Colorado is home to some of the best elopement photographers. This is also a creative’s sanctuary. There is a strong sense of community over competition, and I’ve seen women come to the support of other women to help out on weddings, cover sessions, and lend their knowledge. I got my start as a photographer, and now that I’m only doing videography, the relationships I’ve developed with my photographer friends hold even more opportunities for collaboration!
Here are some of the best elopement photographers in Colorado!
First up is Nina Larsen of Larsen Photo Co.
https://www.instagram.com/larsenphotoco/
Nina kicks ass! Not only is she an incredible photographer, but she’s an amazing business woman, kills it with SEO, but she’s also just the kindest person I know.
What got you into elopements?
I eloped myself, way back in 2011, long before “adventure elopements” were a thing. My husband and I knew we didn’t want a big wedding, but had no idea how to make the day special, so we just went to the courthouse and made it official. When I first started seeing elopements online in 2016, I knew immediately that this was going to be my life’s work: helping couples plan elopements and capture photos that feel like them, so that no one has to look back at their wedding day with the same pang of regret that I feel about my own.
What do you love most about what you do as an elopement photographer?
The connection I get to build with my couples! Because I’m heavily involved in the planning process, from finding locations and recommending vendors to answering every little question my couples may have, it truly feels like meeting up with old friends on their wedding day. And the photos are so much better when we don’t start the day as strangers, because they’re able to relax and be themselves in front of the camera!
What has been your favorite elopement to date?
After photographing over 200 elopements it’s impossible for me to pick just one favorite, but Emily and Kendell’s elopement is one of many that stand out. We Jeeped up to one of my favorite alpine lakes for a short hike, but had to change our plans when a thunderstorm rolled in and it started sleeting on us in the middle of their vows. The couple kept their spirits high while we waited out the storm, and we were rewarded with some of the most beautiful light I’ve ever photographed when the sun finally came back out again. More than anything, I love when couples can roll with the punches and make the best out of whatever happens at their elopement! https://larsenphoto.co/off-roading-elopement/
What sets you apart from other photographers?
Because I only photograph around 25 elopements a year, and devote a ton of time to each of my couples through the whole planning process, it’s super important to me that I work with couples that are excited to work with me as a person, and not just any ol’ photographer who can help with planning and take good photos. (As you can see from this post, there are a lot of us.) I truly believe you get the best photos when you really enjoy having your photographer around, so establishing that connection is absolutely key.
Next up is We the Light Photography with Larissa and Bailey!
https://www.instagram.com/wethelightphoto/
https://wethelightphotography.com/
Larissa shot one of my very first weddings with me back before we both decided to focus on elopements! It was a smaller wedding at River Bend in Lyons, but we had a blast working with each other and getting to know one another! Fast forward all these years and we’re still very close and continue to work together!
What got you into photographing elopements?
We both started out photographing big weddings. While we absolutely loved our couples, we always felt like there was this imminent stress and pressure for our couples to perform and make their wedding day perfect for everyone else. These days didn’t always feel genuine to who they were. Then we photographed our first elopement and it felt completely different. It was full of love and intention and time to just soak in being married. We saw how much more relaxed and in the moment our couples were. We saw them enjoying what they truly wanted to do on their wedding day – sometimes that included traditions like a first dance, and sometimes it included something outside the norm, like kayaking or snowshoeing. From then on we committed to making sure our couples plan a day that feels 100% like them, and we found that was best served through elopements.
What gets you hella stoked about your job?
We most love seeing our couples just slow down and truly soak in the day they get married. Whether that’s with sharing a beer and a picnic dinner on top of the mountain they just hiked, or dipping their toes in the cool mountain stream, we just love seeing our couples truly just enjoy time hanging out together on their elopement day. We also love getting to share our love for the outdoors, the Colorado mountains, and going on adventures with our couples – we truly think we have the BEST jobs in the world every time we drive home from an elopement.
What is your favorite elopement?
