When thinking about my very own “dream elopement” I could not stop visualizing Colorado wildflowers in full bloom. These native flowers begin to bloom in late June as summer arrives and many last well into September before the Aspen leaves turn their brilliant shades of gold. Colorado has numerous wildflowers but among those I envisioned clearly were the Colorado Blue Columbine, Orange and Scarlet Indian Paintbrush, Fireweed, Subalpine Larkspur, Oriental Poppy, Lilac Alpine Daisy Plants, and the Wild Iris (a favorite of mine because they remind me of the Iris’s my grandmother grew in her front yard). I imagined these natural florals swaying gently in the breeze, stoically sitting beneath tall peaks still spotted with snow, and strewn extravagantly across green sage filled alpine meadows. Oddly, although I photograph elopements for a living and I’ve always loved the beautiful photos captured on other couples elopement days, I’d never actually considered eloping myself. Caleb and I are very close to both of our families and knew that they would always be a part of our wedding day. To us, they had the biggest impact in helping us grow into the people we’ve become so it was never a consideration that they might not be there to celebrate with us. That all changed with Covid of course.
4 months before our wedding day, everything that we had planned quickly came crashing down. I had just photographed my first wedding of the season on March 14th, 2020, mere days before the country was completely shut down. As lockdowns were put in place, we received an email that our outdoor camp venue had chosen to close for the entirety of the summer, therefore cancelling all reservations in place. We were faced with pushing back our wedding day altogether, or eloping and holding onto some hope that we could celebrate with all of our loved ones someday. I can’t tell you the amount of times I cried, feeling like we had waited just too long to get married (7 years in fact!) and that we had lost the possibility of having the “normal wedding day” that I had always dreamed of - not huge, just filled with friends, family, and lots of 80’s music. With our venue cancelling and many details still unknown about Covid, we chose to elope and began the process of “re-planning” what our day would ultimately look like.
I’ll start back at the beginning, Caleb and I met in Summit County Colorado as college students and ski bums. He was visiting my room mate in Frisco, a friend of his from college in Denver. His primary reason for visiting was to crash out on our couch after long full days of snowboarding. This soon became a weekend norm and we got to know each other over the course of several months while riding the slopes and dancing at 80’s night in Breckenridge together. Along with Caleb and his room mate, we hosted multiple couch surfers from Greece, South Africa, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. Our rambunctious household (at its height we numbered 15 young adults) traveled to ski competitions together, made family dinners, and kept our small home brimming full of life. Winter ended much quicker than we expected because we filled it with so much fun. Before we were ready, the mountains closed their ski lifts and Caleb left to go home to Southern California for the summer. I could not get him off my mind and I guess I left a lasting impression on his. We never lost touch and as fall brought with it frost covered mornings, he returned to Colorado for his last year of college. This winter was a quieter one but we filled it with fond memories of growing closer together. We decided to make things official and before I knew it, I could no longer count the trips we took driving back and forth up the cluster that is I-70; all in order to see one another.
As our story began in the mountains of Summit County Colorado, we knew we wanted to say our vows within the same mountains that we first met in. Along with exploring in Breckenridge’s Tenmile range, we had taken many day trips over to the backside of these mountains while dating. These trips took us high over the continental divide and at 10,500 feet we arrived in Leadville, Colorado. This almost ghost town, the old capitol of the state, quickly became our absolute favorite mountain town to visit. With its old Victorian era infrastructure framed by 14,000 foot mountain peaks, the quaintest western downtown strip, and overall its quiet mining camp feel, we felt like we were taking a step back in time. Leadville has always felt like home, like the authentic West of Colorado, and in it we found a place of solace amongst our very busy schedules. On these visits to Lake County, we would take quick side trips to hike to many of the old mining ruins in places like Mayflower Gulch and Clinton Gulch Dam Reservoir. These Gulch’s sit side by side, separated by steep rocky ridges. These hidden valleys are accessed off of highway 91 and are located on the backside of Mt. Quandary; another one of Colorado’s 14er’s. The year before our elopement, I had actually photographed an engagement session at the end of May (there were still snow patches on the ground) after hiking into Mayflower Gulch. I immediately tucked away the thought that this would be the perfect place if we ever wanted to elope. It was so quiet and secluded, the mountain scape so rugged and beautiful. And as spring was changing into summer, the fragile wildflowers had just began to peek up out of the frozen tundra soil. Mayflower Gulch’s alpine meadow sits below extremely cragged peaks along the Tenmile range; Atlantic Peak, Fletcher Mountain (second highest in the range only behind Quandary Mountain), and Drift Peak. The meadow is filled to the brim with beautiful vibrant wild flowers that are best viewed throughout July and August. To get there you must hike up two miles on foot to the mining cabins or, if the National Forest Service gate is open, you can brave driving the rough 4wd road up to the base of the meadow. Most adventurers choose to hike in as it can be a busy road with hikers during normal daytime hours and there are very few parking spots at the top of the trail. The best part about this location? As hikers leave to get to their cars before nightfall, the entire valley becomes a secluded refuge to watch and experience the alpine glow of sunset.
