A 4th of July Weekend Elopement in Crested Butte
5am private vows, champagne by the river, family ceremony & dinner at sunset
Crested Butte! 4th of July weekend! You would think a holiday weekend in one of the most popular Colorado towns would be … rough, but, not when you’ve got a local photographer that knows all of the secrets, the spots, and has the lowdown on how to actually avoid the tourists.
This day had everything. Privacy, dogs, food, family, sunrise, cake that I literally still cannot thinking about. Read on to see how Gretchen and Cody celebrated their wedding day with private vows in the morning and an intimate ceremony with family in the evening. And how we dodged the crowds on one of the busiest weekends of the year.
Gretchen and Cody wanted private vows without dissapearing toooo far into the wilderness. This is honestly the sweet spot in Crested Butte, and why I always recommend building your day around drive up or short walk locations like this (I break down my favorite spots in my Crested Butte Elopement Guide). They did a first look before sharing private vows with each other, we witnessed wildlife (and gave it space because, duh), and the morning was slow and intentional and everything an elopement should be.
Also because we had an early AF meet time, we had the lake all. to. ourselves. On a holiday weekend, it’s a gamble. TBH the day before Gretchen and Codys elopement it was full on rainy, foggy, Twilight weather. I was at our sunrise spot to scout the area and see what lighting was doing, just doing some double checking, and someone was literally parked ~illegally~ next to the lake. Major bummer vibe ruiner if you’re wanting to say your vows and there’s a 4Runner in the back of your photos. Thankfully they were not there the day of. But also, I would have knocked on their window and asked them to move because I have no chill when it comes to driving off roads and trails & making my couples day perfect.
After vows, we had breakfast and champagne by the river. We wandered the downtown streets of Crested Butte which were slowly starting to wake up with the holiday tourists. And then we split ways for our built in break. No marathon day here!
Later we met back up at their Airbnb. Gretchen got ready again with her mom. Immediate family only. Intimate ceremony. Homemade dinner around a long table while the sun set behind the mountains. The evening was intentional, cozy, and easy. Exactly the point :)
Why Local Knowledge Actually Matters
Quick PSA. The Airbnb host told them it was “about an hour” to Crested Butte.
It was not.
I’d driven the road before, and I knew better. So we planned the timeline accordingly and when the drive took almost two hours, no one panicked. No light was lost. No running around thinking, “oh nooooo”.
Colorado distances are fake. Airbnb hosts apparently want you to think their places are closer to popular towns than they actually are. Hire people who know better.
What Their Timeline Looked Like
5 AM: Gretchen, Cody, and Kimberly meet up at Alpine Lake
Get dressed on opposite sides of the car, first look alongside the water before reading vows to each other. We’ll take the morning slow and meander, getting photos and following the light as the sun rises over the mountain.
8 AM: Hop in cars and head down the road to a breakfast spot
With no plan in mind, I’ll give us a few options that you can decide on day of, so whatever feels right in the moment! We’ll have some champagne, toast, eat some breakfast, before heading into town.
10 AM: Head into town
Wander around town, grab some coffee and get some photos in quintessential Crested Butte
10:45 AM: Head to a vista overlook
Explore an overlook tucked up in the mountains. There will be lots of people to get through on the road up because of the holiday weekend but where we are going, there will be no one!
11:30 AM: Part ways
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5 PM: Meet back up at Airbnb
Photos of Gretchen getting ready, family mingle-ing, Winnie the pup doing her thing, before an intimate wedding ceremony while the sun sets behind the mountains. We’ll follow up the ceremony with family photos, dinner, drinks, marriage license signing, and cake! Lot’s of candid moments with family and relaxing, no pressure moments with loved ones.
9 PM: Kimberly departs
Eyeing a holiday weekend? It's busier up there, but still totally doable if you know when and where to go. Here's how to elope in Crested Butte, including the times of year you'll have it mostly to yourselves.
And if you're still in the "okay but HOW do you actually elope in Colorado" phase, I broke the whole thing down right here → How to Elope in Colorado.
Hi, I'm Kimberly!
I'm a Colorado elopement photographer based in Denver, but I'm usually somewhere in the mountains with a camera and way too many things in my backpack "just in case."
I've been photographing elopements out here for 10 years and 100+ couples, and I eloped in Colorado too, so most of what I write about here comes from actually doing it.
You can learn more about me, or if you're planning your own elopement, start with my pricing & experience page.
More elopement guides and planning help:
A two part elopement day that started with vows at Lost Gulch Overlook in Boulder and ended with a hike to a still snowy Dream Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park.