Colorado Elopement & Intimate Wedding Photographer
You know you don't want a traditional wedding
You just don't know how to plan the alternative.
You can have the views, your dog,
and your people.
Nearly every first email I get starts with sorry.
“Sorry, we’re not outdoorsy.
Sorry, we want to bring the dog.
Sorry, it might be twelve people.
Sorry, we’ve never actually been to Colorado.”
Here’s the thing: you shouldn’t be apologizing. Maybe you’re just nervous you’re not allowed to want it this way. But you are! Bring your dog. Bring the guests. Everything else is literally what you’re hiring me for.
so The apologizing can stop here.
What I handle so you don’t have to
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Marriage license
I have a whole guide I'll send you so you know the ins and outs on how to make it legal.
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Permits
Wedding permits, commercial permits, timed entry reservations. What the difference is and whether you need one.
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The month
I'll give you some insight into what your month will actually be like out here because it's probably not what you expect.
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The light
Sunrise and sunset have the best lighting and the whole timeline is built around it.
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The walk
Every spot is easily accessible. Hiking is optional, never required.
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The guest list
Fifteen on public land, because a meadow doesn't recover from thirty people standing on it. Your own venue or Airbnb? No cap.
Even more info on how to elope in Colorado →
Four steps, zero spreadsheets.
Get the pricing guide
Fill out the form. The full pricing guide lands in your inbox within a day. No call required, and no sales pitch.
Book your date
Sign the contract, pay the retainer. The date’s yours. A 100+ page elopement guide lands in your inbox and planning starts that same day.
We plan it together
Tell me the scenery, the time of year, who’s coming. I come back with spots, permits, a timeline built around the light.
Show up and get married
I’ve got the permit, the timeline, a second photographer. You bring each other.
Worried you’ll be awkward in front of the camera? Give it fifteen minutes.
You don't have to know how to pose, and I'm not going to make you. A lot of my work is tiny people in big landscapes, which means I'm wayyyyy back and you two are just exploring somewhere really good.
When I do come in close, it's with prompts and dumb little games that get you talking to each other instead of looking at me. Some couples need that, some don't, but either way your focus ends up back on each other, which is the whole point.
It's also why I push activities so hard. When you've got something to do together (breakfast on the tailgate, a swim, a drive over a pass), the photos happen around it.
Your elopement isn't an all day photoshoot. It's your day, and I just happen to be there for it!
Epic Colorado views with minimal hiking
I spend an unhealthy amount of time wandering around this state, soooo when you want that easy access alpine lake you're pretty much guaranteed no one's gonna be at on a weekday? I know just the spot.
I eloped too
And I worried about the same things you’re worried about.
I didn’t want our photos to look like every other Colorado elopement. What I didn’t expect was that it’s not just the photos, it’s the experience, and the two of them together are what you actually remember.
Having our dog Flapjack there running around. Making breakfast in the back of our truck. Swimming in an alpine lake at 8 am. Having our immediate family there and getting to show them our favorite spots in Colorado.
That’s what made our elopement. Not the photos. The experience.
Turns out the way to get photos that don't look like everyone else's is to have a day that doesn't.
So how much does it cost?
Most couples spend around $7,000 with me, and that's because it's the package I recommend the most.
It's the one with enough time for sunrise AND sunset, enough time for the real stuff to actually happen (the stuff you can't schedule), and enough time that nobody's checking a watch. There's no timeline to keep an eye on. You just get to be there.
It also covers all the planning, a second photographer, a backup day if the weather does something wild, and travel anywhere in Colorado. And the final payment isn't due until a week after you're married, so you're never paying for something you haven't had yet.
What it's actually like, from people who’ve been there.
We decided to elope less than a week before and Kimberly made everything completely effortless. In the best way possible, we didn't even notice she was there during the ceremony.
Samantha
She was super helpful planning all the details and giving recommendations, especially since we are not from Colorado. She made planning the elopement so much easier!
Kayla
My husband, who HATES having his picture taken, had nothing but fabulous things to say and how for once he actually LIKED to have his pictures taken!
Jadynn
Colorado elopement questions, answered
Do we have to hike to elope in Colorado?
Nope! Every spot I recommend is a short, flat walk from where you park. If you want an easy to moderate hike, I know some good ones, but it's your call, never a requirement. If you want something harder, I can refer you to a great photographer who loves to hike and carry 10 pounds of camera gear up a mountain! Unfortunately that is not me.
Can we bring our dog to our Colorado elopement?
Yes, and you never have to ask. Most National Forest and BLM spots are dog friendly. The big exception on locations out here is Rocky Mountain National Park, where dogs have to stay on roads and in parking areas, so if your dog is coming, that's a spot we skip.
Do we need a permit to elope in Colorado?
Some spots require one. National parks and a few recreation areas need a special use permit, plus a timed entry reservation in summer. Plenty of county and state land needs nothing at all if you have under 6 guests. Whichever it is, the permit plan comes with the location.
Can we marry ourselves in Colorado without an officiant?
Yes! Colorado lets you self solemnize, which means the two of you sign your own license and that's the ceremony, legally. A $30 license from any county clerk, no officiant, no witnesses, no waiting period, and you don't have to live here.
What are the best months for a Colorado elopement?
For wildflowers and open roads, July through September. For gold aspens, the back half of September. For snow and empty trailheads, winter. They all have something worthy, it just depends on what you're looking for!
What happens if it storms on our elopement day?
We work with it, move locations, or we wait it out. Mountain storms are usually short, and there's almost always a dry spot within a short drive. For the rare time neither of those works, the day after your elopement is always held open just in case of emergencies.
Do you photograph elopements outside Colorado?
Not usually! I know Colorado like the back of my hand and I think working elsewhere where I don't know the area as well can detract from the planning process and therefore, sometimes the experience. But I am kinda obsessed with other locations so if you're looking for something outside of Colorado, it never hurts to ask!
How far in advance should we book a Colorado elopement photographer?
Weekend summer and fall dates are the first to go. Winter and weekdays are way more forgiving!
When do we get our photos?
A sneak peek within the first week, before your final payment is even due. Then the full gallery in about eight weeks.