I awoke well before dawn to drive deep into the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area near Rollinsville, CO, to Lake Isabelle in order to capture a gorgeous sunrise elopement amidst the mountains. Lake Isabelle is a gorgeous alpine lake that is tucked within the Brainard Lake Recreation Area and connects to both Long Lake and the Pawnee Pass trail. The hiking and sights here are insanely beautiful and well worth the drive to get to. The night was dark and the stars were glimmering brightly. It was a quiet morning, I hadn’t even awoken the pups as I stumbled through the dark at 3 am and now the air stood silent and brisk outside around me. It felt like Fall was finally upon us, true to September in Colorado. With my coffee keeping me company I hopped in my Xterra and headed into the foothills towards Lake Isabelle’s trailhead. Sometimes these drives cause me to consider how funny and wild life can be. You see, I had met Emily just 3 weeks prior when she reached out to me about self solemnizing and eloping with her fiancé Toby. Now I was on my way to capture their adventurous elopement and it all I felt like I had known them for a very long time. Let me introduce you, as these two have had a wild love story!
Emily and Toby dated internationally across seas, a transatlantic relationship for two years with Toby living in the UK and Emily in the United States. They first met like any “proper couple” these days, online, as Emily tells it. They talked, skyped, and texted every day for more than seven months prior to meeting face to face in June of 2017. When they finally met in person they chose to find one another in Central Park, “All in order to live out my own Meg Ryan Tom Hanks moment.” said Emily. Toby, a data driven man, had arranged a spreadsheet with all kinds of activities for them to experience on this trip. They ate hot dogs, saw the Statue of Liberty, and had pre-purchased tickets with plans to go to several shows, but they also kept accidentally losing track of time because they were having so much fun together. Emily said they were sitting at a cafe during one of their missed activity moments when she realized she was falling in love with Toby. I think this “You’ve Got Mail” location proved to be a worthwhile and very romantic decision for the two of them.
Their next trip together was traveling to Canterbury in England; I loved Emily’s rendition of it so much that I had her write a synopsis on it. “On my birthday, Toby surprised me with a trip to one of the cutest towns in Kent! He was such a gentleman and carried my bags everywhere (even in the wrong direction for an extra 40 mins) with the sweetest, most non-stressed spirit. (I'd normally hate a man doing things like this for me, but with him, it's out of so much kindness and never patronizing or insulting). Once we got to the little bed and breakfast, we had the biggest laugh after attempting to act like we weren't panting like hot dogs while we were very obviously exhausted by our directional mix-up on foot; the innkeeper politely explained to us, in great length, all of the hotels services, showing us every inch of the place before wishing me Happy Birthday. We just kept looking at each other as though we were going to faint and poor Toby had the most "glistening" I've ever seen on a man. Maybe a bit random, but to meet a man who can laugh during confusion and maintain such grace during it all is just so wonderful.” I think anyone who has traveled to another part of the world can understand the trials that come with traveling to new places not to mention the frustration you may take out on your partner from it! I’m amazed by Emily and Toby’s kind spirits amidst the trials of not just one trip overseas but throughout their constant travel internationally in order to be with one another.
When Emily first emailed me, Toby had proposed just one week prior. They were planning to be in Colorado and wanted to be near Estes Park with the mountains as their backdrop while committing their lives to one another. As we discussed their relationship and what they wanted most out of their elopement experience the two agreed that they wanted their ceremony to be intimate and relaxed, focused on their love and lifelong commitment to one another. We were all made for one another is what I told them because that statement is exactly why I do what I do. I love supporting couples in having uniquely “them” ceremonies while retaining the focus of the day where it ought to be, on you and your commitment. When I asked how they initially found one another and what brought them together Toby said, “Emily had the kindest smile I'd ever seen and these beautiful brown eyes. When I came across her profile I knew she was the person I wanted to get to know.” Emily said, “He's just the kindest human and the first person that I've experienced being simply in the present with.” There’s also a reason behind choosing Estes Park for their elopement location. These beautiful mountains hold a special sweet spot for Emily and Toby as they spent one of Toby’s birthdays here in a cozy little mountain cabin. It was nothing fancy, but a time filled with beautiful hikes, homemade meals, rugby by the fireplace, lots of cuddles, Irish coffee, and watching the snow fall softly out the window. These two have been fortunate to have had a decent list of adventure spots while traveling overseas to see one another, but what they both really cherish are the most simplistic times; like the days they spent in the cabin together in Estes Park, Colorado. This is the space where, within their transatlantic relationship, they gain a sense of normalcy with each other.
This past summer, their transatlantic story began to grow to a close, Emily had an internship in London and the two finally landed together, united for a while in one place. “I cant' tell you how great it's been to be together like a normal couple. It's so exciting to discuss our dinner plans after work, and just to go buy milk together. To wake up on a Saturday and hang out all day at home or go for little adventure walks. It has simply been the best moments together.” As they embarked on this tale of life-long partnership, returning to the Rockies in Colorado seemed fitting, like the most excellent opening page for their newest chapter together.
My thoughts returned to the inside of my car, my empty coffee mug now clinking inside the cup holder beside me. As climbed up the last steep hill into Brainard Lake Recreation Area I caught sight of the slimmest sliver of the moon I thought possible. It seemed to ignite and illuminate the darkness of the sky and I took a few minutes to slow down and soak it in. What a beautiful beginning to their story - a beautiful mountainscape under the last of the waning crescent moon. The closing of one long distance transatlantic story and the beginning of a beautiful marriage. Emily and Toby met me moments later at the trailhead to Lake Isabelle and we hiked together into the Indian Peaks Wilderness Area through thick clusters of pines. When we emerged past tree line the first dim light of dawn found its way across the horizon. Our headlamps lit our way and when we arrived at Lake Isabelle the two took off their backpacks and dressed into their elopement attire. Lake Isabelle is drained at this time of year (the lake is actually a reservoir used for irrigation by the Left Hand Ditch Company who owns the water rights) and it can look quite different from mid Summer to Fall when the lake is low. The draining of Lake Isabelle reveals a rocky landscape met by a shallow lake shore before towering mountains rise behind. This landscape slowly awoke with warm colors and we hiked down to the lake just as the orange alpine glow slid down Apache, Shoshoni, and Pawnee peaks. Emily and Toby climbed together to a high point above the lake and self solemnized at sunrise with the Indian Peaks mountains as their witnesses.
