Sprague Lake and Dream Lake Elopement

Rocky Mountain National Park Elopement

Sam + Greg

After meeting at a college party, it quickly became obvious to Sam and Greg that they were meant to be together. They bonded over their mutual goofiness (which is our favorite thing about them), their love for being outside, going on road trips, music, and animals (Sam is a cat person while Greg is a dog person).

After getting engaged at home in their pajamas, they began discussing what they wanted their wedding to be like. They immediately knew that they wanted their wedding day to be low-key and nontraditional. They imagined being surrounded by beautiful views and their closest family members. Traveling to Colorado quickly came to mind, and they decided to have their elopement in Rocky Mountain National Park, which is located just outside of Estes Park, Colorado.

On the morning of their wedding, Sam and Greg got ready at the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. It’s famous for being the inspiration behind Stephen King’s “The Shining” and has long been rumored to be haunted. While getting ready for the wedding, Greg is pretty sure he saw a white figure flash past him while in the bathroom. He then casually mentioned it later in the day because, ya know, no big deal!

Sam and Greg decided on a morning ceremony at Sprague Lake, which is one of the few sites designated for weddings in Rocky Mountain National Park. As Sam walked “down the aisle” with her parents, everyone sang “Here Comes The Bride” which was not only a lot of fun, but it also alleviated some pre-ceremony nerves. They gathered on the dock with their family and lead their own ceremony. They told stories of their relationship and then exchanged vows.

After the ceremony, they had a small fall-themed picnic, complete with two pies and a few mini pumpkins. Instead of cutting a cake, Sam and Greg decided to cut the pies. For our personal taste, we all agreed that pie was better than cake.

Bellies full of pie, we hiked up to Dream Lake, which is one of our favorite lakes in the park! Sam and Greg hiked up in their wedding clothes and were congratulated by countless hikers. It was so much fun! The hike was cold and windy, but Sam and Greg powered through and cuddled together to keep warm. They ended the day by returning to the Stanley Hotel for a late lunch with their families, and hopefully no more ghosties.

“Two of the sweetest, most professional people I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. Lisa and Alex helped us scout locations for our wedding and worked hand-in-hand with us the whole way to make sure everything went smoothly. They are real troopers that hiked up into the Rocky Mountains with us in windy, 40 degree weather, and captured tons of stellar moments along the way. They even drove us back to our hotel afterwards! Truly two caring souls that will go above and beyond for you on your special day. They are great at capturing authentic moments as they happen and they will deliver to you a collection of phenomenal high-quality photos.”

— Greg

“My husband already wrote a review, but today is our 1 year anniversary (holy smokes, time flies!) and I’m just bursting at the seams with gratitude. Lisa and Alex were truly our anchor in both the planning process and the ceremony itself. They put all the puzzle pieces of vague ideas together into something that seemed doable and exciting, rather than overwhelming. They are incredibly professional but also warm and caring, so they immediately put you at ease. The jitters go away (mostly!) and you know you’re in good hands. My husband and I are two goofballs who are usually pretty awkward in front of cameras, but Lisa and Alex somehow managed to make all of our pictures look effortless and beautiful. My favorite thing about our photos is that they authentically captured us, our relationship, and all the happiness from that day. You always hear that your wedding day flies by and it’s true. Now, it almost feels like a dream, but our photos put us right back to that day. All those warm fuzzy feelings come right back, because Vow of the Wild caught the real, in-between moments and small details that added up to make our day so special. We had so much fun with them and I think it shows. I can’t thank them enough for the magic they added to our wedding day!”

— Sam

This elopement took place on Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Land.

Photographs

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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).