Why You Should Hire a Local Colorado Elopement Photographer
Updated on April 17th, 2025
We’re Lisa + Alex
We are a husband and wife elopement photography and videography team based in Colorado.
We captured our first Colorado mountain elopement in 2015. And in the many years since, we’ve worked with hundreds of couples and learned so much valuable information about how to plan a unique and amazing elopement.
10 Years
Capturing Elopements
250+ Couples
Worked With
Should you hire a Colorado-based elopement photographer?
As you begin planning your elopement, you will come across many out of state photographers marketing in Colorado. We’ve put together a list of reasons you should hire an elopement photographer based in Colorado for your elopement.
• Local photographers will know the best locations
• Get lesser-known location recommendations
• Have an amazing experience even at popular locations
• Local photographers will help you navigate the weather
• Know what to expect from the weather
• Plan for unexpected bad weather
• Ability to work in a variety of weather conditions
• Quickly adjust plans and locations in case of bad weather
• Local photographers will know the ins and outs of permitting
• Understand what permits are needed for your elopement
• Be a steward for the land
• Local photographers know other amazing local vendors
1. Local photographers will know the best locations
We’ll share the lesser-known locations with you
In general, many of the most popular elopement locations in Colorado are going to be busy. If you’re looking for a location that offers more privacy, off the beaten path, and a little bit different than what everyone else is doing, your best bet is to hire a local Colorado photographer.
We have scoured the entire state of Colorado for beautiful, quiet, and unique locations to recommend to our couples, and we can offer suggestions for stunning and private locations that most people haven’t heard of before and that you can’t find on Pinterest or with a simple Google search.
As an example:
Han + Kelsey, eloped in a remote part of Colorado. They rented a Jeep to get to a few lesser-known locations and ventured deep into the mountains. These locations were ones that we came across on our many scouting trips to the region and are not yet popular.
Because of this, we only saw a few other people during the 10 hours we spent with them. This gave them almost total privacy for their elopement day, which allowed them to soak in the views and focus on their experience together.
We’ll help you have an amazing experience, even at popular elopement locations
Yes, anyone can spend the afternoon researching the most popular places to elope in Colorado. But only an experienced local is going to be able to give you first-hand knowledge about these locations to help you get the most out of your experience.
What time of day has the best light?
What are some other nearby locations that are also worth visiting?
What are crowds like at these locations? How can you best avoid these crowds?
What can you expect from the location at different times of year?
Are there any tips or tricks for getting permits, ensuring parking, calculating realistic drive times, transporting your guests, etc.
As an example:
Felicia + Will, eloped in Rocky Mountain National Park, which is one of the most popular places to get married in Colorado. Because they planned ahead, they were able to get a ceremony permit for Sprague Lake, which is a beautiful and easily accessible ceremony location for couples and their guests.
For their hike to Dream Lake, we started at sunrise to ensure that we could park at the trailhead, avoid crowds, as well as get the most beautiful light on the peaks in the background.
Because F + W eloped in June, we knew to bring microspikes for all of us to safely navigate the icy and snow packed sections of the trail that don’t normally melt until July.
2. Local photographers will help you navigate the weather
We’ll make sure you know what to expect from the weather
Every month of the year will give you a different elopement experience in Colorado. We’ll listen closely to your vision and help match you with the perfect date, and then help you know what you can expect in your region of choice.
Often, couples are surprised at how long winter weather sticks around in the mountains compared to Colorado’s Front Range as well as other places in the country. It’s not uncommon for couples to switch their plans from a May date to a July date after speaking with us.
Even if you choose a perfect summer date, where you’ll have great access to trails, gorgeous wildflowers, and flowing waterfalls, it’s still important to be aware of the weather. In the summer, afternoon thunderstorms are very common in the mountains. So we work with our couples to plan their day with these storms in mind. This will give us the best chance at great weather and a great experience.
We’ll help you plan for unexpected weather
The weather in Colorado is known for being unpredictable. And even if you do everything right, there is still a chance that you’ll run into weather that is not ideal. Whether that is a thunderstorm earlier in the day than usual or a snowstorm earlier in the season.
We give every couple we work with a packing list based on their elopement date and location. This includes items that will prepare you for any kind of weather such as:
Warm and waterproof jackets - Even in the peak of summer, you’ll want to have this. Whether we get unseasonably cold or rainy weather, or even on a perfect day but at higher elevations.
Clear umbrella - This is a must-have for summer elopements in Colorado. These umbrellas allow you to stay dry during surprise rain showers and are still cute in photos.
Good shoes - Having all-weather and all-terrain shoes will give you stable footing regardless of the weather.
As an example:
Megan and Tristan, eloped in Breckenridge with their immediate families in mid-September. Most years, this region doesn’t get its first snow until late September or early June. And based on historical weather, they expected comfortable temperatures in the mid 60s. Instead they got rain that eventually turned into snow. Fortunately, they and all of their guests packed warm clothes and umbrellas so they were ready to take on the unseasonably chilly weather.
We’ll photograph in a wide variety of weather conditions
While it is true that Colorado gets about 300 days of sunshine each year, it’s possible to get married on one of those not-sunny days. In the years that we have been capturing elopements in Colorado (as well as in the rainy Pacific Northwest and Scotland), we have run into our fair share of “bad” weather days. And with the proper preparation, your elopement can still continue as planned no matter what kind of weather we get!
