Winter Lake Elopement in Telluride

Remember the good ‘ol days when we all overshared on the internet and the only way to make friends was to ask a stranger to meet you 100 miles from the nearest city to hike and camp together?

No? Just me? Well surprise surprise, that’s exactly how Courtney and I met. Back in the days of blog sharing, Courtney and I connected online and even on her wedding day, we couldn’t pinpoint the exact moment we met (in person) for the first time. But one of my favorite memories is a few years ago when I was going through a breakup (womp womp) and Courtney invited me out to Buena Vista to camp. It was cold, it was my first time sleeping alone in a tent, I was sad, and she reminded me that I didn’t need anyone else to continue camping, that I could do everything I did before with a partner, alone. And it inspired me to seek out a version of myself that I never thought could exist, the one that would eventually find the courage to camp in the mountains of Colorado alone.

So when she and her partner reached out to ask me to photograph their elopement in one of their favorite mountain towns on the west slope, I was so happy to be the one to capture the story of their day. From making breakfast together in the morning to sharing poems and their vows, to wearing their Melanzanas to the local brewery to wrap up the night - the entire day felt like an experience unique just for the two of them. Exactly what a wedding day should be.