Sarah and Heather are recent Colorado transplants. They both love the outdoors and their home back in Texas didn’t quite fit the lifestyle they dreamed of. So they packed up and moved to Denver with their two dogs. Originally, they started planning their wedding in Zion, but their move to Colorado inspired them to get married in the mountains instead!

When they described their dream elopement to us, they knew that they wanted to get married at the edge of an alpine lake. They wanted to spend the morning hiking with their loved ones and celebrate with hot spiked cider afterward. The four of us quickly set our sights on Rocky Mountain National Park. Initially, Sarah and Heather planned a sunrise hike to Dream Lake before having their ceremony down at Sprague Lake. Everything was coming together smoothly until mid-October when the Cameron Peak Wildfire accelerated and crossed into Rocky Mountain National Park. To alleviate some stress, we quickly put together a Plan B for their elopement day in case the park remained closed. We all waited anxiously, hoping their wedding could still proceed. But in the end, it wasn’t going to happen. We quickly switched gears and made all of the final arrangements. And while it was not what they had spent nearly eight months imagining and planning for, it was still going to be incredible!

On the morning of their elopement, we met at the trailhead just after sunrise. They had their first look in the forest before beginning the hike to their ceremony. On the way to their first look, they were both nervous and excited to see each other. It was so much fun seeing Sarah turn around and watching her jaw drop! After their first look, they were joined by their dogs, Heather’s sister, and their three friends (one joined via video chat from out-of-state). It was a chilly morning, but we really couldn’t have asked for better weather on this early-winter morning.

Upon arriving to the high point on the trail, we all got into place for the ceremony. Heather and Sarah read their vows to each other before pronouncing themselves as married (in Colorado you can self-solemnize your marriage and it’s really that easy)! They celebrated with hugs, a few tears, and the brightest smiles. On an emotional high, we all hiked back to the trailhead before hopping in the car to drive to an alpine lake. There, they warmed up with hot apple cider (perhaps spiked with a little something) and admired the expansive mountain views before returning to town to end their elopement day with breakfast.

This elopement took place on Ute Land.

Location Disclaimer: The location with the alpine lakes no longer allows weddings or elopements. We no longer come to this location with our couples.

Photographs

Colorado Elopements

Destination Elopements