This completely private Colorado elopement was something out of a dream! Erika first contacted me months before her planned wedding date with Emma and told me about her vision. A ceremony in Colorado, which is a state that allows self-solemnization, with just their dog, Anderson, and their photographer to document the day. No other witnesses, no officiant, total awesomeness. Erika & Emma are both from the Seattle area and found me while searching for LGBTQ+ friendly photographers in the Rocky Mountains and they came across a blog post of mine featuring Geoff & Scott’s wedding at the Grand Tetons a couple years ago. Erika told me they loved my style, that I shoot with film, and once they read on my website that I’m Seattle based and willing to travel it was a done deal. I couldn’t imagine a much more perfect way to match up with an even more perfect couple.

On the day of their ceremony we made our way out of Denver and pulled off the main highway at Georgetown - what an adorable little town full of 1900’s architecture.

We climbed the mountain road out of Georgetown and headed for the nearby mountain peaks. We knew what we were looking for but didn’t have an exact location chosen. We stopped at Guanella Pass, the summit of the road that we found ourselves on, which peaks at over 11,500 feet and from the road we spotted the perfect place for a ceremony. A short “hike” into the Mt. Evans Wilderness area brought us to an alpine lake with a perfect rocky outcrop overlooking the water and we held the ceremony in this spot. It was beautiful and emotional and so intimate in the most memorable of ways.

After the ceremony the couple had their “first dance” overlooking the view of the valley back towards Georgetown and we enjoyed watching the sun fall behind the mountains to our west before starting our return trip to Denver. We listened to the first episode of the Office Ladies podcast and had so much fun together. This trip to Colorado was one that I will not forget and I am so humbled by the fact that Erika & Emma chose me to be the only human witness to their ceremony.