Jess and Chris | A perfect day in the San Juan mountains of Colorado for a Telluride summer elopement!
Jess and Chris decided to elope in one of their favorite parts of Colorado, the San Juan mountains! This area is such a perfect spot for a summer elopement, especially during wildflower season! Telluride and Ouray are both great locations for wildflower viewing! They usually peak in mid-July through mid-August, depending on the snowpack that year. So, if you want epic wildflowers on your wedding day, consider a Telluride summer elopement!
Reach out now and I will help you plan the perfect wildflower elopement of your dreams!
Getting Ready
Jess and Chris started their elopement day by getting ready in downtown Telluride. All of their details were so fun! They both love hockey, and in fact, chose their wedding date because of their favorite players’ jersey number. Since going to hockey games together is something that is a big part of their relationship, they planned to take some pictures in hockey jerseys! Another beautiful detail, Jess had a heart sewn into her wedding dress from one of her grandfather’s shirts that he used to wear all the time. She also wore one of these signature blue shirts while getting ready. Jess is also a Swiftie and had just gone to the Eras Tour a few days before their elopement. At the concert, someone made her an “in my wedding era” friendship bracelet so of course we included that in the details photos!
Soon it was time to get dressed and get ready for the first look! Jess’ mom zipped her into her wedding dress and Chris waited outside on the balcony. Jess had an additional surprise for Chris during their first look. She “iced” him right as he turned around. You can see the look on his face though before she pulled the bottle from behind her back and he was certainly so happy to see his bride!
Before heading out to make our way to their ceremony location, they video called Jess’ grandma. It was such a sweet moment and she was so happy to get to see them all dressed up and ready to get married! Video calling your loved ones who are not there on your elopement day is the perfect way to help them be included even if they are not there physically!
A Telluride summer elopement ceremony
Together with both of their moms and brothers, Jess and Chris headed out to the most beautiful lake, near Telluride, for their ceremony! The wildflowers were definitely popping and I found the perfect spot along the shore for them to read their vows. Being Swifties, they played Taylor Swift’s “Lover” before officially starting the ceremony. Both Jess and Chris also included various Taylor Swift lyrics in their vows! After emotional and heartfelt vows, they exchanged rings. Their rings were on a model train that was very special to Chris’ late father. Jess and Chris made sure to include a lot of sentimental and beautiful details into their day.
Once officially married with the marriage license signed, it was time for some celebrations!
Colorado Elopement Celebrations
Jess and Chris enjoyed drinks with their family to celebrate! After some couples photos, they also drank beer together out of their new “Mr. and Mrs.” beer glasses! Jess and Chris both love trying new breweries together, so we also went to a brewery later in the day!
Before heading back into town, Jess and Chris put on their hockey jerseys. Jess is a Colorado Avalanche fan, and Chris, Chicago Black Hawks. They wore the jerseys for their teams, but little did Chris know, Jess made sure everyone else would surprise him by wearing an Avalanche jersey! Jess and Chris’ relationship is certainly one that I can tell is always filled with lots of love and also laughter!
Downtown Telluride and Brewery Fun!
After hanging out at the beautiful lake, we headed back to downtown Telluride! We took some photos on Main Street and then met back up with their families for some beers at Last Dollar Saloon! I just love how Jess and Chris incorporated so many aspects of the things they love to do together in their elopement day! That is truly the best way to celebrate your wedding!
Dinner time!
Our final stop with family was dinner at the Cornerhouse Grille! Jess and Chris fell in love with this spot the very first time they visited the San Juan mountains together, so it only made sense this is where they would have their wedding dinner. After dinner, it was time for sunset portraits! We rode the gondola to take pictures on top of Telluride ski mountain!
Telluride Gondola Photos
The top of the Telluride gondola is one of my favorite places to head up to for sunset! The gondola is free to ride in the summer and fall months before closing for a period and then opening back up for ski season when you will need a ticket to ride. The golden hour and alpen glow was just perfect for Jess and Chris’ portraits. Then, we also took advantage of blue hour and played around with lantern photos! Jess and Chris’ elopement day was seriously like a dream! They completely took advantage of everything that Telluride has to offer and created a full day that was all about their love story!
Congratulations, Jess and Chris!
Telluride is such an excellent spot for an elopement! These two looked like their whole day was so joyful.
Telluride is such a cute town with wonderful scenery, and you definitely caught a bunch of fun, candid moments here which is so fantastic.
Telluride looks incredible! There’s so much variety for wedding and elopement photos, unreal. Love this collection and thanks for sharing!
wow wonderful images, this couple seems so fun, great storytelling!
You really captured the fun spirit of Telluride and this couple. Great photos!