Microwedding at The Summit

Woodland Park, Colorado

There’s something about getting married in the mountains that makes love feel more monumental. Maybe it’s the wide-open sky, the smell of pine in the air, the work it took to get your and your guests there, or the way Pikes Peak sits on the horizon like it’s been waiting for its big moment to shine as your ceremony backdrop. When Brytany and Michael chose The Summit in Woodland Park, I was so excited. I had only heard of the small microwedding venue, but had never visited. And let me tell you — pictures don’t do it justice.

The Summit: A Hidden Gem Above the Clouds

Woodland Park calls itself the “City Above the Clouds,” and once you’ve visited, you’ll understand why. Perched at over 8,400 feet in the Colorado Rockies, the town sits just a short drive west of Colorado Springs — but it feels like a world apart. The Summit is one of those rare finds that checks every box for couples dreaming of a small mountain wedding venue: sweeping views of the 14er Pikes Peak, onsite lodging for the whole wedding party or family, a beautiful outdoor ceremony space, and the kind of private, move-at-your-own-pace atmosphere that’s nearly impossible to find at a traditional event hall.

What makes The Summit especially special is its flexibility. This is a microwedding venue in the truest sense — a spacious house with a large yard that sleeps up to 16 guests. That means your nearest and dearest can stay right on-site and make a full weekend of the festivities. There’s no cookie-cutter wedding package here. You choose your own Colorado wedding vendors. Bring in the caterer you love, and create a day that actually looks and feels like you. It’s the ultimate DIY wedding setup.

For Brytany and Michael, who traveled to Colorado specifically for this day, The Summit was the perfect destination. They wanted something intimate, something meaningful, and something surrounded by mountains. Done, done, and done.

Getting Ready

The morning of a wedding always has its own quiet electricity — but pun intended because they did lose power before I arrived. Getting ready felt relaxed — the kind of morning you actually enjoy looking back on. Brytany got ready on the top level, surrounded by her bridesmaids, while the guys claimed the basement. The light that morning was soft and golden, filtering through the windows with the mountains visible just beyond — exactly the kind of venue with mountain views that makes every detail photo look effortlessly beautiful.

Hair, makeup, finishing touches. Bridesmaid dresses hung up, bouquets waiting on the table. All the little rituals that signal something big is coming.

Outside, clouds were already beginning to build over the peaks — classic Colorado spring weather. We knew rain might be part of our story. And honestly? It only made the day feel more alive.

First Looks

After putting on her wedding dress, Brytany shared a sweet first look with her dad and brother in the great room upstairs. She then had a moment with her bridesmaids before heading to the back yard for her and Michael’s first look.

Private Vow Reading

Since Brytany and Michael shared a private first look, they decided to go ahead and read their vows to one another. This is one of my favorite things about microweddings: there’s space for moments like this. No rushing, no timeline crunch, no hundred-person crowd waiting. Just two people saying the truest things they know to each other, with Pikes Peak in the background and rain threatening softly overhead.

I don’t share what was said — mostly because I stay far enough away that I can’t hear them — but I will say the images tell the whole story.

A Short Ceremony Overlooking Pikes Peak

After a short rain break delaying the ceremony, Brytany and Michael walked out to the ceremony site in front of all of their loved ones. The ceremony itself was exactly what a micro-wedding in the mountains should be. Guests gathered on the ceremony benches as Brytany made her way down the aisle, the iconic silhouette of Pikes Peak rising in the distance behind the couple. The clouds had rolled in by this point, dramatic and full, occasionally dropping a few light sprinkles on the gathering — because of course they did. This is Colorado in the spring. Honestly, it made for some great B-roll phtoos to tell the story of their whole day. As they shared their first kiss and were pronounced as married, their 2-year-old dog Fletcher met them to walk back down the aisle together.

Here’s the thing about mountain weather: it doesn’t ruin anything. It adds to it. The moody sky made the greens look greener. The soft, diffused light was a photographer’s dream. And the couple? They didn’t flinch. They laughed, they teared up, they said I do — and that was that. Married, with one of the most iconic views in the state as their witness.

A backyard wedding in the mountains doesn’t get more cinematic than this. Truly. Check out this venue if you’re envisioning a small mountain wedding.

Backyard Dinner Reception

After the ceremony, everybody gathered at the tables in the backyard under the open sky. With a smaller guest list, microwedding receptions have a way of becoming something closer to a really great dinner party: long on laughter, short on formality, full of the conversations you actually want to have, and less about the wedding traditions like cake cutting.

The tables were set beautifully, the food was incredible, and the toasts were the kind that made everyone laugh and cry in equal measure. Dark clouds began to move overhead, but passed us before dropping any rain. As the first dances started, the sky lit up behind them with lightning. (Don’t worry, the storm was well over Colorado Springs at that point.)

Brytany and Michael had traveled all the way to Colorado for this day, and it was clear from every moment — from the tears at first looks to the dancing after dinner — that it was worth every mile.

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Why The Summit is One of Colorado’s Best Microwedding Venues

If you’re dreaming of a small mountain wedding and you want the freedom to make it truly your own, The Summit in Woodland Park deserves a serious look. Here’s why it keeps landing on my list of favorite venues:

• Onsite lodging for up to 16 guests — no shuttles, no splitting up, just one big house full of the people you love most
• Unreal Pikes Peak views from the property — I’ve shot at a lot of Colorado mountain wedding venues, and this one genuinely stops me in my tracks every time
• Bring your own vendors — your caterer, your mobile bar, your florist, your officiant. Total creative freedom
• Private and intimate — no other weddings happening next door, no event coordinator rushing you off the property
• Destination-wedding-friendly — easy to get to from Denver or Colorado Springs, and a truly memorable experience for out-of-state couples

For Brytany and Michael, it was the perfect fit. And based on the joy I witnessed that day — rain and all — I think they’d agree.

Planning Your Own Micro-Wedding in Colorado?

I would love to be your Colorado wedding photographer. Whether you’re dreaming of a DIY mountain wedding, an intimate backyard ceremony somewhere in the Colorado, or something in between, I’m here for all of it. Let’s start talking about your day.