Two-Day Microwedding in the Colorado Mountains
Ady and Chase planned two days of wedding celebrations for their Colorado Microwedding. The first day, a beautiful July day in the foothills of the Rockies, included their ceremony, and a laid back reception with their closest family and friends. The second, a morning hike through the Maroon Bells Snowmass Wilderness. They planned every detail of their elopement in such an intentional and authentic way, and you can see how beautiful the outcome is below.
Midday Wedding Ceremony with a Mountain View
I got to Crested Butte the day before Chase and Ady’s wedding day to see the town and take a peek at their wedding venue (Mountain Wedding Garden). Ady and Chase spent the night before enjoying time with their family and friends, where the bridal suite was set up at a hotel, and the groomsmen cave at an apartment-style airbnb. I met them late morning at their respective getting-ready locations, where they each were able to have a chill wedding morning with their friends and families.
By the time the first look rolled around, everyone was eager to kick off the wedding day festivities and get to the venue. Ady snuck up behind Chase so that they could see each other for the first time. I stood back a ways, and gave them their space to greet each other and soak up this special moment of their wedding day. After that, we had a little time before returning to the ceremony location.
Ady’s older brother played some of their favorite romantic songs on guitar as everyone entered towards the altar. Right before Ady’s father walked her down the stone path, she told me “I’ve trained my whole life to be barefoot at my wedding,” and it was perfect for their casual, romantic mountain wedding.
While her father officiated, the couple wrote their own personal vows, which had all of their family and friends both crying and laughing with joy. Their personalized words to each other just made it so apparent that these two were meant to be together.
Intimate Reception at Mountain Wedding Garden
As Ady and Chase moved from their ceremony portraits to the outdoor reception pavilion, their friends and family lined the stairway to welcome them by tossing dried lavender. It was beautiful, and it smelled amazing!
Music cued, and the couple enjoyed a romantic first dance with the mountains as a backdrop. Father-daughter and mother-son dances followed, and everyone cheered as Ady and her dad showed off their Texas swing-dancing skills.
We moved into the pavilion to have a casual reception with custom glasses for each guest, drinks, and locally made pizza and wings from downtown Crested Butte. It was so clear that their guests were all really close, everyone enjoyed chatting, telling stories, and talking about the lovely couple. They danced the night away, and I headed out to prepare for our early morning mountain hike.
Next Day Hike in the Rocky Mountains
Following their intimate celebration and reception, I met Ady and Chase early in the morning to start our adventure in the Rockies. They planned this to be an even more intimate adventure, and a few of their friends took us to the rough trailhead in their Jeep. The 4×4 took off hours of rough hiking, so we could reach their location a little faster and enjoy the views.
We hiked for about an hour through fields of wildflowers as tall as we are, and finally stopped in a little cove of trees for Chase and Ady to change back into their wedding attire. They had a little privacy, though the trail was very quiet at this time of day, and spend a few minutes getting ready together while I took some detail shots of their rings and her dress in nature.
After that, we continued hiking through bubbling rivers and gorgeous wildflowers. We even saw a big moose taking a dip in the river, and stopped to watch for a while. Their family met us after a couple hours, and we decided to stop under a few trees for a picnic lunch instead of hiking through to the peak. When Ady’s mom saw her muddy dress, she said “well, it might not be worn again, but it sure has a great story.”
We took our time moving back to the car, even enjoying some mountain thunderstorms on the way. Believe it or not, these two were actually praying for rain on their wedding day, and low and behold on the last hour of our hike, God answered with a beautiful warm rain and rumbling thunder. What better way to celebrate your love and live in the moment than dancing in the rain?
We made it back to the truck, and cheersed their love story and their wedding day. I had so much fun celebrating with Chase and Ady, and I can’t imagine a better way for them to start their lives together. Congratulations you two!
