The Ceremony
Garden of the Gods - High Point Area
Some words of advice if you are planning on using this area... make a good map, and good directions (including mileage) for your invitation. This is an out-of-the-way area and several people said they were confused or got lost trying to get there. I had a good map and exact directions, but people were second guessing the directions, so I think giving mileage would have done the trick.
I also can't stress enough to tell your guests over and over again to wear shoes with a low/no heel and decent traction. We also stationed ushers at the top of the trail to help people down over the rocks.
I also can't stress enough to tell your guests over and over again to wear shoes with a low/no heel and decent traction. We also stationed ushers at the top of the trail to help people down over the rocks.
My favorite photo of the whole wedding... taken with a friend's cell phone. Go figure.
Photo by Art Jackson
Photo by Art Jackson
We had a non-religious ceremony that was written mostly by our minister, but were were allowed to edit it as we saw fit. Since we were outside, we couldn't really do a unity candle. Both of us are wine lovers, so we chose to do a Wine Box Ceremony instead. The idea is that you place a good bottle of wine in the box along with two wine glasses. Before the wedding, you each have written a letter to your future spouse detailing all the things you love about that person.
During the ceremony, you place the letters in the box, and the officiant explains that you are to lock up the box and keep it in a safe place. If the marriage encounters trouble within the first 10 years, you are to open the box, drink the wine and read the letters you wrote to each other to remember why you got married. If you do not encounter trouble, then you open the box on your 10th anniversary, drink the wine and read the letters, then place a new bottle of wine in the box for the future.
For the text of our non-religious ceremony, including the Wine Box ceremony, click here.
Planning stuff from before the wedding:
Garden of the Gods is a city park and Colorado Springs' most popular tourist attraction. You can have your wedding for free there, but most of the places in the central garden are too small to hold our group. We found a rocky out-cropping in an out-of-the way portion of the park that opens up to a panoramic view of Pikes Peak and the rest of the Front Range.
This is what people will see driving to the ceremony site.
This is what people will see driving to the ceremony site.
This is the trail leading to the ceremony site. I hope to God it doesn't rain. Red dirt is pretty until it's red mud.
| These are some pictures of the ceremony site with Kevin standing in his groom spot. This is an actual trail that people can take horses on, so I am probably the only bride in history that has a professional pooper scooper on her list of wedding vendors.
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