Garden
of the Gods Elopement
with Family
Hayley & Christian eloped at Garden of the Gods with a sunrise ceremony and an adorable family hike.
The couple wanted a simple elopement day that prioritized time with their son. And because they eloped first thing in the morning, they got to spend the rest of the day celebrating however they wanted!
Hey there! I'm Sam, Your Garden of the Gods Elopement Photographer & Planner
I know and adore Garden of the Gods (in fact, it's right in my backyard!), and I would be thrilled to help make your elopement just as amazing as Hayley & Christian's.
Sunrise over Garden of the Gods
I met up with Hayley and Christian just before sunrise at Garden of the Gods. The couple also brought their toddler and Hayley's mom along (for toddler wrangling).
I took a few photos of the couple getting ready before we headed to their ceremony. Three Graces is one of my favorite ceremony spots in the park – and we had it completely to ourselves!
If you want total privacy for your Garden of the Gods elopement, no matter what time of year, a weekday at sunrise is almost sure to guarantee it.
Ceremony At Three Graces
(with the cutest guest)
Hayley and Christian shared some sweet words with each other and exchanged rings at the Three Graces. Some of my favorite photos of the whole day are of their son and Hayley's mom watching the ceremony.
After sealing the ceremony with a kiss, the couple tried to get their son to run to them, and I caught lots of funny moments of them laughing as he just pouted instead.
My biggest piece of advice for couples eloping with young kids is to just to go with the flow! I promise we'll get a great smiling picture at some point during the day – but it's totally up to the kids when that actually happens, and the "bloopers" often turn out to be the best photos, anyway.
Family Hike
I grabbed a few portraits of the couple with their son before we started on a short hike to see some even bigger views. I love this hike because it's super chill (their toddler walked most of the way!), and the payoff is pretty incredible.
We chose this spot because it's perfect for just after sunrise – the light shines through the rock formations in really cool ways, and there are some great spots for portraits in full sun.
Portraits on the Rocks
I took lots of cool portraits of Hayley and Christian in front of the rock formations at the top of the hike. One of my favorites is of the couple kissing, framed by a hole in the rock wall.
We also grabbed some group photos with the couple's son and Hayley's mom, and Christian "proposed" to Hayley with a Red Bull (a cute inside joke).
By the time Hayley and Christian's Garden of the Gods elopement was wrapping up, the sun had come up, the weather was warm, and everyone was having a blast.
After plenty of fun, silly, and sweet portraits, the couple headed off for brunch and a sports game, to celebrate their elopement with their favorite people in their favorite way.
Hayley + Christian's Review
We had the best experience with Sam for our elopement! We are from Georgia and flew out [to Colorado] to visit family and elope.
While trying to find a photographer online proved harder than I anticipated, once I came across Sam she took the stress away and made the process so much more enjoyable. We had a tight budget and a short timeline, and she worked with us on both and turned it into a dream and created an experience we will never forget!
Our pictures are beautiful and capture exactly who we are in every way, and included our son along the way (even when he was being less than cooperative). I would recommend her to anyone and will definitely be using her again if we find ourselves out there again!
- H + C