Caleb surprised me the night before our elopement by renting out the cutest VRBO above City on a Hill Coffee in downtown Leadville. It is called “Studio 508 and the bunkhouse” and doubles as a bed and breakfast with the coffee shop below. It would prove to be the perfect spot to regroup and to get ready for our day. It only had one downside; no dogs allowed. I had hoped that our girls would be there with us throughout the entirety of the day but they were not able to get ready with us. Thankfully, the pups prep time was relatively quick; a homemade floral collar for each of them that simply needed to be tied on. I made these floral collars with faux flowers, greenery, and cream colored linen cloth from Hobby Lobby. Although I am not a huge fan of fake flowers, I couldn’t justify spending the quoted $120 each for a florist to craft their flower collars. I just knew they would likely be instantly destroyed by my rowdy explorers. The hope was that they would keep these more of less clean for the ceremony at least and I think they did a decent job. Kyote definitely found some dirt to roll in as you can see towards the end of the gallery, but we salvaged it, and used it again for our celebration later on down the road.
The morning of our elopement, we drove up to Mayflower Gulch after grabbing coffee and cheddar bacon biscuits from downstairs at City on a Hill. We parked in the shade of the pine trees, opened the tailgate, and hopped into the bed of truck. Hikers wandered by, smiling and complimenting the best dogs who stared at them quietly and curiously. We spent the entire morning in slow fashion, writing out our personal vows to one another and enjoying the scenery. On our way out, I gathered several natural pieces for detail shots (moss, sage, and pine needles) and we took the rugged road back down to the parking lot to officially begin our day. Back at the airbnb, Caleb and I took to remaining separated between the bathroom and bedroom in order to get ready without seeing one another. Once we were dressed, we took two different vehicles with our photographer and videographers and drove the forest service road back up to the top of the trail. Caleb was set up near the dilapidated mining cabins for our first look. I stepped out of my Xterra and my skirt took on its first few stains of dirt and paw prints as Kyote pranced around with excitement. Most hikers had begun their trek back down the trail and we soon had Mayflower Gulch all to ourselves to explore for the evening. Although we weren’t able to have our parents join us for our original vows, we made sure to include pieces that reminded us of them. I wore Caleb’s mom’s hiking socks from Melanzana along with a delicate gold ring (my grandmother’s) that my mom and dad had gifted me in high school. I gathered myself and then walked up the trail where I tapped Caleb on the shoulder. When he turned around it was pure joy to finally see one another! I’m not great at keeping secrets for very long and I was so ready for him to see me in the dress I had chosen. I had been on a budget for my wedding gown and it took me a long time to decide on the exact style that I was after. While browsing Instagram, I came across what happened to be the comfiest/stretchiest dress in the world! It had gorgeous floral lace on top of a nude underlining which made the delicate details stand out. The dress was not available in any store so I had to take measurements and believe that ordering a dress online without trying it on would work out well for me. It did; even better in fact than I had expected! I then paired it with a skirt that had a long and super flowy train that I could remove for dancing. Caleb tells me it was the perfect dress, unique and classy; exactly what I was hoping for.
After our first look (ahh the memories are making me tear up!) we hiked up to our ceremony location. We chose a flat spot high in the sloping meadow where you not only have an epic view of the peaks, but find yourself standing amongst the flourishing wildflowers. We exchanged hand written vows and as the pink of alpine glow began to slide down the mountain faces we shared sips of peach whiskey and shared our first dance to Justin Bieber’s “Confirmation”. Afterwards, we held an intimate dance party. Taking a solid amount of time to celebrate with our dogs and make moves with our videographers. Who, by the way, are phenomenal dancers! As the evening dwindled down, we signed our marriage license; the sun casting a fading golden hue across the valley as it set behind the mountain. Colorado is unique in that you can not only self solemnize, but your dogs can also act as your official witness on your wedding license. After we signed our license, Kyote and Finley also signed with their freshly inked paws! Our marriage license is now such a special keepsake to us that will forever remind us of their presence within our family during this time in our lives.
It had grown chilly with the sun setting so I put on my personalized wedding jacket from Opal Milk by Rye. This was a purchase I splurged on because I felt it would make such a beautiful heirloom and keepsake. Plus, fringe - enough said really. It’s my favorite and fit well with our casual Western theme. On the back of this jacket I had the maker burn my childhood nickname “Sunshine” into the fabric. Sharing this with my mom after the elopement was really sweet as she was the one who coined the name for me. We returned to the trucks and ended the evening with a small campfire (thanks to Biolite for the awesome enclosed firepit!), more sips of whiskey, and some tasty cheesecake. It was the perfect way to commit our hearts to one another and to finally intertwine our lives together.
