Romantic Garden of the Gods Elopement

Elopement

This romantic Garden of the Gods Elopement was filled with so many sweet and intentional moments. From the personal details they included to meaningful moments shared with family. Brandon and Kate’s elopement day was definitely one to remember.

Garden of the Gods is located in Colorado Springs, Colorado. It was discovered in 1859 by a group of surveyors looking to build Colorado City. After years of being privately owned and protected, in 1909, it was officially decided it would always be a park open to the public. Since then it has become a National Landmark and welcomes thousands of tourists every year. It gets it’s names from one of the surveyors, Rufus Cable, who exclaimed “Why it is a fit place for the Gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods.” upon discovering it. Besides this beautiful landscape being a tourist destination, it’s a popular spot to get married. Undoubtedly, Garden of the Gods’ iconic 300ft sandstone rock formations make for a beautiful elopement ceremony backdrop!

Keep reading to learn more and be inspired by this intimate Garden of the Gods elopement day!

couple overlooking Pikes Peak on their elopement day

Firstly, I wanted to share a little more about Brandon and Kate’s love story. They met at a yoga studio in Ohio – Kate was teaching the class, and Brandon was attending it. After that, the rest is history. When they got engaged, they decided to celebrate their marriage with an adventure in one of their favorite places – the Garden of the Gods.

To start their elopement day, they got ready with their immediate family and friends at Pikes View Lodge. Everyone stayed there, got ready, and even ended the night there with an intimate dinner celebration. Overall, it was the perfect place for their elopement day celebration!

getting ready for her garden of the gods elopement

For her “something borrowed,” Kate wore some of her mom’s jewelry. She also had custom earrings made to match her bouquet!

Before their first look, Kate gifted Brandon a pocket square made from the material of her wedding dress. It was such a sweet touch to his wedding attire!

In addition to the pocket square, Brandon’s mom gifted him his late grandfather’s ring. It was a very heartfelt, emotional moment that had everyone in tears.

During their elopement ceremony, they performed a hand-fasting ceremony. It’s a Celtic tradition where the couple’s hands are tied together to symbolize the tying together of two lives. While the ceremony was happening, it started raining, and was truly so magical. In Irish and Celtic cultures, rain on a wedding day is good luck. So this hand-fasting ceremony was extra special!

garden of the gods elopement handfasting ceremony

They both love Vans shoes, so they got custom vans to wear while exploring the park on their elopement day! It was a fun personal detail that was both practical and sentimental!