Our wedding at Garden of the Gods was truly beautiful, and I want to provide an honest review for couples considering this venue.
First, the positives: the venue itself is absolut...ely stunning. The backdrop of Pikes Peak and the surrounding scenery are second to none, and the resort strikes a perfect balance between elegance and simplicity. On the day of the wedding, everything was executed professionally. The staff did an excellent job, the event ran smoothly, and we had no issues during the wedding itself. Looking back on the day, it was everything we hoped it would be.
Unfortunately, our experience during the planning process was much different. Over the course of planning, our wedding coordinator changed approximately three times, but we were never proactively informed of these transitions. My wife would often be corresponding with our coordinator when communication would suddenly stop. After multiple unanswered emails over the course of two to three months, we would eventually hear from someone new, only to discover that our coordinator had changed.
Even more frustrating, important details about our wedding—such as our welcome party, seating arrangements, and other planning discussions—were not consistently passed from one coordinator to the next. Each transition felt like we were starting over, forcing us to revisit conversations we thought had already been finalized. As you can imagine, this created a tremendous amount of unnecessary stress and anxiety throughout the planning process.
Unfortunately, communication became an issue again after the wedding. Our contract stated that if our beverage minimums were not met for both the welcome party and wedding reception, we would receive a reimbursement within 30 days. We reached out within a week after the wedding to begin that process and were initially told it was being worked on. After that, however, our emails and phone calls went largely unanswered for months. It ultimately took nearly three months to receive our reimbursement, and only after repeated attempts to contact the resort. We were eventually told the delay was due to staff turnover.
To be clear, we loved our wedding day. The venue is breathtaking, the resort is wonderful, and the day-of execution was exceptional. If you're looking for a beautiful place to get married, Garden of the Gods absolutely delivers.
However, I would encourage future couples to carefully consider the planning experience. If communication and organization throughout the months leading up to your wedding are important to you, be prepared for the possibility of significant frustration. For us, the lack of communication and continuity between coordinators was by far the most stressful part of the entire wedding process.
Overall, I'd give the venue itself five stars, but the planning and communication experience fell well below what we expected for a venue of this caliber.