A side note: Our elopement day was absolutely perfect in so many ways and holds a multitude of fond memories for us. Sadly, we were extremely disappointed with our original photographer (photos shared below). I had chosen to use someone that I did not know because I wanted my close friends to be able to enjoy our wedding day as guests, not photographing it. After our elopement experience, we chose to use another photographer (who I knew) for our “wedding” day; and she did a phenomenal job documenting our celebration with family and friends. That blog will be released soon! The bright side to all of this is that the negative experience we had has given me a lot of perspective on what I would never want my clients to encounter from my own work. Thankfully, we also had the company of the best videographer team that we’ve ever worked with. They were there to memorialize our elopement day by creating an incredible short film for us. We cannot tell you how grateful we are to have had these amazing cinematographers capture these moments from our hiking adventure. They documented everything so perfectly for us and they gave us above and beyond the experience we could have hoped for. Not only did they step in when our photographer failed, but they also helped guide us through our elopement and made sure to capture the sweetest moments that truly felt like us. We will cherish this elopement film until the end of time!
Post Elopement Reflection
What do you remember most from your elopement day?
Micah: How intentional it was and how much fun we had running around in the alpine meadow with our pups. This location holds so much history (literal history and hiking adventures from our dating years) which made it perfect for our elopement!
Caleb: I remember feeling very calm about the whole day. I never really got stressed out about it, and it made my experience much more enjoyable. I just took the day as it came; slowly, purposefully, intentionally engaging with every moment.
What was your absolute favorite moment or detail about your elopement day?
Micah: Sharing our handwritten vows with one another. I had no idea what Caleb would say and he completely swept me off his feet with his romantic vows and little memories shared throughout. I’ll never forget how he implemented my grandmother and her memory into them - he never got the chance to meet her but he knows how special she was to me and how big of an impact she had on my life. Makes me tear up remembering how thoughtful he was in what he wrote.
Caleb: The music we chose throughout the day helped make the day great. I remember playing a mixture of Frank Ocean’s channel orange album along with his blonde album the morning of our elopement while we got ready.
What was your favorite photo from the day - and what made it so special to you?
Micah: Our favorite capture from the day was our video, our friends Hillhound Productions knocked it out of the park! The way they intertwined our past adventures into our film was such a special treat for us. And seeing how happy our pups are, I’m so glad they were there to celebrate with us!
Caleb: The dogs signing the marriage license. It was such a fun and funny moment of the day.
What advice do you have for couples who are in the midst of planning their own big day? Don’t let it stress you out, remember that this is a time to have fun and to make your day your own. Sometimes, things just don’t go the way that you thought they would - and that’s life. Take a big breath and look at your person - your day is going to be perfect if you make it about the two of you. Our plans completely fell through and we took it in stride and came up with an even better plan that worked for the present moment.
What made you decide how your ceremony would look? (ie: Why did you choose to elope, have an intimate ceremony, or a wedding?) I love Colorado Summer’s more than any other season. The mountains are vibrant with green slopes and slowly melting ridge lines of snow. The wildflowers are so stunning, almost unbelievable like you’ve stepped into a fairy tale. We wanted to say our vows in a location that meant a lot to us along with keeping it natural and letting the raw beauty surrounding us make a statement.
If you could go back and change anything about your day, what would that be? The only thing we would have changed was to hire our friend Megan of Hazel and Lace for photography right off the bat instead of hiring someone we didn’t know. Megan not only came through for our wedding celebration but she also asked us to be a part of a styled shoot at Mayflower Gulch to “reshoot” our elopement and her work blew us away!
You're married! What advice do you have for couples after they say their own vows?
Micah: Do not forget one another. Sometimes it can feel like not much changes when you step into marriage but it is easy to become complacent. Find time to be intentional with each other every day. Ask how your partner is doing. Do small things that are meaningful and loving towards them - even and especially whenever you don’t feel like it. Life is short, fill it full. And always, always, always, remember to be kind to one another.
Caleb: This is advice for the man. Don’t wait. Life is better after marriage, despite what our culture might say in jest or in retaliation of a bad experience. Find joy in the growing older together, even if it’s just one day at a time. Marriage is at its’ best when it is full of kindness, acceptance, and love; refrain from regret or hesitancy. Love her wholeheartedly - she is worth it.
Micah: Okay dang, I’m going to go cry now, he had the best response!
Vendors
Video: Hillhound Productions // https://www.hillhoundproductions.com/
Whiskey: Mile High Spirits // https://www.drinkmhs.com/distillery
Dress: Wear Your Love XO // https://wearyourlovexo.com/
Skirt: Lamour Calla Blanche from Everett Blake Society // https://www.callablanche.com/lamour/ https://www.everettblake.com/
Bride’s Jacket: Opal Milk by Rye // www.opalmilkbyrye.com
Bride’s Hiking Socks: Melanzana // https://melanzana.com/
Bride and Groom’s Shoes: Vans Off the Wall // https://www.vans.com/en-us
Groom’s attire: Men’s Wearhouse // https://www.menswearhouse.com/
Brides Ring: Kay Jewelers // https://www.kay.com/
Grooms Ring: Richter Scale Rings // https://richterscalerings.com/
VRBO: Studio 508 and the Bunkhouse // https://www.vrbo.com/1011948?noDates=true&unitId=1559896
Coffee and breakfast goods: City on a Hill // https://cityonahillcoffee.com/