Thursday, January 05, 2012
Here's a list of the best places to get married in Colorado Springs. All of these locations host ceremonies and receptions. If you're looking for both church and reception hall, then I have suggested a church pairing for each of these Colorado Springs wedding locations. At the bottom of this post additional locations are listed that are also really wonderful. Click on the name of any location for more detailed wedding information. Thanks, and I hope you find this helpful! — Sean
.jpg)
Garden of the Gods Club
One of my absolute favorite wedding locations is the Garden of the Gods Club. Its spectacular beauty is an uninterrupted view of the Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak. In this wedding photograph, above, Mamie and Nick walk together in front of a stunning landscape. This location is perfect for small to mid-size weddings and is centrally located. With a larger wedding (200+) ask about a tented event on the south lawn where this photograph was made. Hands down the best view in the city! Suggested church pairing: Sacred Heart Catholic Church
The Broadmoor
The best wedding location in Colorado! There really isn't anything quite like it. It is a AAA Five Diamond and Five Star Resort with luxury accommodations and unbelievable service. Think first-class spa, a half-dozen of the best restaurants you will ever enjoy, three 18-hole championship golf courses and a handful of beautiful settings for a wedding in Colorado Springs. The Lakeside Terrace is one of my favorites ceremony locations. In this wedding photograph, above, Katie and Justin share a moment during their unity sand ceremony on the Lakeside Terrace. Flowers by Design Works. Suggested church pairing: First Christian Church
Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center
The Colorado Springs Fine Arts Center is located in the heart of Colorado Springs. It recently underwent a renovation and addition that allowed the Fine Arts Center to become the premier downtown wedding location in Colorado Springs. The museum is known for its architecture and its extensive art collection. It also offers live theater, art programs and it has a wonderful restaurant and bar. In this wedding photograph, above, Caitlin and Emilio enjoy their first dance in the new wing of the museum. A caterer is required. Suggested church pairing: Shove Chapel
Hillside Gardens
The Hillside Gardens is characteristically Colorado! It is both a plant nursery and a wedding location. It offers a ceremony site with a view of Pikes Peak and an outdoor pavilion for caterered receptions. Larry, the owner, has a knack for collecting things and whenever I am there, there is always a new art piece in the garden. Hillside Gardens also sports the best old-truck-turned-into-bar that I know of and plenty of firepits for the evening. It's a great place for a party and for romance. In this wedding photograph, above, Emily and Billy steal a kiss during their Hillside Gardens reception. Suggested church pairing: Any local
Glen Eyrie Castle
The Glen Eyrie Castle is a real discovery. It is an honest-to-goodness castle (now a retreat center) that sits in a secluded valley just a couple miles from downtown Colorado Springs. The castle was built by the founder of the city and is now enjoyed by anyone who would like to visit. The Glen has it all, incredible grounds, friendly service and a stunning sense of the history of Colorado Springs. The Glen Eyrie does not serve alcohol, but I've never attended a wedding there where everyone wasn't having fun. In the wedding photograph, above, Sigrid and Brock enjoy a moment together on the castle grounds prior to their reception. The Rolls Royce is courtesy of DDG Classics. Suggested church pairing: Air Force Academy Chapel
More of the best places to get married in Colorado Springs: Cheyenne Mountain Resort, Colorado Springs School, The Club at Flying Horse, The Carter Payne, La Foret, The Pinery, Craftwood Inn, Briarhurst Manor, Phantom Canyon, The Cliff House, Venue 515, Spruce Mountain Guest Ranch, Cheyenne Mountain Country Club
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Photography in a dark church is getting easier all of the time. The technology of digital cameras allows nearly everyone to photograph inside a dark church without too much trouble.
Still, it's hard not to get blurry, out of focus or overly flashed pictures... mostly because no one knows exactly how to do it. My rule of thumb for how to photograph inside a dark church? Shoot fast, think slow. By shoot fast, I mean that I use a fast lens, usually a prime lens with a fixed focal lengh, so that I can photograph without a flash. By think slow, I mean I don't move very fast. I'm careful to stand in the most promising places for pictures (where the light is) and I'm careful to hold my camera very still. By holding a camera very still, sometimes leaning it against a solid object like the back of a church pew, I can photograph at slower shutter speeds without causing a blurry picture. It definitely takes some practice and it's a great reason I try to photograph the wedding rehearsal. Practicing before the big day makes it so much easier to create dramatic and beautiful photographs of the ceremony. Shove Chapel, on the campus of 
the Colorado College, and Pauline Chapel of the St. Paul Catholic Church, are two chapels where I often photograph weddings. Both are listed on the National Register of Historic Places and both are stunning on the inside. However,
the chapels are very dark and create a challenge for anyone wanting to photograph in the sanctuary. Here are some photographs of recent wedding rehearsals from inside these two chapels to illustrate how I practice taking pictures inside a dark church before the ceremony. In the picture, top, I caught Sigrid and Brock leaving Shove Chapel after their rehearsal. In the picture, top left, I photographed Alexendra and her father enjoying a light moment during her rehearsal at Shove Chapel. Photographing a rehearsal also allows me to capture some family relationships I might not see on the wedding day. For instance, in the picture above, I caught Jim, father of the groom, sitting with his grandson as they watch Matt and Maggie's wedding rehearsal at the Pauline Chapel. And of course, photographing a wedding rehearsal allows me time to make detail pictures of the church like this one at Pauline Chapel, left, without being hurried. — Sean
.jpg)
Kelly and Greg were married Saturday, November 19, 2011 at Shove Chapel. Cocktails and a dinner reception at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort followed their ceremony. I love this portrait of Kelly in her suite before the ceremony. I asked her to stand in front of the southfacing windows where the winter light was coming in. Kelly and Greg's ceremony was held in the early afternoon and in November that is the perfect time for a wedding. That same incredible winter light was streaming through the stained glass and it complimented their wedding colors perfectly. After their ceremony, Kelly and Greg joined their wedding party and traveled to the Garden of the Gods to enjoy the sunset. Reception music and entertainment was provided by Blue Moon. Thank you Kelly and Greg for inviting me to photograph your wedding day! — Sean
.jpg)
