Colorado Hiking Elopement with a Dog

Colorado Hiking Elopement with their Dog

Josh + Maddie

After both moving to Colorado from opposite sides of the country, Josh and Maddie met when Josh’s sister did a little bit of matchmaking. For the first months of their relationship, they lived in separate cities, but in 2020, they not only moved in together, but they also started working from home together. And after adopting their cattle dog mix, Kora, and spending just about all of their time together, they decided to get married.

Between the pandemic making it complicated to plan a traditional wedding, Josh and Maddie’s love for the outdoors, and their desire to plan a day that felt true to them, they decided that eloping was the right choice. They wanted a stress-free elopement day in the mountains full of the things they love!

We met up with Josh, Maddie, and Kora at the little cabin they rented before heading out on their elopement adventure together. We started out by driving up a bumpy dirt road and then hiking up to a beautiful rocky overlook with views of the surrounding mountains and the lake below. On our way up, we saw a large group of mountain goats effortlessly climbing up the side of the steep cliffs near us. As we continued our hike, we saw a marmot and even a pika. Both of which are adorable alpine animals. We paused at the upper lake and took in the view before hiking back down.

Next, Josh and Maddie laid out a blanket and had a picnic. We found a grassy place within the forest for them to relax in the shade. They set up a delicious charcuterie board and tested fancy cheeses while they read letters from their families. Meanwhile, Kora patiently laid on the ground near them and kept watch.

As sunset grew closer, they packed up their picnic and we started the hike to their ceremony site. Along the way, we met a fox and spent time admiring the views. And finally, it was time for their ceremony. Josh and Maddie stood together, surrounded by mountains, and with Kora as their witness exchanged vows. After their ceremony, they signed the marriage license and even used a stamp pad to put Kora’s footprint as her signature.

We explored together until the sun went down and the skies turned pink. We made it back to the trailhead and we think that Josh and Maddie might’ve just barely had time to return to town before the cookie shop closed.

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

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).