Telluride Elopement

A sunrise ceremony at Trout Lake, stand-up paddle boarding, picnic, and star photos, were all part of this beautiful Telluride elopement! | Pam and Marco

Pam and Marco reached out to me with a plan to elope on short notice. I helped them plan a summer Telluride elopement in a month! After they shared some inspiration photos with me, I knew that the San Juan Mountains of Colorado, and particularly Trout Lake, would be the perfect location for their special day!

If you are trying to elope last minute, don’t worry, it is definitely possible. I have helped couples plan Colorado elopements within a month, but also help plan elopements a year out. Pam and Marco’s elopement day was in early summer. Summer is definitely a prime time to elope in Telluride. You get beautiful wildflowers, nice weather, and the option for so many outdoor activities.

If you need help planning an adventurous elopement in Colorado and are looking for a photographer, let’s chat!

Morning couples photos at Trout Lake

We started Pam and Marco’s elopement day with some couples photos and photos with their dogs. I wanted to get in some pictures while we still had the morning light before their ceremony. Since the early morning light at Trout Lake is so pretty, if you are up for waking up earlier, I highly recommend it! The flowers were blooming along the lakeshore, making for even more beautiful photos. After some couples portraits, we also took some pictures with their dogs. Of course Pam and Marco’s fur babies stole the show in their “tux” bandana and gorgeous flower collar that Pam made herself. If you are thinking about including your dog in your elopement day, I always say- go for it!

Ceremony and Dog License Signing

Next, it was time for their ceremony with their families. Pam and Marco’s ceremony was led beautifully by Carolyn of Heart Centered Weddings. After vows, ring exchange, and first kiss, it was time to make it official with a license signing. But, not just any license signing. Both of their dogs got to sign the marriage license with a paw print. This is one of my favorite things about Colorado elopements.

Unfortunately there are a few counties in Colorado that do not accept paw print signings anymore. So, if you want your dog to sign your marriage license, just make sure you do not pick up your marriage license from Denver, Arapahoe, and El Paso counties. Also, just double check when you are picking up your license from any other county, that they still allow a paw print on your license! After the signing the license, we took some more family photos and then it was time for adventure!

Jeep Fun

After their ceremony, Pam and Marco did a little bit of Jeeping with their dogs in tow! Telluride and surrounding areas have so many awesome off-roading trails, so you can spend your day exploring all the beauty that the San Juan mountains have to offer. You can choose to rent a Jeep or even go on a guided tour. If you want to go deeper into the mountains, but don’t want a hike on your wedding day, off-roading is such a great option.

Luxury Picnic

After some off-roading, Pam and Marco decided to treat themselves and their family to a luxury picnic! They used Durango Picnic Co and the food was absolutely amazing! So many delicious options and a beautiful table setup with a beautiful backdrop, everything was just perfect. Their families toasted to their marriage and Pam and Marco cut their cake. It was such a fun little celebration and no better way to enjoy the time in the mountains on a true Colorado elopement day!

Telluride Elopement Paddleboarding

After some lunch, Pam and Marco decided to add some extra adventure to their elopement day by going paddleboarding! If you want to paddleboard on your elopement day, I have extra paddleboards you can borrow. They enjoyed their time paddling on Trout Lake surrounded by stunning views. We also could not have asked for more beautiful weather for their Trout Lake elopement. Paddleboarding is such a fun activity to include in your adventure wedding!

Star Photos in Ridgway

After their paddleboarding fun, we parted ways, but that was not the end of their adventure elopement. We met back up late at night for some star photos in Ridgway! Ridgway is not far from Telluride and is considered a “Dark Sky Community”, so it was the perfect spot to go for pictures with the night sky. The Milky Way was showing off that night as well, making for some epic night photos! If you are willing to stay up late for your elopement day, I guarantee you it is worth it for some cool star photos. Or you can take a nap like I did and set an alarm!

If you are planning on including star photos in your elopement day timeline, there are a few things to consider:

In the summer, when the sun sets really late, you need to wait a while until it gets dark enough to see the stars, so you have to be ready for a late night.
You need to plan your elopement day around a new moon to have the best chances for seeing the Milky Way.
March through September is usually the best “Milky Way season” in Colorado.
Be prepared for cold nights at higher elevations!

Pam and Marco enjoyed their day to the fullest with so many incredible adventures, and ending the night with stargazing, was just the best way to wrap up their stunning elopement day!

Congratulations, Pam and Marco!