Fall Hiking and Off-Road Adventure Elopement in Colorado
Fall Hiking and Jeeping Elopement in Colorado
Annie + Chris
As soon as Annie and Chris reached out, we knew they wanted a bit of variety in their elopement day. An off-road adventure, a hike, alpine lakes, towering mountains, fall colors, and ending the night looking up at the stars. But I don’t think any of us anticipated they would get all of that and then some.
Our journey together began in the Spring of 2021, when Annie wrote to us with one of the sweetest inquiries we had ever received. Unfortunately, we were fully booked for 2021 at the time, but these two were willing to wait until 2022 to make things happen. So with a year and a half to settle on our final plans, we dove in with lots of flexibility. At first Annie and Chris were leaning toward a completely different area of Colorado than where we ended up. However, upon looking through the options and trying to visualize their day, it just didn’t quite feel right. Based on what they had told us, we had one other idea we just couldn’t get out of our heads. It was a location that had been on our radar for a long time, so we took the opportunity to go scout it and see if it was everything we thought it would be.
When we sent the photos to Annie and Chris, they immediately knew it was the one. It had the perfect mix of everything they were after, and now having experienced it, we’re convinced it’s one of the best elopement locations in the state. We started their day by driving our Jeeps down a dirt road, stopping occasionally to take in the golden aspen trees that lined the route. During one of our stops, we got our first surprise of the day, when maybe a dozen wasps somehow got themselves trapped in the tulle of Annie’s dress. The four of us were able to teamwork an evacuation, with no stings to report, thankfully! But just a short drive later we got our next (and far more enjoyable) surprise.
A hiker with her dog waved us down to let us know that a family of moose were in the adjacent meadow, meandering through the brush and bushes. Moose sightings aren’t terribly uncommon, but when you’re only in Colorado for a handful of days it does usually take a bit of luck. So it was quite the treat for all of us to watch as a mommy, daddy, and baby moose munching on the grasses in the distance.
Pit stops were aplenty at this point in the day, we decided we should finish out the drive and get Annie and Chris married already. We winded our way up further until we were past tree line, and at the trailhead to our final destination. We can’t speak for Annie and Chris but we definitely spent most of the hike wishing the dirt road had led a bit further and saved us some effort. But as we arrived at the top of the saddle, no one could complain about the view in front of us.
Once we all caught our breath, Annie and Chris exchanged their vows just as a small snowstorm moved in. They laughed off the cold as tiny, perfectly spherical little dip n dots of snow caught in their hair. And beard. The clouds above us blew quickly across the sky, and no sooner had they finished their vows and put their jackets back on, than the snow was gone and we were back to bluebird skies. The views on both sides of the saddle opened up and the peaks stretched for miles around us. Exactly what they had been looking for.
We took our time soaking in the last bit of sunshine, before the peaks we were nestled between blocked the warmth. To end the night, we meandered our way back down the trail and then the dirt road, to set up a picnic at a dispersed campsite. Annie and Chris read letters from family and friends while eating sandwiches, and drinking a bottle of Tequila that Chris had bought for the day they got engaged. But as far as Alex is concerned, no night spent deep in the mountains is complete without staying out until the sky is nothing but stars. So the four of us spent just a bit longer waiting until we could see the milky way stretching out above us, the perfect end to a day full of a little of everything.
This elopement took place on Ute Land.
“Gosh, where to even begin?! I wish I could scream from the rooftops how incredible Lisa and Alex are! The first big decision we made when getting engaged was that we wanted to elope, and we wanted photographers that we would feel comfortable spending our entire wedding day with. Selecting an elopement photographer is much more intimate than one for a traditional wedding as it was just them and us on our wedding day. I spent about a month researching elopement photographers, but we always kept coming back to Vow of the Wild. Once I had my virtual meet and greet, I knew we had found the perfect photographers for us.
We had such faith in Lisa and Alex, we decided to wait a year to elope just so we could have them as our photographers (they were fully booked for Fall 2021 when we had reached out). I could tell right away that they were masters of their craft, not only in their photography skills but the whole process.
They felt like old friends that we had known for years, just as excited as we were to plan our wedding day. They created an absolutely incredible portal/website to help us not only choose our elopement location but also gave us recommendations for vendors, accommodations, hikes, and activities in the area, and a timeline to keep us on track as we planned. Having the comfort of the portal, timeline, questionnaires, and chat function made it so I didn’t have to stress at all about our wedding day, but rather could enjoy the whole process! We live in NC and eloped in CO, so we had to put all of our trust in Lisa and Alex and their suggestions, and we are SO glad we did!
My husband and I do not like being the center of attention or taking photos, but Lisa and Alex made us feel so comfortable we would even forget the camera was there. It felt like we were spending an incredible day in the mountains with old friends, celebrating our love. The whole day just felt so natural and beautiful, even when they had asked us to pose from time to time it didn’t feel forced or cheesy. I have had countless people tell me that our photographers captured our raw emotions, and they felt like they were there with us when looking at our photos. Our wedding day felt like it was out of a fairy tale, and we owe all of that to Lisa and Alex.
Booking with Lisa and Alex was the best decision we could have made for our elopement day! They go above and beyond for their clients and truly help you cultivate your perfect day.
If you are on the fence about planning an elopement or booking with Vow of the Wild, TAKE THE LEAP! I promise it will be the best decision you make, they are worth it!! I get goosebumps every time I look at our photos or get to share them with someone new. Our photos and experience with Lisa and Alex will be treasured forever, by us and our families. I come from a big Italian family that did not understand why we didn’t want a traditional wedding - until they saw our photos, and that is thanks to Vow of the Wild!
Lisa, Alex, thank you from the bottom of our hearts!”
Photographs
Elopement Location: Aspen, Colorado
Elopement Photographer + Videographer: Vow of the Wild
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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).
Ouray, Colorado Elopement Photo + Highlight Film