Spring Elopement at Sprague Lake

Spring Elopement in Rocky Mountain National Park

Katie + Jake

After meeting at a liberal arts college in the middle of nowhere (their words haha), Katie and Jake spent five years as friends before finally admitting that they both had feelings for each other. But even after a slow start, they quickly realized that what they had was special. They have similar interests and their differences balance and compliment each other. Both Katie and Jake grew up visiting Colorado with their families, and after two trips to Colorado as a couple, they knew that they wanted to get married there!

When we first talked to Katie and Jake about their wedding date, they were torn between getting married in late May or early June. Often, when our couples are torn between dates, we talk about their vision, what they’d like to do, what they would like from the weather, and particularly for May dates, are they okay with the possibility of snow. And while some of their answers pointed us toward June, there was one other big factor to their decision, Katie and Jake really wanted to share their wedding date with Katie’s parents. And so it was settled, we would take a chance with the weather for the opportunity to celebrate both their marriage as well as Katie’s parents’ anniversary. And while it did snow on them a couple of days before their wedding day, they were rewarded with the most beautiful weather once their wedding day arrived.

On the morning of their elopement, Katie and Jake got ready in separate cabins in Estes Park with their families. Katie and her sisters surprised their parents with speeches as well as gifts for their anniversary, and it was so much fun to see how tight-knit their family is. Katie and Jake decided to have their ceremony at Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. Katie’s dad officiated their ceremony and nine other family members joined them. Katie and Jake opted to wait until their ceremony to see each other, so there was so much anticipation as Katie walked down “the aisle.” Jake’s reaction was so genuine and full of joy and excitement, but they both managed to hold in the tears throughout the entire ceremony (Katie said she had gotten all of her tears out in the days leading up to their elopement).

After their ceremony, we headed to another nearby lake that was still covered in snow and ice. One of the amazing things about eloping in Colorado is how much the weather and foliage can change as you go up in elevation. In Katie and Jake’s case, after driving 15 minutes from a completely melted Sprague Lake, they were able to experience a still-frozen lake. We hiked through the snow and admired the mountain views before realizing that it was way past lunchtime. So we hopped back in our cars and drove to a picnic area in one of our favorite meadows in the park. They brought Katie’s grandparents’ picnic basket, laid out a blanket, and ate sandwiches together.

After a busy afternoon in Rocky Mountain National Park, Katie and Jake reunited with their families at the Dunraven Inn in Estes Park for dinner. Before their reservation began, everyone gathered around the fireplace outside for speeches and a champagne toast. It was the perfect end to such an incredible day in the Colorado mountains!

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

Photographs

Colorado Elopements

Destination Elopements

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).