Ashley & Aaron: A Garden of the Gods Wedding

Ashley grew up in Colorado Springs, visiting Garden of the Gods Club frequently with her grandparents. She’s a down to earth gal that wears sweats and sneakers to work everyday, her hair in a ponytail, and teaches PE to elementary kids in Dallas, TX.

Aaron is a pipeline designer, originally from South Carolina. He is passionate about cycling, and fitness in general, other than the fact that he can’t get enough Diet Pepsi.

Before they met in person, Aaron was “creeping” on Ashley, using an app called Strava. He also followed her on Facebook, and Ashley wondered, “Who is this guy?” She returned the “creeping” and looked him up. They had a mutual friend, so as any smart young woman would do, she sent him a message asking a few questions, including, “Why are you following me on Strava?” He replied that the app had suggested Aaron follow her because they were biking in the same area. And so began their future together. They talked for the next three weeks, getting comfortable with each other, and then scheduled their first date... cycling together, of course.

Ten months later, Ashley brought Aaron to Colorado to meet her beloved grandparents, and to her surprise, he proposed while on a hike at the top of Pike’s Peak.

Ashley began planning her wedding right away, and naturally settled on Garden of the Gods Club, because it was near and dear to her heart. In her own words, “Not only was it a place that was special to me growing up, it was the perfect location because we got to look upon the spot where we started the next journey, from dating to being engaged to getting married.”

Ashley’s attendant’s met in her mom’s hotel room to have their hair and make-up done by In-Motion. Ashley bought them adorable PJs and socks to stay warm and comfy while getting ready.

Ashley stayed true to her personality, wearing white sneakers and her hair in a high ponytail. In fact, all the attendants, Aaron, and even Ashley’s dad wore sneakers.

Her dress was a stunning, strapless Haylee Paige Londyn gown, and she looked amazing in it.

It was a beautiful, clear, chilly fall day in Colorado Springs, and the ladies wore fur shawls to keep them warm during the outside ceremony.

Ashley’s dad walked her down the aisle, and as he “gave her away,” he gave her a sweet kiss on the cheek, wiped away a tear, and shared a warm hug with his new son-in-law.

They had a traditional Episcopal wedding performed by Father Brendan of Grace Episcopal Church.

Ambience Florals created the centerpieces, bouquets, boutonnieres, the ceremony flowers, and even decorated the cakes. The flowers included gladiolas, roses, hydrangeas, callas, limoniums, hypericum berries, and green foliage. Everything was so pretty and full of color.

Our favorite part of the wedding was the father/daughter dance. Ashley's dad Brian was a Sigma Chi at Westminster College, which is Ashley’s alma mater as well. She was a Sigma Chi little sister, and was voted to be the Sweetheart her senior year. So their first dance was to “Sweetheart of Sigma Chi.” About halfway through their dance, Ashley and Brian invited the fathers to join them on the dance floor with their daughters. Then all the sweethearts were invited to dance. It was very touching.

Sugar Plum Cake made a variety of cakes, including strawberry, lemon, German chocolate, and vanilla with raspberry. Not only were they delicious, but also very pretty.

Staying true to their personalities, Ashley and Aaron kept it sweet and loving when they cut the cake. No smashing here!

The happy couple celebrated all the traditions, including the bouquet and garter toss... again, keeping it classy.

A special thank you to New Concept Photography who took these beautiful photos! The views from Garden of the Gods Club are amazing, and it was difficult deciding what images to include. Thank you to all our vendors, but most of all, thank you to Ashley, Aaron, Suzzan, and Brian for allowing Blue Linden to be part of your day!