Telluride to Silverton elopement

A lot of people get overwhelmed by the idea of an all day elopement. They wonder how they would fill all that time, especially if its just the two of them. But for Caitlin and Ray, a whole day almost wasn’t enough.

Planning their Telluride elopement

Cait and Ray went into planning knowing they wanted the San Juan mountains, but they weren’t sure exactly where within the San Juans they wanted to go. When we did their location list and call, they loved so many of the options. So, instead of narrowing it down, they decided to go everywhere! We planned a timeline that would take us from Ouray to Telluride to Silverton and beyond. They got to experience the very best of what Colorado had to offer!

The elopement day

The day started at a very cool boutique hotel in Ouray, Colorado called the Western Hotel. It has so much character, beautiful suites, and incredible views of the box canyon. Cait and Ray opted to get ready separately so that they could do a first look on their balcony. The “oh this is really happening” moments are some of the most special of the day. They took time to explore the hotel before jumping in the truck and heading to their ceremony location.

Of course, the views were too good and we had to make a couple stops along the way. At one stop on a mountain pass, they ran into a local artist who gifted them a print as a wedding present! Once we had arrived at the extremely secluded meadow for their ceremony, Ray started setting up a surprise. He had made Caitlin an arch and driven it in the truck all the way from Texas! With the arch set up it was time to make things official. Caitlin still had her walking down the aisle moment (yes you can have that even if its just the two of you!). The couple exchanged deeply personal vows, the mountains were silent around them with an occasional breeze. It really felt like we were the only people in the world!

After the ceremony, I always recommend people take a few minutes alone. Now married, they took some time just to explore the meadow and look at the view.

The next few hours were a little bit of a blur as we made the drive from Telluride to Silverton, making several stops when the views made our jaws drop. We made time for ice cream and pizza in the tiny town with the cutest old west feel. Silverton was founded by miners and feels very historic. Because it was their wedding day and there are no rules, Caitlin and Ray ate dessert first and then had a pizza picnic by the lake.

With no threat of being hangry, we headed to yet another beautiful mountain backdrop for sunset and golden hour. We said wow a few hundred more times and the couple enjoyed cake and champagne as the mountain peaks turned the orangey pink in the alpenglow. The best day ever- exactly what they dreamed of. Real moments, fun, ice cream, pizza, and insane views.