Colorado Elopement Photographer & Intimate Weddings
Everything you're picturing, minus the part where you have to hike
Tell me about your daySome of you have known you wanted to elope
for years.
Some of you got a few months into planning a big wedding, sat down one night with a spreadsheet, and realized the version you actually wanted was a lot smaller.
Either way, you got here thinking this one would be easier.
Then it stopped looking easier
You opened a tab about permits. Then another about whether you're allowed to bring your dog. You're supposed to pick a place you've only seen in other people's photos, in a month you're guessing at, possibly from two time zones away, while quietly wondering whether wanting six people there means it doesn't count as an elopement anymore.
(It does.)
And it is easier. Not because there's less to figure out. But because you're not the one figuring it out.
Places worth the drive
I've shot in all corners of this state, and some of my favorites are the ones you'd expect. Crested Butte. Telluride. Boulder. Rocky Mountain National Park. The dozen you wouldn't, I found by getting lost, repeatedly, (usually) on purpose.
Which one is best for you comes down to your month, who's coming, and how far everyone can comfortably go.
Those are my three questions. Not your three problems.
Who's actually there
All three happen constantly, and there's no wrong answer here.
Some do it completely alone, (not counting the dog who has no idea what's happening). Some bring the small group of people they'd want there no matter what. Some do both: vows at sunrise with no audience, then everyone else arriving by noon.
Figuring out which one fits is part of what I do. No matter which you pick, there are two photographers there.
Every month has something going for it
- May Old snow, a little mud. Always a workaround.
- July Wildflowers. Green hills. As pretty as it looks in photos.
- September Gold, everywhere. Cold mornings .
- January Snow, short days, and no one else out.
Here's what I wish someone told couples earlier: the month you have in your head and the month that's unfolding up in the mountains are different things more often than you'd think. You found a May photo. Lush green valley, perfect light. What the caption didn't mention is that the access road to that spot doesn't open until June, and the surrounding area was still full-on mud when it was taken.
But here's the thing. Every single month in Colorado has a version of exactly what you're looking for. January light looks like a dream sequence and there's not another soul around for miles. September turns everything gold almost overnight. Even the weird in-between months have pockets of stunning. You just have to know which pockets.
That photo you saved? There's a version of it that actually exists. Let me tell you where to find it.
Before the day
- A shortlist of spots built around your month
- Permits: which ones, what they cost, when to apply
- A timeline built around the light
- Vendors worth the money
- The marriage license, start to finish
- A planning guide, and a guest guide if you're bringing people
On the day
- A second photographer, every single time (different angles, sometimes a totally different spot, happening at the same time, not just a backup body standing behind me)
- Travel anywhere in Colorado
- A backup weather day, held free
- Direction when you want it, space when you don't
After
- A sneak peek within a week
- Your full gallery in eight weeks
- 50 to 100 images per hour of coverage
- Every image edited by me, never outsourced
- Your gallery stays live for a year, and I never delete the files
The money part
Most couples end up spending around $7,000 for the whole day. Packages start at $5,000 if your timeline's tighter.
Travel anywhere in Colorado is included on every single package, no mileage math, no surprise fee for picking a spot two hours from Denver. Every package also includes a weather backup day, held free, and you'll know exactly which permit you need and what it costs.
The last payment isn't due until after you're married.
A retainer holds the date and counts toward your total. Half is due a month out. The last half is due seven days after the wedding, which means you'll have already seen your sneak peek by the time you pay the rest of it.
Straight From My Couples
Never dreamed of your big beautiful wedding day?
Neither did I.
In fact, I never wanted to get married at all. Then I met Keith on a dating app and, for the first time, I could actually imagine spending the rest of my life with my best friend. So we drove a 4x4 road in our sweatpants to read private vows, and then met up with our family later in the day for the goofiest vows. No regrets.
Point is, I've been the eloping couple, not just the planner. I've spent 10+ years photographing these mountains, figuring out what works, what doesn't, what closes when, where the light goes, and what happens when Colorado decides your carefully planned day needs a plot twist. And the second shooter is one of a small handful of photographers I trust completely, not a rotating mystery guest.
How this actually starts
Fill out a short form and the full pricing, every package, every number, is in your inbox within a day. If you'd rather talk through it first, we hop on a call and chat locations, your season, who's coming. No pressure to have any of it decided yet.
When you're ready, a contract and a $2,000 retainer lock in your date. That retainer counts toward your total, by the way, not an extra fee stacked on top.
You can retake a portrait.
You cannot retake a wedding day.
A road closes. A storm rolls in an hour before the ceremony. The trail you planned on suddenly isn't an option. None of that undoes the day. It just means the version you get pictures of wasn't the one you planned.
Thirteen years here means already having a second spot in mind before the first one closes, and knowing what a storm coming over that ridge actually means, not just what it looks like from the valley. That's not something you can research the week before. It's something thirteen years of every season teaches you.
The harder regret isn't logistics. It's realizing afterward that it was never a choice between the two of you alone and your people there. You could have had both, and nobody told you in time.
Twenty years from now
A lot of couples tell me the same thing before they book: they want a day that's just about the two of them. Twenty years from now, you'll find these photos by accident on some random Tuesday while looking for something else entirely.
You'll stop.
And suddenly be right back there. Ten minutes married. Still surrounded by the people you chose. Still sure you got it right.
Questions Everyone Asks
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Seriously. Most of my locations are a short walk from parking. If you want to do an easy hike, great, I own boots. If you want to do a hard hike, great, I know some amazing photographers I can refer you to.
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Yes and absolutely yes. Most locations work for a handful of guests, and dogs are honorary wedding party.
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Colorado lets you marry yourselves. No officiant, no witnesses. It's called self solemnization and it's the best kept secret in the state.
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Weekends and fall dates go 6 - 12 months out. Winter is more flexible (and criminally underrated).
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Packages start at $5,000, everything included. Full breakdown in the pricing guide.