Colorful Bookcliff Elopement with Autumn Hudson & Joy Maura

It was a sunny spring day the first time Joy and I met. We sat for hours at local coffee shop Pressed in Palisade, flipping through local wedding magazines while munching on a charcuterie board, talking endlessly about the wedding and elopement industry. Fast forward a couple of years when Joy asked if I would photograph her vision for an elopement in the Grand Valley, of course I said yes :)

We started out on my favorite stretch of road in Grand Junction. It’s simple and stretches for as long as the eyes can see in every direction, making it my go to for a backdrop with 360 degree views in a wide open space. You’ve probably seen it before in my How to Include Dogs in Your Photos article because it’s hands down, the best location to have your four legged friends run around.

Autumn and Mikey showed up and we photographed them amongst the Bookcliffs that line the northern part of town. I’ll always be endlessly grateful for photographing the beauty of my hometown, but even more so for the friends that this job (that lets face it, does not feel like a job) unites me with.

One of my favorite parts about this editorial (besides the florals, the tattooed bride, the chemistry between Autumn and Mikey, the amazing weather we were blessed with, and just about everything else) was how Joy matched the colors of the backdrop to the colors of the Bookcliffs during sunset. Joy has such an incredible eye for detail and was able to translate it all so seamlessly into her vision!

To learn more about Joy Maura and her work, follow along with her kickass photography over at Joy Maura Photo. She is hands down the only person in the valley I would trust for boudoir photos.

And don’t forget to check out this awesome tattooed bride, Autumn, who is actually a tattoo artist here in town!