Colorado Winter Elopement in February
Jess and Dom are avid hikers and wanted to elope somewhere beautiful outdoors. They wanted a Rocky Mountain National Park Elopement. We decided to have their ceremony outside the park in Estes Park and go on a hike in Rocky Mountain National Park. They were comfortable with snow so they wanted a winter wonderland wedding day.
I recommended some locations, got the permits for them, and we got to planning their dream day in less than a month.
Jess and Dom love having breakfast together. It’s a favorite past time of theirs back home where they catch up and eat good food together before they start their day. So we decided to incorporate that tradition by getting some cinnamon rolls and Starbucks at their cabin before we headed out for their ceremony. They helped each other get ready for their wedding day.
Ceremony and Picnic at Estes Park
We got to the lake where they have their ceremony on the sand next to the water. They read their vows, exchanged their rings, and I pronounced them husband and wife. They got a few people honking at them to congratulate their marriage! Super cute!
We picked a nice little spot for their picnic. They had a variety of food from cheese, crackers, grapes, and cashews. I find that if you’ve chosen to have a picnic near your car, you can bring a variety of goodies to eat because you don’t need to hike with all that good. So why not treat yourself? Cut your cake, bring the best charcuterie board, donuts, whatever you desire. Then Jess and Dom signed their marriage license. You can self-solemnize in Colorado so you don’t need someone else as a witness or an officiant to sign your marriage license with you. However, I am ordained so I can sign your marriage license if you want!
Rocky Mountain National Park
We left Estes Park to go explore and end their photography coverage in Rocky Mountain National Park at sunset. We had planned to go hike a 3mile trail however there was an emergency at the trailhead so the rangers blocked everyone coming up the road to allow emergency vehicles get through. The rangers told us it would be a couple of hours. So we had to change our plans to a different trail. I know Rocky Mountain National Park really well so I was able to pivot our plans and go on another beautiful hike.
It’s super important to have an expert Elopement Photographer because we deal with things that are out of our control but knowing the area, the permit system, and leave no trace principles – I was able to pivot our plans quickly.
We went on an amazing hike around a frozen lake with mountains in the background. Then we took that iconic shot in front of the park after sunset. It was a beautiful and snowy elopement in Rocky Mountain National Park for Jess and Dominic.
