Mountain views, off-roading, and wildflower fields were just a few of the highlights from this amazing Ouray elopement! | Traci and Ryan
Traci and Ryan wanted epic mountain scenery and beautiful wildflowers on their wedding day. They decided on an off-roading Ouray elopement with their closest family. The San Juan mountains of Colorado is one of the best spots to get amazing mountain views and fields of colorful wildflowers!
If you are seeking wildflowers for your elopement, the best time of year to elope in Ouray is in mid-July. All of the high-alpine locations will be peaking with colorful flowers at this time. In order to experience Colorado’s wildflowers, you will either need to go hiking, or you can go off-roading! If you are not much of a hiker, renting a Jeep, or booking an off-roading tour, are the best ways to experience the summer wildflowers. That is what Traci and Ryan decided to do as part of their 12-hour elopement day!
Ouray is such a great spot for off-roading because you can access a lot of scenic locations like Yankee Boy Basin, Governor Basin, Engineer Pass, Cinnamon Pass, Imogene Pass, and many more! It is the best spot in Colorado for an adventure elopement.
If you need help planning out an off-roading Ouray elopement, let’s chat!
Getting Ready in Ouray
Traci and Ryan stayed at the Western Hotel for their elopement. This charming and historical hotel is set in the perfect location when staying in Ouray! It is close to Main Street and has its own delicious restaurant. There, they got ready with their family members and read letters from one another before it was time for their ceremony. Traci and Ryan decided they did not want a first-look, but wanted to save the moment for walking down the aisle!
Ouray Elopement Ceremony at the Western Hotel
Traci and Ryan had their ceremony on the balcony of the Western Hotel, surrounded by the towering canyon walls that give Ouray its name, “Switzerland of America”. Ryan was so emotional when he saw Traci for the first time. It was such a sweet and beautiful ceremony! After their ceremony, we took some family and couples photos and they enjoyed lunch to get ready for the main adventure of their elopement day!
Ready for an off-roading adventure!
One of the best ways to have the most epic elopement day in Colorado is to go off-roading! You can reach so many incredible spots without hiking. Traci and Ryan decided to book a tour with Alpine Scenic Tours for their off-roading adventure to Yankee Boy Basin. They even included their whole family on the tour as well. While their family changed into more comfortable attire, Traci and Ryan decided to fully embrace their mountain wedding day and stayed in their wedding attire! What’s more awesome than off-roading in a wedding dress!? Everyone loaded up onto the truck and we made our way into the mountains until we reached Yankee Boy Basin. We started with exploring a beautiful waterfall, before making to to the best spot in the basin.
Yankee Boy Basin Elopement Photos
Why the best spot you might ask? Because this spot was surrounded by so many wildflowers and the most unreal jagged mountain peaks! Yankee Boy Basin is such a perfect spot for an off-roading elopement in Colorado because it does not take too long to reach and there are plenty of scenic pull-offs where you could even read your vows. Traci, Ryan, and their families were in awe of the views and we all enjoyed our time on the jeep tour. I don’t think anyone wanted our time there to end, but soon enough, it was time for dinner back in Ouray.
Dinner Celebrations
Traci and Ryan had dinner and their cake-cutting back at the Western Hotel. The food was delicious and there was so much joy and laughter as they celebrated their wedding!
Sunset and Crystal Lake Blue Hour Photos
The night was not over after dinner. We made our way back out to an overlook in Ouray off of Million Dollar Highway where we took sunset photos and Traci and Ryan popped some champagne. Champagne pop photos are a must to celebrate your elopement! Finally, after sunset, we ended at their last location, Crystal Lake. Crystal Lake is another amazing spot for elopements in Ouray. There, they shared their first dance as a married couples surrounded by candles (battery-powered ones of course). It was the most beautiful moment. We ended their night with some blue-hour photos with lanterns. It was just the best all day elopement. Traci and Ryan made sure to make their Colorado elopement an amazing and unforgettable experience!
Congratulations, Traci and Ryan!
leave a comment