooms opens to outside light, which means cocktail hour and the first part of the evening can happen in natural light rather than under a ceiling. We plan for that rather than waiting for it.
How we plan a day here
We walk the property before the wedding and time the light against the specific spaces a couple has chosen, then mark the two or three positions we will use when the light is at its best. On the day we are not searching for a location. We are moving to one we already chose.
We work the way a property of this standard expects. Early arrival, out of guest sightlines, coordinating with the events team rather than around them, full liability coverage and redundant equipment as standard.
A note on this page
We have not yet photographed a wedding at Garden of the Gods Resort, and we will not illustrate this guide with anyone else work or with stock imagery. When we photograph here, the frames will be ours and they will appear on this page. Everything written above comes from planning weddings in this light, on this side of Colorado Springs, since 2009.
Some moments deserve more than a memory.
If Garden of the Gods Resort is where your day will happen, we would be glad to walk it with you.
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