Twin Lakes, Colorado Summer Elopement

Are you hoping to elope but have no idea how to plan or even where to go? Look into central Colorado! Twin Lakes, Buena Vista, and Independence Pass are all breathtaking.

Twin Lakes is a big beautiful pair of glacier carved alpine lakes, with awe inspiring mountains in the near distance to create glorious views. About 20 minutes south on highway 24 is the little town of Buena Vista, which is situated between the towering Collegiate Peaks and the flowing Arkansas river. So if you’re looking for things to do beyond the Lakes, white water rafting, mountain biking, and more hiking tails than you can count are just a short drive away!

When Sarah and Gavin first contacted me and told me they wanted to elope in Colorado but have never been so they had no idea how to start. All they knew was, it would be just the two of them and they wanted beautiful mountains as a back drop. One of the first places I thought of was Twin Lakes, for its beauty and easy access. Since they had never been to Colorado before, I wanted to be mindful of elevation change and avoiding big long hikes. The more we talked it through, the more perfect this area became. So they found an AirBNB and all they wanted, was to experience Colorado in a fun low stress way and commit themselves to each other somewhere in between.

When we arrived at Sarah and Gavin’s AirBNB the first thing I noticed was the view. The house was on a hill that overlooked the lake with Mt. Elbert hovering in the near distance. It had been raining that morning so the sky was overcast but the clouds were just starting to break up and a little bit of sunshine was peeking through, it was gorgeous. These two wanted a super relaxed day with a slow morning, so we planned to start our time together mid afternoon with one of their favorite things-cooking together. They decided to make pizza, and watching them roll out the dough and toss it in the air brought so much laughter and the connection between these two was so sweet and caring. Dan and I felt like we were immediately invited into their lives for a very special day ahead.

After helping each other get dressed, we decided to venture out to find the perfect location to say their vows. Because it had rained all night we wanted to stay away from muddy trails, we steered them to a gulch with dark green pines and long yellow green grass. The open view of blue gray mountains in the back ground was the perfect compliment of color. We hiked to the open space and the smell of the pine was intoxicating. Once we arrived and took a moment to look around, Sarah and Gavin were ready to say their vows and commit their lives to one another.

Once vows were said they were ready to play and explore the area and since we were at Twin Lakes we headed to the water. The overcast day caused the water to be bluish gray with a hint of green combined with the beige sand and we had the perfect combination for the most dreamy photos. They walked up to the waters edge to take in the vastness of the rocky mountains against the calm lake. They ran along the beach, jumped into each others arms and made life long memories of their most special day.

This day ended with their favorite dessert and drinks. As blue hour was fast approaching, the overcast sky was thick with blues and purples. Sarah and Gavin did one last walk with lanterns across the immense mountain landscape. The orange light glow on their faces and was the perfect contrast as night was fast approaching. This was such a special day Dan and I will never forget and are so grateful we were given the privilege to capture these incredibly special forever memories.

How to elope in the San Juan Mountains of Ouray, Colorado

When I first started photographing elopements one of the first places I went was in Ouray (pronounced “your-Ray) and I was completely blown away by its incredible beauty. Ouray is located in what’s call a “box canyon” which means the town is surrounded by tall , jagged mountains. The San Juan Mountains (which is part of the larger Rocky Mountain range) in south west Colorado are breathtaking! It has rightly earned the name “The Outdoor Recreation Capitol of Colorado” this is because it’s an off-roading mecca & a hikers paradise with tons of mountain biking trails nearby. This whole area is a complete dream, with water falls. hot springs, gorgeous scenic drives with trailheads along the way to take you to breathtaking turquoise alpine lakes.

If you want to get married in Ouray County, obtaining a marriage license is pretty easy. Go to the county clerks office and make sure you both have your drivers license or passport. It’s important to know that you can only get your marriage license within 35 days of the ceremony in Colorado, so make your plan to get it sometime in the four weeks before your big day. The cost is $30 and you can get the license on the same day as your ceremony . In the state of Colorado you can self-solemnize your vows, which means you aren’t required to have an officiant marry you. Also witnesses are not required in CO. Keep in mind some locations require a permit. Permits can run from $100-$350, it all depends on where you choose and how many guest.

