Brianna and Nick | A beautiful day for a little hike in the snow with their dogs for a fun St Mary’s Glacier Elopement in Colorado!
Brianna and Nick really wanted some snow on their elopement day, but still wanted some warmer weather. Early June in the mountains of Colorado is the perfect time to see snow at the higher elevations. The temperatures are much more moderate than winter and hiking up a glacier guarantees some snow too. So, they decided on a St. Mary’s Glacier elopement with their dogs as witnesses!
St. Mary’s Glacier is a moderate 1.6 mile roundtrip hike in Arapaho National Forest near Idaho Springs. While it is a short hike, there is definitely some decent elevation gain. Make sure you acclimate before you hike at the higher altitudes in Colorado. The hike has a beautiful alpine lake and of course, a glacier! You can choose to hike up the glacier, and sometimes you will even see skiers. It is a stunning hike that is not too far from Denver. This makes it an awesome location for a Colorado adventure elopement. But, I only recommend weekdays at this location because it gets incredibly busy on the weekends. There is a parking fee of $20, and you will need cash when choosing to park at the St. Mary’s Glacier Trailhead!
If you want to get married on a the shore of a beautiful alpine lake or on an epic glacier in Colorado, reach out now!
Getting Ready and First Look
Brianna and Nick started their elopement day getting ready at a beautiful cabin in the woods. They got ready in separate sections of the cabin so they could have a first look. Brianna finished up writing her vows in her vow book after getting her hair and makeup done, and Nick put on his hiking boots while their dogs watched.
Soon it was time for the first look that they decided to do in the forest area next to the cabin. Nick’s reaction to seeing Brianna in her wedding dress was priceless! They both laughed and cried and were eager to get going on their hike. They finished packing up their backpacks and were ready to go!
The Hike to St. Mary’s Glacier
We knew with it being early June there would still be snow and mud on the hiking trail. Brianna wanted to try to keep her dress clean until after the ceremony, so she used a Bridal Buddy to keep her dress up while she hiked. This was such a clever hack for hiking in a wedding dress! We continued hiking until we reached the beautiful lake. Of course the pups wanted to take a dip immediately. Brianna and Nick put adorable bandanas that read, “Best Dog” and “Pup of Honor” on their dogs. They soaked in all of the beauty around them before having a nice pre-ceremony snack.
Picnic and St. Mary’s Glacier Elopement Ceremony
Before they were ready to exchange vows, Brianna and Nick had a picnic by the lake. They enjoyed pizza and cookies and of course brought food for their fur babies as well!
Once they were fueled up, Brianna and Nick had their ceremony. We chose a spot near the lake away from other people so they could have the private moment to themselves. They read their heartfelt vows and tears were definitely shed. It was a beautiful ceremony surrounded by beautiful Colorado scenery!
Hiking up St. Mary’s Glacier
After their ceremony, it was officially time to hike up the glacier! Brianna and Nick put on their micro spikes to make it easier to walk on the snow. They had so much fun with along with their dogs who had a blast running up and down the glacier. They also threw some snowballs for the dogs to chase.
Hiking back
Brianna and Nick were such a fun couple to work with and I could have stayed up there on that glacier with them for many more hours, but it was eventually time to start heading back down. Now that the ceremony was over, Brianna was ready to fully embrace the snow and mud on her dress. Something about dirt and mud on the bottom of a wedding dress just really adds to that hiking elopement vibe! Before we parted ways, we took some lantern photos at the trailhead. Brianna and Nick definitely enjoyed their beautiful Colorado elopement and were excited to start planning their move to Colorado too!
Congratulations, Brianna and Nick!
St. Mary’s Glacier looks amazing! What an awesome shoot! I love a bride in hiking boots.
I’ve never heard of St. Mary’s glacier, so it was great to see this. Loving all the detail shots with their boots–rugged meets cute.
Wow! St. Marys Glacier looks like the most incredible place to elope. I love how you captured their day. Beautiful job.
This is such a lovely story of this couple’s elopement at St. Mary’s Glacier! I love that they went on a real adventure for their Colorado elopement with their fur babies. You captured all of it so beautifully. 🙂
I love that they brought their pups! I love the way you captured their day with all of the details and beauty of Colorado!