Sunset Jeep Elopement in Ouray, Colorado
Sunset Jeep Elopement in Ouray, Colorado
Katherine + Mark
After meeting in a research lab, Katherine and Mark were work friends for years before they slowly began to bond over their faith and their past experiences. About five years after meeting, they officially started dating. Immediately, their life together felt like a rollercoaster, from a pandemic, to board exams, to new careers, to Mark’s move out of state for residency.
Katherine and Mark both consider themselves to be introverted, so the idea of planning a big wedding didn’t feel right. Instead, they dreamed of eloping in Colorado with their closest family and friends. When we first started brainstorming with Katherine and Mark, they didn’t have a specific location in mind, they just knew they wanted mindblowing mountain views, a waterfall, and to step out of their comfort zone. We immediately knew that Ouray, Colorado would be the perfect place for their elopement.
On the afternoon of their elopement, everyone met up at the trailhead for their ceremony. The clouds were hanging low over the canyon, but as of now, it was dry. Katherine and Mark had their first look before carefully climbing up onto a large rock with their families for the ceremony. Their ceremony was exactly how they imagined, incorporating their loved ones and their faith all while being surrounded by the most incredible views. And as if on queue, shortly after the ceremony ended, it started raining. Everyone hid under their umbrellas and made their way back to the cars.
After looking at the hourly forecast as well as the weather radar, we began to worry about whether or not the rain was going to let up. Katherine and Mark’s post-ceremony adventure involved off-roading, which can be dangerous and even impossible in heavy rains. We came up with three options, we go for it and turn around if the weather got too bad, we switch to backup locations that are easier to access in the rain, or we go out for sunrise the next morning since we happened to still be in town. In the end, they decided to go for it.
So we packed up our Jeeps and headed out, the rain still falling heavily. As we made our way up the mountain, the clouds began to clear, and soon there were blue skies above us. We always knew that the forecast in Colorado can’t be trusted, but even we were surprised by this change in the weather! We continued up the road, crossing creeks and maneuvering around large rocks. And as we parked our Jeeps and got out into the sunshine, we knew that we had made the right choice.
Katherine and Mark admired the views and climbed down to the bottom of a waterfall before we completed the last bit of trail to the location of their private vow exchange. As the sun sank toward the horizon and the clouds moved back in, Katherine and Mark exchanged vows surrounded by some of the most beautiful mountains in Colorado.
They ended the night with some quiet time for prayer and then they braved the rain and cold for some late-night astrophotography. And even though the rain was actively falling while we were stargazing, the clouds parted just enough for us to catch a glimpse of the Milky Way.
This elopement took place on Ute and Pueblo Land.