Even though Allison and Chris both grew up in Florida, their love story started in Guam while Allison was working as a travel nurse and Chris was stationed there with the Air Force. Since then, they’v explored the world together. They’ve hiked in Fiji, scuba dived in Japan, and explored the Philippines and South Korea.

The idea of having a big wedding with hundreds of eyes on them caused them to wait a year after getting engaged to even start the wedding planning process. So instead of a traditional wedding, they started planning a backyard wedding at Allison’s parent’s house. But even this spiraled into Allison and Chris making decisions for other people. So they scrapped their plans and decided to elope in Colorado instead.

When we started talking to Allison and Chris about what they wanted out of their wedding day, Allison mentioned that she really wanted to get married in October with fall colors. So we suggested they look at Crested Butte or the San Juans for their elopement, since the fall colors normally peak later than the rest of the state. They decided on the San Juans and we dove into planning.

The Telluride area of Colorado is famous for its off-roading trails. There are so many incredible views and places to explore if you’re up for renting a Jeep or UTV. But maybe you’re not super comfortable driving on off-road trails, or maybe you’d just rather sit back and enjoy the drive. This was the case for Allison and Chris, so they decided to hire a professional driver for their elopement.

On the afternoon of their elopement, we all met up at the office for the Jeep tour company and piled into the back of a big, open-aired truck. We started in the small town of Ouray and headed straight up a steep and rocky dirt road. For a while, we were surrounded by trees, and couldn’t see much of a view. But as we reached the top, the trees opened up to a beautiful meadow surrounded by tall, rocky cliffs. And much to Allison’s delight, there was a grove of bright yellow aspen trees.

Allison and Chris had their ceremony in the grass surrounded by Allison’s parents and brother, and Chris’ dad. They decided to lead their own ceremony, starting with Allison sharing their story and telling Chris how much she looks forward to this new adventure together. Chris shared even more about their adventures together and mentioned how he immediately felt comfortable around Allison, even though he is introverted. Then, they shared their vows and promises before exchanging wedding rings, and had their first kiss. Their families cheered and Allison announced that they were “married AF.”

After their ceremony, they celebrated in the aspen grove with champagne, speeches, and a little bit of reminiscing. They signed their marriage license on the hood of the truck before we all climbed back in and headed down the bumpy road back to Ouray. They ended their evening with dinner at a nice restaurant in town.

This elopement took place on Ute and Pueblo Land.

Photographs

Colorado Elopements

Destination Elopements