Telluride + Moab 2 Day Elopement

Rich + Paige’s Fall Adventure Elopement

From Colorado to Utah

Colorado | Wedding Day

Rich + Paige’s day started out at their stay in Telluride where they exchanged gifts and got ready for most of the morning together. Paige gifted Rich socks with their kids faces on it since they could not be with them for the elopement. Rich gifted Paige a beautiful leather book filled with their adventures and travels together.

Once it was time to put the dress on, Rich set out for the Gondola to the first look location. Once Paige was in her dress, hair and make up complete, her and I set out up the mountain as the full moon was starting to fade away, dawn starting to bring light to the day.

Rich + Paige shared their first look overlooking the stunning mountain range where we would soon be heading into in total privacy, sharing a moment between themselves to soak it in – the day is here.

From there the day was in full swing! We headed down the gondola to our next location. After a little bit of off roading through the colorful aspens we arrived at a beautiful lake surrounded by massive mountains. This location was one that Paige was most excited about for their Colorado portion of the elopement! Rich and Paige laid out a blanket, poured themselves some hot chocolate and started writing their vows. This is always a favorite as an elopement photographer. Starting with writing vows or simply re-reading your vows before starting your wedding day can feel so grounding, bringing the intention of the day front of mind.

Up next we ventured off to one of the prettiest, most private waterfalls I have ever seen! We were so excited to show this location to Rich + Paige! Rich had another surprise for Paige – he gifted her a book by their kids of which they had colored and drawn in it all about their lives together and Rich + Paige on their wedding day. It was the perfect place for such a special gift! From the bottom of the falls, to the top! It was the perfect lunch spot and make up touch up before heading out for the ceremony.

From Telluride, to Ouray we went!! We set out for an off road adventure, this time much deeper into the mountains. We stopped along our way to the lake where they’d share their ceremony at various view points, forests and lakes. Eventually, making our way to the main event and ceremony location. The ceremony was lakeside and we had the entire mountain range to ourselves it seemed. They started their ceremony off with a wine ceremony, shared prayers, exchanged rings and becoming officially Mr + Mrs. It was a beautiful ceremony from the view, the feeling and the words.

After the ceremony we headed up to the top of the pass to look down on the lake they had gotten married at. Another beautiful view point and perfect place for a little celebratory joy + of course a champagne spray!!

Before the night ended, we headed back out towards the main road, stopping along the way to enjoy cake + sign the marriage license in the beautiful blue hour light a little lower in elevation for slightly warmer temps! We also got to enjoy the stars on our way under the dark mountain skies – a perfect ending to day one!

Day 2 Adventure + Celebration | Moab, Utah

We took a one day break for everyone to drive from Telluride to Moab, which is about 3.5 hour drive. This way everyone could be rested for the full day of adventure ahead. We kicked off day two under the stars again, but this time for a sunrise hike to one of the most magnificent natural arches in the Southwest. We arrived as blue hour started to bring color to the beautiful sandstone. They started their day intentionally by joining each other in prayer. This was followed by the first of their two first dances as husband and wife. They each picked a first dance song, surprising each other with the song they had picked during the dance!

As we made our way back to Moab, we stopped for breakfast to go and headed to a beach side location along the Colorado River. As they ate their bagels + drank coffee they read letters of congrats and advice from their community within their church. As the desert sun started to warm us they decided to get into the river for some fun and rock skipping before heading out.

For the second half of the day we went for even more off roading! We had several stops planned – sand dunes for some quick fun, a riverside look out for a pizza picnic, overlooks and of course the back country Canyonlands National Park sign. We eventually reached our main overlook where the day was going to slow down and we were gonna spend the rest of the evening. After exploring the massive ledges we found the perfect spot for Paige + Rich to share their personal vows with each other as the sun slowly start to set behind them. Another magical moment together, this time just them and the massive red rock canyon walls as they shared their love with each other privately.

Just because the sun went down, did not mean the fun was over! First, they shared their second, first dance together in front of the 4Runner’s headlights. Then we built a fire where they sat and shared left over cake together from the night before. Then we waited, watching the night sky growing darker and darker. Eventually seeing the Milky Way in all of its glory until the beautiful, bright full moon rose over the La Sal mountain range in the distance (you have to see the last photo of the blog!). It was the most relaxing, peaceful way to end the wedding celebration – slowly soaking it in, no rush, no where to go – just enjoying the moment.

Truly, none of us wanted it to end.

Rich + Paige’s elopement is a beautiful example of going on a new adventure together, but also building a lot of intention into the various locations and activities. From special surprises, to memorable words and incredibly moving views. We are so happy for these two and thankful to have been a long for the epic journey from the Mountains to the Desert.

Dreaming up your own adventure elopement experience?! We’d love to hear more!

Vendors a part of this Elopement:

Photographer + Officiant: @adventureandvow

Floral: @flowersbyellatelluride
Cake: @figandbloomcake
Food: @telluridechef
Dress(long): @bridaloutletjax designer: @pronovias
Hmua: @wild_brides_backcountry @kendralisestylist

Ready to start planning your own elopement day!? We got you covered….