Where do I even begin! Amanda & Isaiah’s Crested Butte elopement was the perfect mix of adventurous, intimate, and a whole lot of fun. I’m so happy that we got to spend the entire day together doing exactly what they wanted to do - camping, fishing, eating pizza, and so much more. I seriously can’t wait for you to hear their story and see how epic their photos turned out!

Amanda and Isaiah’s Crested Butte elopement

Amanda & Isaiah have been in love for a very long time, and that love was so apparent all throughout their wedding day. They chose to get married in Colorado because of their shared love of the mountains - which, of course, was the indicator that we were the perfect fit! You already know that the mountains are my middle name, and I love working with couples who share that passion with me. They visited Rocky Mountain National Park once before on a road trip, and both of them left with the deep desire to return. So guess what? They came back for their wedding day! They returned with their elopement attire, marriage license, and all the gear they needed for a week in the woods. I’m telling you: My. Kind. Of. People.

Connection is important

Long before the day of their Crested Butte elopement, I knew Amanda and Isaiah would become more than just one of my elopement couples. On our initial consult call, Amanda and I clicked instantly and our friendship just grew from there. Our energy and adventurous spirit aligned immediately, which made collaborating for their elopement that much easier (and more fun!).

When booking an elopement photographer, connection is so important on both ends! I’m the person you’re going to be spending the most time with on such a special day of your life. Get to know your photographer BEFORE you book them, so that you know exactly who you’re going to be spending the day with! Aside from Amanda and I’s instant connection, Isaiah's face lit up when I told him that my boyfriend loves to fish and would likely be joining me on the trip to Crested Butte. It was the perfect fit and truly felt like old friends coordinating the ultimate adventure together. If it doesn’t feel like that, then you’re not doing it right!

Putting the “adventure” in adventure elopement

I’m all for couples doing whatever the heck they want for their elopement. Lucky for me, Amanda and Isaiah chose to add an adventurous flare on every aspect of their day! These two weren’t typical Californians who wanted a fancy elopement - they wanted to get their boots dirty and just be together. We went hiking, set up camp, went fishing, got rained on, went off-roading, shared stories around the campfire, you name it!

If you’re in the midst of planning an elopement, remember that it can be as adventurous as you want it to be. I’ve worked with couples who just want to do a quick, simple hike to their elopement spot, and I’ve worked with couples who want to spend their whole day gettin’ after it!

Do you want to hike up to an alpine lake for sunrise? DO IT. Want to make pizza in the backcountry for your first meal because pizza is your thing? I'VE GOT CHU! No but actually, I’m so prepared that Ian (my boyfriend) and I have a portable pizza oven, and we brought it for Amanda and Isaiah's first meal because they're pizza lovers. It was only right that they ate pizza on their wedding day, so we made it happen. They had their first dance while feeding each other pizza as the sun set. It was epic! Please feel free to steal this idea for your own elopement ;)

The tender moments are just as important as the adventurous ones

We’ve talked all about how adventurous their Crested Butte elopement was, but I’m here for all the tender, intimate moments too! A + I have journeyed on a rocky road to get where they are today, but that journey made their vows that much more symbolic. While they were saying their vows, they expressed that they have climbed mountains and valleys together, which was perfectly symbolized by their adventure to their sunrise ceremony location. As if I wasn’t already holding back tears, I really lost it during the tender moment when Amanda read vows to Isaiah’s daughter, Mia, promising to always love her as her own. I was absolutely bawling behind my camera, trying to hold it together just because I've come to know these two very closely after the many months we spent planning their adventurous day.

Crested Butte elopement packages

The reason I was able to document so many of the adventurous and intimate moments of their Crested Butte elopement was because they booked my full-day elopement package! This package has no time limit, so they were stuck with me from dawn ‘til dusk. This allowed them to plan as many activates as they wanted without fear that they would be missing documentation of any of them. Now to some this might feel overwhelming, having a photographer by your side for the entire date. But it's not that we took the "Smile! Pose! Look here! Look there!" photos all day. Instead, we had an all-day experience and I captured the essence of that. It was a very candid, in-the-moment experience rather than a rushed time limit timeline.

Crested Butte elopement timeline

For couples planning their Crusted Butte elopement, here is a sample timeline that you could totally use for inspiration. Once we’re officially working together, we’ll create a custom timeline for you ;)

4:00 A.M. - WAKE UP CALL

4:30 A.M. - LEAVE CAMP

5:00 A.M. - ARRIVE AT LAKE

5:05 A.M. - GETTING READY

5:15 A.M. - FIRST LOOK

5:25 A.M. - WALK TO SPOT

5:40 A.M. - LETTERS/VOWS

6:00 A.M. - FIRST KISS

6:05 A.M. - BRIDALS/CHAMPAGNE

7:30 A.M. - HEAD TO CAMP #2

9:00 A.M. - ARRIVE AT CAMP #2

10:30 A.M. - BREAKFAST/EXPLORE CAMP

12:00 P.M. - FISH/PADDLE @ LAKE #2

3:00 P.M. - PACK SNACKS

4:00 P.M. - HIKE

6:00 P.M. - PIZZA TIME!!!!

7:30 P.M. - BUILD FIRE/SUNSET PHOTOS

8:30 P.M. - DRINKS & CELEBRATION

Ready to book your Crested Butte elopement photographer?

I’m so ready for you!! To get in touch with me, you can fill out my contact form and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. In the meantime, check out my “How to Elope” blog post to get this party started!