We always tell our couples, “as long as it’s safe, we can move forward with your plans regardless of the weather.” Our camera gear is weather sealed and we always have rain covers for our cameras if it’s particularly wet outside.
On our own elopement day, it started pouring rain right after our ceremony ended. That became one of our favorite memories and photos from the entire day. We cuddled close together and laughed as got soaked with water.
As an example:
Adrienne and Tanner, eloped at a remote cabin in the mountains outside of Telluride, Colorado. It was one of those days where the forecast completely changes every time you refresh the weather app. So while we had a difficult time predicting exactly what we were in for, we knew that we were going to be experiencing a decent amount of rain.
We took a flexible approach to the day, willing to re-order their timeline if needed, and keeping a close eye out for pockets of dry weather. But we were all fully willing to embrace the rain, and embrace the ran we did!
They danced in the rain, (accidentally) jumped in puddles, and watched as the rain accumulated into snow on the peaks high above their cabin.
We’ll help you quickly and safely adjust plans and locations in case of very bad weather
Sometimes, no matter how thoroughly you plan and how well you prepare, nature is going to take you by surprise. In times like this, it’s important to have a team that is aware of safety limits and knows when it’s time to pivot.
And while we want to assure you that this does not happen often, in our years as Colorado elopement photographers, we’ve had to adjust plans last-minute (even in-the-minute) for snowstorms, thunderstorms, flooded roads, and even wildfires. In these cases, it’s our job to present options to our couples in a simple and straightforward way. As a local Colorado elopement photographer, we can do this instantly because we have a deep knowledge of the area you’re eloping in.
An out-of-state photographer may not know alternate locations or how to navigate to other locations without cell phone service. This can lead to a really bad experience for you.
As an example:
Macy + Meghan, eloped on an off-road trail in the mountains of Colorado. Their date was in early October, so we were all aware that there was a chance of snow. The morning started with just a dusting of snow, which was no big deal. But as we drove higher, we could see dark clouds in the distance.
We knew that if we continued with their plans, we risked getting stranded in the snow, so we immediately headed to a lower elevation. A majority of their elopement day, including their ceremony location, needed to be completely re-planned on the fly.
Fortunately, we knew of the perfect backup locations. And looking through their gallery, you would have no clue which spots were part of their original plans and which were last-minute changes because they were all beautiful!
3. Local photographers will know the ins and outs of permitting
We’ll make sure you understand what permits are needed for your elopement
Permits are probably one of the least exciting parts of planning an elopement, but they’re important! A local Colorado elopement photographer will be a valuable source to make the permitting process as simple as possible for you.
Many locations in Colorado require permits and have rules regarding elopements on public lands (National Parks, National Forests, State Parks, BLM Lands) and it can be overwhelming to know the rules. We have already been in contact with these offices and can make sure that your elopement goes off without a hitch. If your elopement requires any permits, we will make sure you know exactly when and how to apply for these.
We’ll be stewards of the land
We believe in recreating responsibly so that these beautiful places can be enjoyed for generations to come. And because of this, we educate our couples on the best ways to respectfully enjoy Colorado landscapes. This includes simple things like not picking wildflowers, traveling on hard surfaces such as designated trails, roads, and rocky surfaces, as well being aware of wildlife that live in the areas we visit.
But one thing that our couples don’t often think of is choosing a ceremony location that has as little impact as possible. This often means only taking very small groups out into the wilderness, choosing a ceremony location that doesn’t trample fragile tundra or wildflowers, and not setting up furniture or decor. Very often on social media, we see out of state photographers bring their couples to locations that are irresponsible and over time can damage the environment and can lead to stricter rules for weddings on public lands.
3. Local photographers know other local vendors to bring your elopement vision to life
We’ll recommend some other amazing vendors to you
We’ve worked with so many other amazing teams throughout the entire state. So whether you’re looking for a hair and makeup artist for your sunrise hiking elopement, a Jeep rental, florals, a custom charcuterie board for your lakeside picnic, or a private chef for a gourmet meal at your Airbnb, we’ve got you covered!
Are you looking for a Colorado elopement photographer?
How to choose the right elopement photographer
Choose a team that specializes in elopements
Hiring a photographer that has a lot of experience planning and capturing elopements will give you peace of mind throughout the entire process. An elopement photographer will have more location, permit, and vendor knowledge than a photographer who specializes in larger weddings. This means you’ll be able to rely more on them and know you’re getting the best advice.
Make sure you get along with your photographer on a personal level
You will be spending a lot of time with your photography team and they will be in charge of creating a great experience for you. Make sure you trust and feel comfortable being vulnerable around them.
Choose a photography team whose style you love
You’ll be looking back at these photos for the rest of your life, so make sure you love the way your photographer composes and edits their photos.
Before hiring a photographer, always ask to see a few full galleries. This will give you an idea of how they photograph in different lighting situations, make sure their editing is consistent, and that they deliver a variety of photos (different angles, different poses, close-ups, wide open landscapes, etc.).
Read their reviews
What do their past couples have to say about them? This is one of the best ways to take a look at what it will be like if you choose to work with them. What are their strengths? Do they have any weaknesses? Do their past couples have any advice?
We specialize in Colorado elopement photography
Let’s work together to make your Colorado elopement dreams come to life!
We have been doing this for over 10 years and have captured over 250 elopements. We are so lucky to work with about 20 couples each year and show them some of our favorite places in Colorado.
Are you looking for a meaningful and adventurous day in the Colorado Rocky Mountains? We would love to get to know you!
This blog post was published on April 17th, 2025