A Summer Elopement At The A-Frame Club In Winter Park Colorado
Winter Park isn’t as well known of a ski town as Breck and Telluride but honestly it’s just as good, if not better. It’s proximity to the front range does make it a bit busier but on weekdays, you can still find a tonnnn of privacy, especially on 4x4 roads and off the beaten path. Plus there’s an abundance of cute places to stay, explore, and hike!
One of the best places to stay is the relatively new A-Frame Club located at the base of the Winter Park Ski Resort. And yes, it’s just as cute as it sounds. It’s one of my favorite places to recommend to couples, dine at when I’m in town, and shoot at because the entire property is so photogenic and cute. You can’t go wrong with staying there! So when Kat + Steve wanted to stay at the A-Frame Club and elope in Winter Park, I knew it was gonna be a good time.
A-Frame Club Elopement in Winter Park Colorado with Kat + Steve
If you’re thinking about eloping and you keep going back and forth on what you want to do, you’re not alone. Kat and Steve initially reached out about eloping at the Surf Chateau in Buena Vista but by the time we hopped on a call just a few days after their initial inquiry, they were already waiting on a new date confirmation from the A-Frame Club. The joy of eloping is you can change your mind, whenever you want!
With their date set in June, we talked about some of the mountain roads and passes around Winter Park that could possiblyyyy be open that time of year for them to say their vows. Fun fact, Winter Park is home to one of my favorite easy access 4WD roads and you don’t even need 4WD for it, you really just need some decent clearance on your car. Kat + Steve actually ended up picking this location as their ceremony location out of all of the places I sent them as options in Winter Park because it is SO stunning BUT we knew with the time of year that we needed a backup plan - just in case the road wasn’t open yet. The thing with 4WD roads out here is that most of them are managed by the forest service and they gate and lock them every winter season in order to keep them from getting rutted out during the wet and muddy season.
SO fast forward 10 months later! It’s June! We had a lot of snowpack in the winter! The road where they wanted to have their ceremony wasn’t open yet! Their elopement was just days away! Ironically I think the road ended up opening 5 days before their wedding day (STRESS) but because they had family, we ended up pivoting locations anyways and all for the better because they eloped at the most gorgeous overlook with their families in tow, on a Colorado bluebird day.
They followed up their intimate ceremony with photos at the A-Frame Club down in Winter Park where they shared some snacks with friends before they had a more traditional reception inside the Grill at the A-Frame Club, complete with the yummiest looking cake.
post Wedding Morning Sunrise Photos
If you’re getting married on a 4WD road, there’s a good chance that I’ll be camping there. So when I mentioned to Kat and Steve that - wink wink nudge nudge - I’d be up for sunrise if they wanted to come join me and get some early AM post wedding photos at their ceremony site, we made a plan! They showed up, I made us all coffee out of the back of my Land Cruiser, they snuggled together in a quilt that a family member made and they watched their first sunrise together as a married couple. It was the perfect start to their first full day of marriage and such a fun ending to our time together.
Planning Tips for your Elopement in Winter Park
Pick Your Season Based On Your Vibes
AKA not just your calendar! Colorado is kinda unhinged if you’re not familiar with the seasons out here, especially when you get into the mountain towns. Winter is most of the year, Spring runs until June, and Summer is a very short 3 1/2 months.
Winter: Cozy fireplace ski and snowboarding energy. Perfect if you’ve got the Icon Ski pass. Could be a blizzard, could be a bluebird day that’s warm enough to be in a t-shirt.
Spring: Mud, slush, surprise snowstorms. Most high elevation 4WD roads are still closed but prices are cheaper since it’s off season.
Summer: Wildflowers, warm days, afternoon thunderstorms, and tourist season.
Fall: peak aspen peeping, huge crowds the two or three weeks during peak color change, then crowds die off and you can have the place to yourselves before the snow starts falling!
PlaN For Elevation
Winter Park sits around 9,000 feet and 4WD roads and passes sit at 10,000+ so
Drink water and hydrate like it’s your full time job
Chat with your doc ahead of time about the altitude if you’re worried! There are meds they can prescribe that you can start taking ahead of time to prepare for it. Getting married and having altitude sickness is not a happy combination.
Forest Service Roads Open When they Feel Like It
Some of the most jaw dropping spots are up 4WD roads are behind seasonal gates that typically open late May to early July and then close again October or November. So if you’re eloping anytime not July, August, or September, we’re gonna have a Plan A, Plan B, and a Plan C (just in case).
Pro Tip: Any car or truck with a decent amount of clearance will get you up most 4WD roads in Winter Park! They are less technical than other roads in Colorado and just long and bumpy.
The Light Hits Different Depending on the Location
Winter Park has canyons and valleys and giant sun blocking peaks so sunset could be at 7:30 PM in theory but the sun will most likely go behind the mountains at 6:45. That’s why I’m here to help plan timing so we’re not sprinting uphill trying to catch the last two minutes of golden hour :)
Let’s Create Your own Perfect Day Together!
I’m not saying I have every scenic mountain pull off in Colorado tattooed in my brain but…I might? I spend a lot of time out in the wild, chasing light and weather and scouting those perfect little nooks where you can say your vows without needing a 4 hour hike and a hydration pack.
I’ll help with logistics, send (way too many) prep guides, be your behind the scenes hype woman while you get to have the best day ever with your favorite person ever. Because it’s all about making space for the real emotions and weird wonderful stuff that makes your connection yours. Less stress, more joy!
Sound like your vibe? Reach out and let’s start scheming!
Why Work With Me?
Because you want jaw dropping views without sweating through your wedding clothes.
You care more about connection than perfection - you’re up for whatever Colorado weather throws your way because you’ve got your person.
You want help from someone who’s actually been here a while (11 years of calling Colorado home and I swear I explore it more than the folks born here).
Cookie-cutter isn’t your thing and you want a day that actually feels like you.
Planning stuff isn’t always fun BUT having someone walk you through timelines and permits and what shows not to wear on icy trails? Super helpful.
Your dog is 100% your family and deserves a front row seat (obvs).
You want photos that look like art but feel like you two. Mid laugh, wind blown, in your element.
So yeah, I help plan epic days, create stunning photos, and bring snacks. If that doesn’t sound like the perfect day, I don’t know what does.
