Snowy Winter Elopement

B + R

For the last 14 years, B and R took the idea of a long-distance relationship and stretched it about as far as it could go. In fact, it took somewhere around 24 hours of plane travel just to reach one another, depending on your layovers. So when they got engaged in January 2020, they were very ready to get started with the next chapter of their lives together and end the long distance once and for all. But things didn’t quite work out that way…

They met in high school, via the internet of course. How else is someone from Mississippi going to meet another teenager across the world in New Zealand? Their first interactions were over a shared love of digital art. R had created some art for 3D games and B liked it so much that she decided to reach out. Among other similarities that they discovered and blossomed with time, that shared passion carried them both a long way. They currently work in digital art all these years later, even collaborating on some projects together.

So now, back in 2022, the backlog of fiance visas in the US finally getting under control meant that R was officially able to join B in Mississippi. And now the countdown was on, the next step in the visa process was to get legally married within 90 days. So they decided to drive to Colorado to elope in the snow without any witnesses or officiant.

They originally chose to have their ceremony on a gorgeous mountaintop hike outside of Breckenridge, Colorado. But as the day came closer, the favorable forecast changed to a day with temperatures below freezing. Wanting to stay close to their vehicle for warm-up breaks, B and R decided to switch their elopement location. This ended up being the right call.

We met with B and R in the snowy parking lot for their first look and their ceremony. B rode in the backseat of the car while R drove so that he wouldn’t see her dress. R waited nervously at the edge of the forest while B walked carefully through the snow. When R turned around, they both smiled and hugged each other. After so many years, they were finally getting married!

Their ceremony was held on the edge of a lake, surrounded by snowy mountains and forest. Alex started their ceremony with a reading and caused B to start crying before she even started reading her own vows. But by the time it was R’s turn to read his vows, he had us all laughing as he shared inside jokes.

After their ceremony, we headed to a second location for their first dance. The fog rolled in and brought some light snow with it. B and R had a mini dance party on a large rock together, shuffling through some of their favorite songs. As the night grew darker, we brought out two lanterns that B had borrowed from her grandmother. By the time we hiked back to the car, it was almost completely dark and everyone’s fingers were frozen, but we couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day!

This elopement took place on Ute Land.

Photographs

Elopement Location: Breckenridge, Colorado
Elopement Photographer: Vow of the Wild

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