Elopement at Sprague Lake and Dream Lake

Sunrise Elopement in Rocky Mountain National Park

Rachelle + Trevor

Originally, Rachelle and Trevor planned to have their Colorado elopement at the end of May. But in response to the pandemic, Rocky Mountain National Park closed for visitors at the end of March. With so many uncertainties about how long the state of Colorado would be under Stay at Home Orders, the park was closed until further notice. As March ended and April began, we started to get nervous about whether Rocky Mountain National Park would open in time. Finally, we got the news that the park wouldn’t be opening until June 4th. So Rachelle and Trevor pushed their elopement back to August.

On the morning of Rachelle and Trevor’s elopement, we met at the Sprague Lake parking area shortly before sunrise. Just as the sun started to peek over the trees and mountains to the east, it was time for Rachelle and Trevor to have their first look. Rachelle carefully climbed over logs to cross a small stream and then gently touched Trevor’s arm. The nerves immediately melted away and they were nothing but smiles.

After the first look, they walked around the lake to their ceremony site. By now, the sun was peeking over the trees and lighting up the forest and mountains in the background. It quickly became more obvious just how smoky and hazy the sky was. At this time, Colorado’s long month of wildfires was just beginning. But the smokiness caused some of the most magical sunrise light we’ve ever seen.

Rachelle and Trevor had their ceremony on a dock at the edge of Sprague lake. They each read their own personally written vows to each other, and throughout the ceremony, it was so much fun to watch their reactions. There were bursts of laughter as well as quiet moments that had everyone wiping tears from their eyes. But finally, after waiting an extra 3 months, they had their first kiss.

They celebrated by having a picnic complete with donuts (Rachelle’s favorite) and fruit (Trevor’s favorite). They also popped a bottle of champagne before embarking on a hike to an alpine lake. Being later in the day already, the trail was busy with tourists, but we managed to sneak off to a few of our favorite spots. There, we enjoyed the views and said “hello” to many curious chipmunks. Finally, we ended the afternoon with a hike to a waterfall.

Even though Rachelle and Trevor had to postpone their elopement day, it ended up being well worth the wait!

This elopement took place on Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Land.

Photographs

Colorado Elopements

Destination Elopements

Hi There!

We're Lisa + Alex, the goofballs behind Vow of the Wild. We live in Colorado, but we’re passionate about exploring new places. Being elopement photographers + videographers is a dream for us and we can’t imagine doing anything else (other than being professional dog petters).