Crested Butte Hiking Elopement with Wildflowers

Mountaintop Adventure Elopement in Colorado

Erica + Ryan

There’s a stigma attached to eloping, and we’ve got a bone to pick with that. We once overheard a woman remark that couples who choose to elope hate their families. Now, we know for a fact that this isn’t true. But if you ever needed an example, take Erica + Ryan.

Like many people recently, Erica + Ryan had to scrap their wedding plans due to the pandemic. What was initially 40 people in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, became just the two of them, who knows where. The two of them fell in love spending time in the outdoors, skiing, hiking, camping. So all they really knew is they wanted to spend time outdoors and incorporate their families as much as they possibly could, despite not being able to attend. And they wanted a view that felt like they were on top of the world.

We explored a ton of options for something that fit the bill. All of the areas near Telluride, Ouray, Aspen, Crested Butte, you name it. Eventually, we landed on a place that we had never been to, but we asked Erica + Ryan to trust us with just one image to go off of. I'm sure that would make most people a little reluctant, but they leaned on our advice and went for it. To get there, however, required some light off-roading and a trail with at least a couple of spots where the road had been washed out. Trust us when we say that there was no lack of adventure in getting to their ceremony! We even saw someone's Escalade getting towed back down the mountain on our way up.

We went the day before the wedding and got a bit lost on the hike (the hike is a maze of different trail systems), which is part of why we always try to get our first time hiking a trail out of the way before the wedding day! But once we got back on track and found the location, we knew we had struck gold. Erica and Ryan's reaction on their wedding day confirmed our own feelings.

After Erica shook out some of the dust she had collected in her dress, and we had bounced our way back down the mountain, we found a small spot for a picnic. A beautiful cheese board and champagne were the feature. No one ever eats well the morning of their wedding, so by the time we got here we were all two shades from hangry. This is probably why Erica forgot that she had the letters from their family and friends. More on that later.

The two first talked about getting married while in the South of France. One night they bought a bottle of champagne to take back to their rental but discovered they had no champagne flutes and no wine glasses. So instead, they used two glass yogurt containers. Something in the magic of that moment led to them talking about getting married, and so the yogurt containers came home with them. On the day they got engaged, they pulled them out once again, so of course, they came along on the wedding day.

A little more rattling in the car and we arrived back at their AirBnB to Zoom with their families. Lots of people got ready just like they were attending a wedding in person. Their families gave toasts, drank champagne with Erica + Ryan, and even ate cake while Erica + Ryan looked on quite jealous. Tears were shed and there was lots of laughing, and Erica's dad might have even called them "quadzilla" for doing so much hiking. Me? Well if I wasn't smiling I was probably crying. The pandemic has prompted a lot of hard decisions, many of them harder than how to have your wedding. But it was beautiful to see all of this love and support in a decision that clearly wasn't easy.

But after the Zoom calls and a bit of eye drying, we had one more stop. We headed back out and explored one of our favorite waterfalls in the state. It may not be enormous, but it's beautiful, and almost never bristling with people. Time to soak it all in felt appropriate, so we gave Erica + Ryan some space to do so, and then came the letters.

Erica had decided (completely unannounced to Ryan) to have both of their families write cards/letters for them to read on their wedding day. I think more tears were shed here than anywhere else all day. There's something that allows extra vulnerability when you put words to paper. Words and emotions in those letters caught Erica + Ryan a bit off guard, in the best way. We already felt this way, but now we know for sure, this is a highly recommended activity for anyone who is eloping.

The rest was really just the cherry on top of an incredible day. We had one last stop at an overlook before getting the newlyweds to dinner, and then met back up afterward for one last photo. The stars were out now, over the same place they had done their first look just earlier in the day. But despite the day being over, if you ask Erica + Ryan they'll tell you. One of the best parts of their wedding is that they'll forever be able to come back and share this space again, anytime they want to.

This elopement took place on Ute 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).