Ouray has a lot of lodging options between Hotels, AirBNB’s and VRBO’s and everything has a view! Some hotels even have their own private hot springs for their guest for pay a small and enjoy time in a natural hot tub:) There’s also several Jeep rental locations, which is something to seriously consider if you don’t have a vehicle equipped with 4WD for off-roading to get to some of the most popular elopement locations.

Colorado weather can be erratic, so keep an open mind when planning your elopement. It can snow in May and summertime afternoon rain showers are common. Evenings can get cold and on top of a mountain pass it can be very windy and chilly. Colorado gets a lot of sunshine which can make winter days feel pretty mild. Keep in mind, most ceremony locations because of the back roads, which leads to the epic views are closed from snow October-May.

If you want to elope with gorgeous fall colors, Ouray has some of the very best in the whole state. The usual peak for those brilliant yellows are the last week of September and the first week of October.

You may still have more specific questions, and I’d love for you to contact me so we can talk in more detail. In the meantime enjoy looking through this beautiful Fall Ouray elopement.

Aspen Colorado Elopement

When Jenni and Travis first contacted me, they were asking for a date that I wasn’t available. At first we were all bummed but after sharing dates I did had available they decided to move their date so they could have me photograph their elopement. I was over the moon, to say the least!

The memories of this day are still so thick- sunrise at Twin Lakes, getting ready at their Airbnb, a beautiful valley to say their vows with their dearest love ones, and hiking to the Continental Divide for sunset photos. I re-live these moments every time I look through these photos.

Jenni and Travis love living a relaxed life, Sunday afternoon picnics are a must. She loves to cook, he loves to play music and they both love good wine. So our morning sunrise session had to include a breakfast picnic and dinner that night included 3 private chefs and a very special menu. They both love hiking and outdoor adventures, so it made perfect sense that they wanted to start their marriage in the mountains.

As always Colorado sunsets don’t disappoint, and on this day, it was one of the most colorful and magical moments. We couldn’t get over how vibrant the sky was as we hiked down, I just couldn’t stop clicking my camera! Once we reached the parking lot we all hopped in our car together to go meet up with their families for dinner prepared by 3 amazing chefs.

The night ended with dinner and dancing on the deck of their airbnb. It was a perfect day from beginning to end.

Ouray Colorado Mountain Elopement

Ever wonder how to elope in Colorado when you live in Nebraska?

Well I’m here to help! Krystal and Ben first contacted me and told me they wanted to elope in Colorado, I was super excited. I’ve literally spent my whole life in and out of Colorado. I grew up spending every summer there camping with my parents and when I learned how to ski, that became my reason to spend time there in the winter! I know and understand the state so well.

So helping Krystal and Ben plan an elopement in Colorado felt very natural. They wanted somewhere beautiful but different. We talked about several different places but we all ended up loving the idea of going to Ouray. Ouray is known as the Switzerland of the U.S. and once you experience the rugged mountain ranges with year round snow, it’s easy to see how it got that name.

Krystal and Ben wanted a day for just the two of them. They love being adventurous and the outdoors but not into super long hikes. So I started doing some research on the area and found some beautiful trails that don’t require a lot of hiking. I found the perfect spot but it requires 4 wheel drive- Thankfully we drive a Jeep Wrangler so we were set!

Everything about this day was perfect from beginning to end. I re-live this day every time I look through these photos and I’m so grateful Krystal and Ben chose me to be the one to capture their beautiful love story.

We started their elopement day with a 6am first look. We were hoping for a beautiful sunrise but the day ended up being overcast, but the mountain views were so stunning, none of us even cared. After our morning together we were exhilarated and exhausted at the same time…so we decided we all needed a little nap break:) we met up again a few hours later.

We picked up Krystal and Ben at their B&B to head to the location I had researched so they could say their vows. After a fun drive up the mountain trails, we arrived at the most magical spot. We literally had 360 views complete with a roaring mountain creek. It. Was. Stunning! The perfect location to say some of the most heartfelt vows I’ve ever heard.

Everything about this day was perfect from beginning to end. I re-live this day every time I look through these photos and I’m so grateful Krystal and Ben chose me to be the one to capture their beautiful love story.