Winter elopements at Garden of the Gods can be truly magical. First of all, elopements at Garden of the Gods at any time of year are pretty fantastic and otherworldly. The red rocks, the fantastic views of mountains (including the famous Pike's Peak) plus the central location of Garden of the Gods within Colorado Springs makes it one of the premiere elopement locations. What makes Garden of the Gods particularly wonderful during the winter? We'll explore that right now!
Less Crowds
It is very true that Garden of the Gods can get very crowded. There really isn't a TON of parking and not only do out of town visitors come travel and tour the park, it's a very popular hiking and running destination for locals as well. When it's nearly impossible to find parking in the Main Lot during the summer, on a Tuesday in January, it's practically empty. The most iconic spots in the park for elopements (High Point Overlook, The Three Graces, etc) can get swamped with people and while I don't mind photoshopping one or two random people out of your photos, it's always easier (and you get your photos quicker) when I don't have to! Plus, if you're the type of couple who wants some solitude while you say your vows, winter time is definitely the way to go.
Beautiful Weather
So maybe you're a couple from Texas or California and you're thinking to yourself, 'Beautiful weather? In the winter?' You might need to redefine your idea of beautiful weather, but picture a perfect covering of powdery snow and sunshine. A lot of times, it can even snow overnight and it'll all be melted off the ground by afternoon the next day! Since Colorado Springs is so high in elevation, there's less atmosphere between the ground and the sun and the snow melts faster. It also feels about 10 degrees warmer than the actual surface temperature when the sun is out! You'll see locals hiking at Garden of the Gods in a long-sleeved tee shirt in January when that sun is out!
Majestic Views without The Workout
Do you love the idea of getting married surrounded by snow-capped mountains but don't really want to snow-shoe, ski or snow-mobile to an epic location? Then you'll love Garden of the Gods in the winter. You'll get powdery white snow on those iconic red rocks and a snow-topped peak of a Colorado 14er with as much or as little hiking as you want. Do you want to park and walk ten yards to epic views? Garden of the Gods has you covered. Do you want a short hike to some more hidden rock formations that look taken right out of the movies? Yep, Garden of the Gods. You really can't beat the versatility of beauty of this location.
In short, Garden of the Gods is a fantastic location for your winter elopement. In fact, because of the above reasons, it's one of my favorite seasons to photograph at Garden of the Gods. Hit me up and I'd love to help you begin planning your magnificent winter elopement at Garden of the Gods.