Summer in the mountains is dreamy- everything is green, there’s wildflowers galore, and its warm, but not hot. Leadville is one of my favorite parts of Colorado because of the incredible hiking and mountain views, without the crowds of the bigger more well known mountain towns. It was the perfect time of year for Kat and Creighton to get married!

These two met in a physics class when they went back to school for engineering and are now expecting their first baby later this year! They wanted to officially get married before they become a family of three. They really wanted a day that involved being outside, being together, and filled with mountains and good food. Since this was a true elopement that was just the couple, they opted to have friends and family write them letters to read on their day.

Kat and Creighton also had a very specific location request. They were dreaming of a location that had both a forest canopy, wildflowers, and a lake with mountain views. Since Kat was going to be just over 30 weeks pregnant on their elopement day they didn’t want to have to hike. Kat even admitted this might be a unique challenge, but luckily I love research and adventure. After over 15 hours of location scouting and research, I found the spot that met all their qualifications! We didn’t see another person the entire day, and while it was so quiet and peaceful it was also, as Kat put it, “loud with life”.

After getting ready at their adorable, quirky, Airbnb in downtown Leadville, we all headed to the location. Kat rode with me because they wanted to a first look. We wound through the mountains until we got to the spot. The afternoon light filtered down through the aspen trees making everything bright green and glowy. The couple shared the sweetest first look (obsessed with the boho woodland princess look that Kay went with) before exploring the area a bit to choose their perfect spot to say vows. The ceremony was short, sweet, and heartfelt as they had written their own words to each other.

One thing that’s super important to factor into elopement days is snack breaks. Getting ready, driving, first look, and ceremony (not to mention all the packing and driving before we even start together) its really easy to forget to eat, or be too nervous to eat, and then get hit with hunger later on. And no one wants to be hangry on their elopement day. Kat and Creighton had a picnic among the aspens with some of their favorites including chocolate, a fruit plate, cheese, crackers, and root beer. Fully support eating your favorite food on your elopement day.

After the picnic we headed to the lake to explore around. Kat told me she absolutely loves wetlands so this lake with a beaver dam and wetland grass and wildflowers was perfect for her. One thing that’s important to include in an elopement day is breathing room. So instead of snapping away, we paused and Kat and Creighton took a second to just soak in the quiet and the mountains. We continued to explore before the couple read the letters from friends and family by a stream and then heading back down to our last stop before returning to their Airbnb.

Kat’s dress was absolutely gorgeous with lacey flowy mock sleeves. It flowed and twirled with her and I couldn’t get enough of it. Crieghton even teased me that I loved Kat’s dress even more than she did. Our last stop was an overlook that showed off the huge mountain peaks with a valley sprawling below us. It was the perfect last stop before heading in for dinner.

We headed back to Leadville because Kat and Creighton had hired a personal chef to cook them dinner! They had amazing food, and champagne, followed by the most delicious wedding cake for dessert. They shared a first dance in the living room and ended the night full, happy, tired, and fulfilled.