Sunrise Hiking Elopement in Rocky Mountain National Park

Sunrise Elopement in Rocky Mountain National Park

Jaz + Maria

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

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“Experience of a lifetime. We planned out the idea to do an adventure elopement over 1.5 years from the date. We contacted Lisa & Alex and confirmed a date. We video chatted and got to know each other. They helped us narrow down locations and determine our best options especially since we would be travelling from South Texas.

1.5 years later it was time. We packed and boarded a plane to Colorado. They stayed in constant communication with us, answering all the random questions we had to the best of their ability. We were ready to do this. Decisions were made. My wife would hike in her dress and hiking boots. I would hike in most of my suit but the jacket I would carry with me. We both wore winter jackets, underlayers, and gloves.

We met at 2:45 AM at our first location to take the milky way photos. Amazing experience. We could see the milky way just by looking up. We didn’t expect it to be so amazing. Alex explained why it was the green tinted color it was that morning. He was very knowledgeable, and his photography skills were on point. Lisa did the lighting and helped with the positioning for these photos. We didn’t expect it to be so cold but the more feet you go up the colder it gets. We left Estes Park at 54° and ended up in 37°. They worked quickly and got the photos they needed.

Off we were to our next location to begin the long hike up to Dream Lake. Considering it was June we didn’t expect too much snow/ice but there was quite a bit about halfway up the trail. Alex and Lisa provided and fitted us with microspikes to get us across the terrain. It was so early in the morning that there was no one on the trail for the first hour or two.

We chatted along the hike and got to know each other even more. They made sure we were doing ok throughout the hike and even did a couple of stops to take a breather and more photo ops. Alex and Lisa worked so well together, with one going up ahead for photos/video while the other stayed behind to do the same to have as many different angels as possible.

They hiked all their gear and knew the trails like the back of their pups’ paws. The trail got lost the higher up we went due to the ice and snow, but they were able to guide us safely to Dream Lake. Then the wind started blowing which made it feel even colder than the 37°. The photos came out better than we had hoped, even though our hair was blowing everywhere. We laughed it off and enjoyed the experience as we ate each other’s hair while taking pictures.

Off to another location for our actual vow exchange. They allowed us to stop off at our AirBnb to get makeup freshened up and grab a snack. We hiked again but by now we were lower in elevation than Rocky Mountain National Park, and the sun had come up. It got hot very quickly. My wife got a bit sunburnt with a sleeveless dress. The words Alex spoke to start the ceremony threw us into tears before we even had a chance to start our vows. They took more pictures and not that standard wedding photos which was great. We danced our first dance with a little speaker, then we all celebrated and shared some champagne and cake at the end.

The experience was more than we could’ve expected or dreamed of. It was such an intimate experience with just the two of us, instead of having a massive celebration and catering to everyone else. No thanks. We would do this again in a heartbeat. Alex and Lisa were the best and we want to thank you both for making our adventure unforgettable.

DO THE THING! OUR ADVENTURE ELOPEMENT was worth every penny and every second, especially with Alex and Lisa.”

— Jaz + Maria

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Photographs

Elopement Location: Aspen, Colorado
Elopement Photographer + Videographer: 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).