Colorado Sunrise Jeep Elopement to an Alpine Lake

Sunrise Elopement at an Alpine Lake in Colorado

Adam + Geneva

Geneva and Adam first met when they were both working a job they didn’t love and their shifts happened to overlap. They bonded right away, and mentioned to us early on that since the beginning of their relationship they’ve talked to each other mostly in movie quotes and inside jokes. We didn’t realize until we got to spend time with them on their elopement day just how much they meant it!

For their engagement, Adam planned a day that felt very “them” in activity. They’ve spent a lot of time in their now 9 years together visiting zoos and animal sanctuaries, or really any opportunity to enjoy animals. So when the opportunity came up to go to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado Springs while most other events and activities were hard to safely do, they took it. For those who have never been, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has the unique opportunity to personally feed giraffes and elephants up close. So Adam worked with the zoo and instead of proposing to Geneva all by himself, he was able to get a little help from one of the elephants. It’s only fitting that they ended up honeymooning in Northern Thailand and seeing elephants once again!

But for their wedding day, they knew they wanted to really strip everything back to basics. Make it super simple, and just about the two of them taking the next step in their journey together. As Geneva put it, “in our own little world out in nature.” So at first, we planned on a hike to a beautiful alpine lake. The hike is short although a little steep, and we often have it completely to ourselves if we go for sunrise. So with that plan penciled in, we continued through the rest of our plans, blissfully unaware of the curve ball that would eventually be thrown our way. And that curve ball came in the form of a trail closure that just happened to include Geneva and Adam’s elopement day.

Luckily, we’ve scouted a lot of the state in our free time. It’s honestly one of our favorite hobbies together. So when we found out the closure was coming, we immediately reached out to Geneva and Adam with some backup options. Of course, it’s always a bummer to fall in love with a spot and then have to change it up last minute, but fortunately, they loved one of our alternate ideas and it all worked out in the end!

So the morning of their elopement, we met at the staging area for the off-road trail before beginning our way up. Both of our vehicles bounced around a whole bunch on the rocky road, but it sort of helped the sense of adventure in getting to this remote location. Once we arrived near the top, the trees we had been driving through began to clear and you could finally see the lake below just beginning to illuminate. The sun was still just below the horizon, teasing us with the prospect of warm sunlight on our skin as we watched the mountains across the lake in the cold morning air. After some photos in the blue hour before sunrise, we all took a quick warm up break before beginning their ceremony.

Here is when we learned that Geneva and Adam really weren’t kidding about the movie and tv show quotes. Their vows were filled to the brim with references to all their favorites, and they both had the other laughing heartily at the silliness and the inside jokes. We loved how fun the whole thing felt, while still being heartfelt and sentimental. The reflection of the mountains in the lake made for a perfect framing to their ceremony, and while we might normally cry through our couples saying their vows, we found ourselves chuckling along with them this time.

Geneva also brought a red velvet donut to share, which they enjoyed after their ceremony while lounging on the shore of the lake. We spent some time wandering around and up above the water, chatting and marveling at the views while we climbed rocks and crossed small creeks. The movement and the sun now fully upon us warmed us up and was a welcome change from the cold morning. Because we had spent most of the drive to the lake in the dark, we decided to head down and give ourselves the time to pause along the way and see what we had missed.

This ended up including some very pretty views of the mountains in the distance, but even more importantly, some golden aspen trees. The changing leaves are always a beautiful time to spend in the mountains, and also a fitting metaphor for the changing of seasons in a couple’s relationship with one another. Luckily Geneva and Adam weren’t put off by our constant “sorry, we’re gonna pull over again” over the walkie talkies, and we were able to squeeze a whole lot of fun out of our morning with them.

This elopement took place on Ute Land.

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“Book now! Cannot say enough good things or recommend Lisa + Alex more! They are such an amazing team. They thought of everything and then some. Our 1st choice for our location didn’t work out a month before our big day and they were already prepared with a backup plan to a backup plan that all fit into our timeline, budget, and Airbnb location. They are so incredibly organized and have already thought of everything before you have.

During our elopement, they made sure to check in to see if we were happy, comfortable and if we wanted/needed to take a break. It was like hanging out with 2 old friends all day. If you haven’t been swayed yet by this review then just look at what they are capable of with their exquisite eye and talent for photography. They are the most professional, thoughtful, and fun team. Best choice I made besides marrying my best friend.”

— Geneva + Adam

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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).