When Danielle and Joe started talking about their wedding, they both agreed that they wanted to spend the day in the outdoors with their two pups, Jessie and Tucker. It was also important that they were able to really take in the day and emotions together. Before their wedding, they had visited Colorado once together and fell in love with it. So it made perfect sense for them to return to Colorado to elope!

On the afternoon of Danielle and Joe’s wedding day, a thunderstorm rolled through, and we were showered with heavy rain. We always arrive to locations early, so we watched the storm roll through and did our best to convince the storm to hurry up and pass. Danielle and her friend Andrea arrived to the trailhead first, and Danielle wasn’t too bothered by the rain, she was just so excited to finally marry Joe. Luckily, we could see brighter skies in the distance, so we decided to just wait it out. By the time Joe and his friend Josh arrived at the trailhead, we could see some blue skies making their way toward us!

Lisa and Joe hiked out to the first look spot and then Alex and Danielle (as well as their friends and pups) followed a little ways behind. Joe was feeling those pre-first look nerves as he looked out over the alpine lake and waited for Danielle to complete her hike to him. First looks never fail to be the most nerve-wracking part of an elopement day for our couples. But nothing beats the feeling of relief when they finally get to wrap their arms around each other. Sure, they might still be a little bit nervous to say their vows to each other, but at least they have each other’s hands to hold.

Danielle and Joe decided to read their vows privately to each other before having a more formal ceremony with their friends and dogs. Joe went first and had to fight back his tears, so Danielle reached for his hand to comfort him. When it was Danielle’s turn to read her vows, they were nothing but smiles. But by the time they were done reading vows, they couldn’t stand to be apart from little Jessie and Tucker any longer, and that feeling was mutual. As we hiked down the hill, we could hear them whining for their parents to hurry up.

After many cuddles and puppy kisses, Danielle and Joe made their way down to their ceremony site right along the edge of the alpine lake. Alex did a short reading to start the ceremony, then their friends, Andrea and Josh, lead them in prayer. Then they exchanged rings and had their first kiss as husband and wife!

After the ceremony, Danielle and Joe said goodbye to their friends and the pups and we embarked on the adventure portion of the day. First, we made a quick stop at an incredible mountaintop view, before heading down into the forest. We drove down a bumpy off-road trail for about an hour until we made it to the perfect picnic spot. They both changed into more comfortable clothes and then set up the cutest picnic we’ve ever seen! They sat on blankets and pillows and ate charcuterie, drank champagne, and even ate red velvet cupcakes. Throughout the picnic, the rain came on and off, but luckily they were protected by the towering pine trees around them.

We finished their wedding day at an old, abandoned mine. There, they had their first dance. Despite their mountain dance floor being a bit less even than a normal one, they did a great job, even ending the dance with a dip kiss! We stood out in the cold and chatted for a little while before the sun was gone. So we all air hugged and retraced our steps down the bumpy dirt road. And on our drive back to Denver, it poured rain. We were thankful that it waited until Danielle and Joe were done!

This elopement took place on Ute and Cheyenne Land.

Photographs

Colorado Elopements

Destination Elopements