Fall Off-Road Elopement in the Colorado San Juan Mountains with Family

Fall Off-Road Elopement in the Colorado Mountains

Chris + Jordan

Land Acknowledgement: This elopement took place on the traditional territory of the Núu-agha-tuvu-pu (Ute), Diné Bikéyah, and Pueblo nations

9.5 Hours of Coverage

Chris and Jordan’s relationship has always revolved around adventure. After meeting in Missouri, they packed up their camper van and drove to Alaska with their Australia Shepherd named Kibo. There, they worked at a wilderness lodge and spent their days hiking, camping, and exploring.

A traditional wedding in Missouri wasn’t what either of them wanted. Instead, they wanted a day that felt like an experience instead of a performance. At first, they were considering Arizona, Colorado, and Utah for their elopement, but eventually decided on the San Juan mountains of Colorado.

They own a Land Rover Discovery that they have completely transformed it into an adventure vehicle. The weather in early October in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado can be unpredictable. You never know if you’ll get a bluebird day or if it’ll snow. Chris and Jordan lucked out with the most perfect day On the afternoon of their elopement, we met them and their families in the town of Ouray and we all started our adventure into the mountains.

The location that Chris and Jordan chose for their ceremony is up a relatively challenging trail, with large rocks to maneuver over, two water crossings, and a steep, rocky hill to climb. When we all arrived at the end of the trail, everyone was energized after the adventure.

Jordan’s sister officiated the ceremony and then they all enjoyed a toast. After parting ways with their families, we explored more off-road trails, stopping in a beautiful grove of yellow aspens, climbing up next to a waterfall, and then having a picnic on a mountaintop.

In addition to a ceremony with their families, Chris and Jordan also decided to exchange vows privately at sunset. With Kibo by their side, they read their vows to each other while surrounded by enormous mountains. After the sun had set, we headed down the mountain in the dark. The clear skies in the afternoon continued into clear skies in the evening, and we were greeted with the most beautiful view of the Milky Way.

Photographs | 9.5 Hours of Coverage

Elopement Location: Ouray, Colorado
Elopement Photographer: 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).