Elopement at an Alpine Lake

Sunrise Hiking Elopement in Colorado

Stef + Jon

There are a lot of ways to choose the perfect place for your elopement. For Stef and Jon, the elopement plans started brewing after they found a puppy to adopt in Colorado. They were already going to make the trip, why not get married as well?

Jon had spent some time in Colorado, but it would be Stef’s first time. So when they first contacted us about being their elopement photographers, they didn’t have a specific location in mind. But they did know that they wanted a gorgeous alpine lake, they were up for getting up before sunrise, and they wanted to go for a hike. We immediately knew just the place for them! They ended up choosing one of our favorite alpine lakes in the entire state of Colorado. This lake is a bit of a tricky location, not only is it a moderate hike, but it’s also only accessible for a very short part of the year. But the stars aligned and we were able to make it happen!

On the morning of their elopement, we met at the trailhead with only the light from the moon and our headlamps to guide the way. One of our favorite things about hiking elopements is that we get to spend quite a bit of time chatting with our couples while we hike. Stef + Jon are both medics in the army, so we talked about their travels, some of their training, their home in Connecticut, and of course their new puppy that they were going to adopt!

Most of Jon’s goals for the trip, other than marrying Stef, of course, involved animals. Jon is an avid birder and can tell what species is nearby just based on its call. It was so much fun to see him identify every bird we came across and learn about it. One of the animals Jon really hoped to see was a moose (or as his family in Canada calls them, a “Rubber Nosed Swamp Donkey”). As we hiked through the darkness, one of our headlamps caught some shiny eyes off in the distance. We quickly realized they were two moose! We were at a safe distance, so we paused and squinted in the darkness to watch them before continuing the hike.

As we reached the top, the sun was just barely starting to come up, and the snowcapped mountaintops came into view. This was Stef and Jon’s first trip to the alpine lake, and the mountains surrounding it are incredible, so we were all excited that things were starting to come into view. We crossed two waterfalls before finally arriving at the alpine lake. The clouds in the sky were starting to glow bright orange, pink, and even a little bit of purple. No matter how many times we hike up here for elopements, it never fails to leave us in awe!

Stef and Jon changed into their wedding clothes and then hiked down to the edge of the water to say their vows. Alex started the ceremony with his reading to set the tone, and then Stef and Jon exchanged vows with each other. After the ceremony, they celebrated with some champagne and then took a few minutes to remember Stef’s father and their friends in the army who have passed away. Then, they admired the view one last time before we started the hike down.

Our favorite thing about eloping at sunrise is that we usually have the place to ourselves and only see other people on our hike down. As we made our way back to the trailhead, we passed many people, and Stef and Jon received many congratulations. Along with surprised looks that they hiked up before sunrise to elope at an alpine lake, everyone we came across told us to keep an eye for the moose on the side of the trail. We were all excited to see them in the daylight this time! Sure enough, as we neared the trailhead, two moose grazed in the tall grasses near the trail. The moose ignored us completely as we admired their size and beauty. It’s hard to imagine just how big they are until you see one up close and in person!

Shortly after, we arrived back at the trailhead and said our goodbyes. We all agreed it was time for some breakfast and a nap!

This elopement took place on Ute and Cheyenne 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).