LGBTQ+ Elopement | Colorado

LGBTQ+ Elopement

LGBTQ+ elopement – we have had the joy of planning and photographing elopements for many years now.  We are in awe of love and the power it holds to uplift and bond couples together.  Witnessing people from all walks of life – all genders, races, ages, classes – own their ability to get married in a heartfelt and natural way has rewarded us more than any other endeavor in our life.  We take pride in being an ally to marginalized communities and welcome all those who wish to commit their lives to one another regardless of where they rest on the spectrum of human sexuality and gender. Love is time.  Love is water.  Love is love.

Words with Friends

From our very first conversation with M+K, we fell in love with their sweet laughter, contagious charm, and intentionality towards their elopement.  One of our favorite parts about their relationship is the thoughtfulness represented in handwritten notes and small gestures of affection and consideration.  The simplicity of inscribing a plain piece of paper or cardstock is one of the most fundamental practices we learn as children, yet the impact it can have on someone’s mood is much more powerful than a text message or email. 

We also love that for their elopement, they brought their relationship full circle by returning to the place where they first began to fall in love.  Marble, Colorado is a small town that mostly shuts down in the winter due to the large amounts of thick snow that pile up.  Without a grocery store or even a gas station, simply being here requires some sort of a disconnect from the norm.  It truly encourages one’s attention to the moment and the immaculate surrounding beauty.  

What the area might lack in convenience stores, it more than makes up for with natural hot springs.  It was near one such steamy sanctuary, Avalanche Ranch, where we met up with M+K! They stayed in an adorable cabin with a bunked sleeping area. They finished getting ready, and spent a little time playing with their pup before we embarked on their elopement. May we just say, these ladies were looking spectacularly radiant – like whoa!

Love is Water, Love is Time

Tucked below a plowed pull off and tectonic-like mounds of snow, a space rested beside a sweeping river. We visited it that morning to double check its accessibility and stability. We pressed an altar into the earth with our snowshoes and created a space for M+K to join hands.

Upon arrival, M+K carefully found their footing over the nearby frozen ridge and strolled upon the river.  A surprise awaited M, as a banner of their day’s motto adorned the riverside: “Best Day Ever,” it read. Just to let her partner know she was also committed to the best day ever, M stitched those same words to the inside of K’s dress, which was revealed just before their ceremony. Surprise!  

In the sweetest self-solemnization, M+K exchanged vows, rings, and emotions.  They took their time, looked in each other’s eyes, and imbued their rings with love and intention.  Their words blended with the whispers of the water, and there was an ebb and flow to their ceremony that created structure and felt just exactly that – ceremonial.  They held space for one another with elegant strength and graceful vulnerability.

During their ceremony, water appeared in all three forms – icy snow, swishing waters, and the translucent mist of respiration.  The water was a metronome marking time: M+K rooted deeply into the frozen foundation of the past; the fluidity of the present gently splashed along; and promises of their future released in subtle, exalted vapors through each and every exhale. It was perfect.

Colorful Celebrations & Reflections

Subsequently, we watched a nearly full moon swell over the mountains and rise high into the sky. The moon illuminated our excursion atop a nearby frozen lake before we headed back to a cabin at the hot springs.

In a quiet and cozy candlelit space, M+K concluded the evening with music, a delicious spread, champagne, and dancing.  The space included two standing mirrors that flirted with us the whole time and sparked creativity for some really fun compositions.  Of course, we had to bring our rainbow lights! The white dresses and fabric-cloaked ceiling of this room were perfect for reflecting all of the colors! 

The rainbow symbolizes and celebrates the beautiful diversity within the vast spectrum of human sexuality and gender. We were thrilled to play with colors and moodiness for M+K’s first dance, which made for some of the cutest moments! Their dance wasn’t complete without their custom made elopement sneakers!

Prisms, Shapes, & Love

M+K are each other’s prisms – they have the ability to take something plain and refract it with creativity and love.  What shines through the other side is bursting with color, originality, and affection.  Just like water, true love is pure and an absolute necessity.  It has the ability to transform into an infinite number of different shapes.  It adapts to change however necessary and is renewed with each and every transformation. 

M+K, we drove back to Denver in a different form than when we left. Witnessing your elopement was something we will always remember, and we’re just in love with the shape of you!

LGBTQ+ Elopement Vendors

Florals: The Flower Fix

Dress Designer: Madi Lane

Dress Shop: Luv Bridal Denver

Rings: Sarah O Jewelry

Accommodations & Dinner Space: Avalanche Ranch