Sunrise Elopement in Rocky Mountain National Park

Felicia + Will

It’s always a bit strange to meet someone in person for the first time in a dark and empty parking lot. It’s even stranger when five minutes later, you all look up and a line of lights is crossing the night sky. On the list of things that Felicia and Will wanted for their elopement day, getting abducted by aliens wasn’t on the list. Fortunately for us, it turns out that we saw the Starlink satellites and not a large group of UFOs. Phew.

As we hiked up the dark trail, we chatted about how Felicia and Will first met and work and how they both love spending time in the outdoors with their two dogs. They got engaged on the beach in San Diego but wanted to elope in the mountains with their immediate families. They envisioned spending their elopement day hiking to an alpine lake, then meeting up with their families for a ceremony, and then celebrating with a delicious meal.

As we reached the first big overlook in the trail, we could see the sun just starting to illuminate the clouds and mountains in the distance. Felicia and Will stood on a large rock with just their headlamps and lanterns and took in the view. As we continued hiking up the trail, we came across the first big snowfields to cross. Fortunately, the snow was packed down from many other feet and we didn’t need to put on our microspikes.

Just before sunrise, we arrived at the alpine lake. Felicia and Will parted ways to change into their wedding attire. They had their first look at sunrise on a large rock overlooking the alpine lake and the surrounding mountains. Then slowly but surely, the sun continued to rise and gave us the most stunning alpenglow on the mountains. It was a calm morning and the lake stood mostly still so we could see the mountains perfectly reflected in the water.

After some time exploring and taking in the views, we hiked back to the trailhead and then drove to Sprague Lake for their ceremony. They met their families in the parking lot and everyone walked to the ceremony site together. Their families gathered around the dock at the edge of Sprague Lake while their hired officiant led the ceremony. Then finally, they were married! Everyone celebrated with hugs and a toast before it was time to head to The Stanley Hotel for brunch.

This elopement took place on Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Land.

Photographs

Elopement Location: Estes Park, Colorado
Elopement Photographer: Vow of the Wild

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