We hiked a mile or so into the forest to a perfectly framed opening in the trail with giant redwood trees all around. Kelly + Jacy shared vows, each so intimately written and intentionally spoken that we were all in tears by the end. It’s difficult to not get emotional in a landscape like that one, with giant redwoods towering far above your head and the sweet smell of eucalyptus in the air.

Most of the weddings that we're part of don't happen at traditional venues. Typically we're photographing couples getting married in National Parks, on public land, at vacation rentals, and in their friend's backyard. You don't have to have a wedding at a multi-thousand dollar venue to have an inspiring wedding day, and in fact, I think the more stunning places tend to be the ones that are free of buildings and rules and a wait staff. 

We met Mary and Joe in Telluride, Colorado at their hotel and started their day by driving up a bumpy dirt road and hiking out to a waterfall for their first look. From there, we continued up the road and started our 6 mile hike to an epic and secluded alpine lake. Mary changed out of her dress for the hike up and packed it in her backpack to put on again once we made it to the lake. Then she strapped her flowers to the outside of her backpack and we started up the mountain. The hike up was steep, but beautiful, with the landscape in the middle of its transition from summer to fall. Warm yellows and golds dotted the hillsides.

Jenn and Dillen celebrated their biggest adventure yet surrounded by their closest friends and a few cactus in the desert of Alabama Hills in the Eastern Sierras. They invited their guests to come out to the desert, brave the heat, and camp with them for a few days surrounding their intimate, eco-friendly wedding day.

Hannah and Collin’s adventurous elopement in the Moab desert was embodied by an epic sunset and stunning landscape views. We started the day at Dead Horse Point and ended the day on a ridge as the alpenglow lit up the desert towers.

Ashley & Bradford had a first look in a sunny clearing with aspen trees surrounding them in the valley below Mount Bierstadt, Colorado. We hiked around a waterfall and followed Ashley & Bradford’s disposition as they danced in the falling leaves and played in the water. They said their vows in a meadow with a creek running through it before hiking through the views of Guanella Pass.

We started Anna and Martin’s elopement with a first look in a wooded forest near Aspen, Colorado. From there we followed the two of them as they explored a granite cave carved out by ice, and walked along the wild, undulating curves of the cascades on the Roaring Fork River. We continued up the pass from there to the top of a mountain where we met their friends and dogs to have their ceremony.

Of all the weddings we’ve been part of, this one takes the cake for most adventurous. Since starting our business, I’ve dreamed of shooting a wedding on the summit of a Colorado “Fourteener” (local verbiage for mountains that extend above 14,000 feet in elevation). Colorado Fourteeners can be intense – they generally require an alpine start in the cold before the sun is up, there can be afternoon thunderstorms, they can involve scrambling and technical climbing, and the hikes are always unrelentingly steep. In other words, the perfect spot for an adventurous elopement for some Colorado locals like Monique and Craig.

Danielle & Cody eloped at Sapphire Point, an overlook on Lake Dillon with wide open views of the 10 Mile Range surrounding Breckenridge. They said their vows in front of their parents and Danielle’s three girls. 

A beautifully free and adventurous wedding near the shore of Lake Tahoe including a hiking first look and the sweetest pups as groomsmen in the wedding party.

Never has a wedding felt more wildly adventurous and still so intimately personal at the same time.

Kylie and Eitan's family traveled from all over the U.S. to a secret little corner of the mountains in Ouray, Colorado to explore dirt roads, hike through wildflowers, and ford a creek – all in suits and dresses. 

We met Jonathan & Kathleen several months back at a brewery. We talked about work and life over beers, and Nate and I walked away that evening inspired by the lightness and humility these two carry with them. Their wedding reflected all of that just the same. It was simple, yet stunning. Small & intimate, yet warm & important. Kathleen & Jonathan curated their wedding day to represent the most special parts of their lives—their families, their love for food & wine, and their adventurous & lighthearted love for each other.

There is truly nothing like standing in the snow above treeline in Colorado. Feeling the wind whip through your hair, the biting cold on your skin, and seeing mountaintops that go on for miles is a humbling experience all of its own. Add to that reading your vows at 12,000 ft and its difficult to not have an overwhelming emotional response. Charlie & Larissa strapped snow spikes on their hiking boots, threw a bottle of champagne in their daypack, and hiked up the ridge to an overlook above Loveland Pass, Colorado where they said their vows. It was equally beautiful and adventurous.

Emma & David's intimate wedding at Blackstone Rivers Ranch represented the transition into spring all the same--trees beginning to bud, the creek running through the property starting to melt, warm string lights being turned on at the beginning of wedding season. Emma & David seemed relaxed, yet excited, and filled to the brim with all the emotion that comes with a day as important as their wedding. We watched from corners of bedrooms and the middle of pine forests, capturing photos as these two experienced the fullness of joy, passion, and gratitude as they entered into a new life together.