Best Wedding Venues
in Southern Colorado
Planning a Wedding in southern Colorado?
Southern Colorado isn’t as heavily-touristed as a lot of other places in the state, but it has a lot going for it. Colorado Springs, Wolf Creek Pass and the Great Sand Dunes, to name a few. Most of the wedding venues in this region are centered around The Springs, but there are some hidden treasures to be discovered as well. Here is a list of the best wedding venues in southern Colorado, according to us!
Colorado Springs
Planning a Wedding in Colorado Springs
Approximately 70 miles south of Denver on I-25, Colorado Springs has a lot going for it: the Airforce base, Garden of the Gods, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and breweries galore, to name a few. Not to mention, there is a treasure trove of unique Colorado Springs wedding venues to choose from. Geographically-speaking, Colorado Springs is similar to Denver, in that it lies on the front range, just to the east of the Rocky Mountains. The only difference is that The Springs is actually a bit closer to the mountains, making it even easier to capture both mountain and urban wedding photos in one day.
Colorado Springs is also a bit cheaper than Denver and most of the mountain and resort towns that lie along the I-70 corridor. It’s a fairly sizable city with tons of restaurants, breweries, distilleries and coffee shops that are generally more affordable than similar establishments in more touristed parts of the state. Plus, it’s right next to the mountains and a plethora of cool wedding photo locations, including Pike’s Peak, which is one of only two 14ers in Colorado that you can drive to the top of (Mount Evans being the other).
Colorado Springs also has its own airport, so your out-of-town guests won’t have to drive from Denver if they don’t want to. Of course, it’s more expensive to fly into a smaller airport, but with the savings on rental cars and gas, it might end up evening out.
Plus, as I mentioned before, there are a ton of different and unique wedding venues to choose from. Whether you’re looking for an urban feel or something a little more secluded and mountainous, you’ll be able to find the perfect wedding venue in Colorado Springs.
Resources
Colorado Springs Wedding Venues
Edgewood Inn
Just outside of Colorado Springs in the small town of Woodland Park, the Edgewood Inn offers awe-inspiring views of the 14,115’ Pike’s Peak to the south. The venue is also surrounded by a massive pine forest and is just a short drive from Rampart Reservoir, making this venue a wedding photographer’s dream come true. Also, there’s a really cool movie theater in the basement for if you want to, you know, duck out of your party for three hours to watch the Godfather or something.
Check out Renee and Caleb’s Edgewood Inn wedding to see more!
Cheyenne Mountain Resort
There are so many different location options for your wedding ceremony at Cheyenne Mountain Resort, it’s mind-boggling. We’ve photographed several weddings here and I don’t think we’ve shot the same location twice. There’s the beach, the patio, the other patio, the golf course… I could go on. Also, this place is massive. So massive, in fact, the hotel provides a shuttle to transport the couple and the photographers around the grounds to take photos. And there’s always new and unique wedding photos to be captured.
Check out these real weddings at Cheyenne Mountain Resort to see more!
Fall Wedding at Cheyenne Mountain Resort
Indian Wedding at Cheyenne Mountain Resort
Garden of the Gods Resort
All you need is to see one sunset from the Garden of the Gods Resort to know it’s a perfect place for a wedding ceremony. The view, the reflecting pool, and the deer and bunny friends who come to visit are all just icing on the cake! Treat your guests to a tasty dinner and have the bartenders whip up a signature drink just for your wedding.
Check out these real weddings at the Garden of the Gods Resort:
Maggie & Dan’s Summer Wedding at Garden of the Gods Resort
Anya & Ben’s Garden of the Gods Resort Ceremony
Lodge at Cathedral Pines
Nestled in the heart of Colorado’s Black Forest, The Lodge at Cathedral Pines is surrounded by an endless sea of massive pine trees, giving the wedding venue a nice secluded and cozy vibe. It’s a perfect location for couples looking for a small, rustic wedding venue without having to drive into the mountains. It’s also a beautiful location for some killer wedding photos!
For more, please see thist winter wedding at Lodge at Cathedral Pines
Pinery at the Hill
The Pinery at the Hill is perched above the neighborhoods of Colorado Springs on, you guessed it, a hill! With impressive views of both the city (great for nighttime cityscapes) and the mountains (including a perfect view of Pike’s Peak from the indoor ceremony space), this venue does double-duty for couples who can’t decide between a city or mountain wedding.
Check out these awesome Pinery at the Hill weddings to see more:
Winter Pinery at the Hill Wedding
Summer Reception at the Pinery
Holiday wedding at the Pinery
Larkspur
Planning a Wedding in Larkspur
About halfway between Denver and Colorado Springs off of I-25, Larkspur is a small town surrounding by endless bucolic landscape peppered with working horse and cattle ranches. The area reminds me a bit of the movie, Legends of the Fall. Even though Colorado’s sky might not be quite as “big” as Montana’s, the landscape in this part of the state seems to extend as far as the eye can see, and as a result, there are a bunch of picturesque and unique Larkspur wedding venues to choose from.
Most of the venues in this area are working horse ranches that double as wedding venues in the summer months. If you want lots of open space and would prefer not to hear the sound of traffic during your wedding, this is the place for you. These are also some of the best venues in the state to host really large weddings because there is simply so much space to spread out. Plus, the sweeping vistas of the Rocky Mountains to the west are a wedding photographer’s dream.
What’s more, most of the venues in the Larkspur area are just a short jaunt off of I-25 to the east. This means that if you’re having a lot of wedding guests coming in from out of town, or elderly guests who aren’t used to driving in the mountains, they can take the highway almost all the way to your wedding venue. Plus, they won’t have to go up very far in elevation. And you still get great views of the mountains. As we always tell our couples, sometimes the best way to view the mountains is from a location that isn’t actually in the mountains.
Resources
Larkspur Wedding Venues
Crooked Willow Farms
Just up the road from Spruce Mountain Ranch, Crooked Willow Farms is another solid option for couples looking for a rustic Colorado Ranch vibe for their wedding. It’s a working horse ranch and there are (inexplicably) two camels that reside onsite. We still haven’t been able to entice them over to the fence for photos, but we’ll make it happen one day!
Check out these real weddings at Crooked Willow Farms to see more!
Fall Wedding at Crooked Willow Farms
Summer Wedding at Crooked Willow Farms
Spruce Mountain Ranch
Situated in the foothills between Larkspur and Palmer Lake, Spruce Mountain Ranch is a sprawling complex of rustic wedding venue goodness. The main ceremony site has beautiful views of the Rocky Mountains and the reception area is absolutely massive. If you have an extensive guest list and you’re going for a rustic look for your wedding, look no further than Spruce Mountain.
Check out these Spruce Mountain Ranch weddings to see more:
Winter Spruce Mountain Ranch wedding
Fall wedding at Spruce Mountain Ranch
Spruce Mountain Lower Ranch wedding