Larissa
Goodness, there are so many! I think that Sierra and Merina’s packraft elopement is a favorite because despite the setback we had with the weather (we got rained out during their ceremony and had to hike back up the next morning), these two were just so genuinely happy to be getting married. They were intentional about the people they wanted to be surrounded by, included the small things like cooking their favorite breakfast on their elopement day and the big things like their pup, Riley. Also, I don’t think I ever screamed happy-photographer screams as loud as I did when Sierra and Merina paddled a packraft to the middle of an island in an alpine lake. It was epic but also filled with so much genuine love and happiness.
Bailey
It’s extremely hard to choose, but one of my favorite elopements to date was Ruby + Blake’s fall elopement in Telluride. All week the weather forecast was constantly changing, with rain looking incredibly likely all day. The night before we re-arranged a few things on their timeline in the hopes of catching a pocket of sun for their ceremony, and then hoped for the best. The day of their wedding was one of the calmest, most emotional, and most joyous days I have ever been a part of. Ruby and Blake are incredibly close with their families, so they made a point of slowing down and including them as much as possible while still leaving some room to go on an adventure as a newly married couple in their jeep, and then in a gondola to explore the top of a mountain. During the planning process, they were extremely intentional with how they planned every part of their day, but when things went a bit off-script due to weather, they didn’t bat an eye and wholeheartedly embraced it. Their wedding day was a perfect example of everything I love about photographing elopements – couples being able to spend quality time with the people they love the most, feeling free to buck tradition and get married in a way that feels like them, having the freedom to change plans last minute, and being able to create core memories exploring some of the jaw-dropping beauty that the planet has to offer.
Tell me about the experience couples can expect with you?
Most couples decide to elope because they want their day to be more laid-back and relaxing. They don’t want to stress out about the details and all the other people. Along with that, they know that they want to elope, but they don’t exactly know HOW to do it. We help our couples every step of the way with finding the perfect location, helping you navigate and research permits, connecting you with other elopement vendors to make your day special, and planning the perfect timeline that allows you to actually relax and enjoy your day. On top of all that, we are also photographers that get picture-taking can be awkward and we make those photos fun and casual and candid so you don’t feel like you’re posing for high school prom. We truly want it to feel like your hanging out with a good friend, who also happens to take epic pictures.
Coming in hot is Kimberly Crist Photography!
https://www.instagram.com/kimberlycrist/
https://www.kimberlycrist.com/
Kimberly and I have been internet friends for ages! So when she decided to elope with her partner, she actually asked me to do photography! I of course said yes, and that was the first time we met! I love Kimberly’s spirit and her joy for photography and exploration!
What got you into elopements?
I love the outdoors so much. What I got to experience through hiking, camping, and exploring back roads when I moved to Colorado 10 years ago changed my life. Now I know that my body can carry itself up the side of a mountain, I know that there is no greater feeling than running into a freezing cold alpine lake after a strenuous hike, and that waking up for sunrise will always be worth it. It was an easy progression to want to share those experiences and passions with other people, particularly with those who like me, didn’t grow up with the proximity to these incredible places around Colorado.
What do you love most about what you do?
Helping craft experiences that get couples into these incredible places to create memories together, especially those who may not otherwise have the experience or know how to go about accessing all that the outdoors has to offer. I love showing couples that you don’t have to do a strenuous hike to enjoy nature or get married outdoors 🙂
What has been your favorite elopement to date?
Can I say my own that you photographed? Soo hard to choose a favorite. I loved a sunrise elopement I had this summer with a small family that incorporated their cultural traditions into the day. https://www.kimberlycrist.com/blog/sunrise-wedding-in-the-colorado-desert
What sets you apart from other photographers?
I never want to be just another wedding vendor or stranger that my couples meet for the first time on their wedding day, so I encourage everyone to go camping with me! If they have no prior experience with the outdoors I’ll help them rent their gear or let them borrow mine. There is truly no better way to get to know someone than by sitting around a campfire. 🙂
Last but not least, Jen Dz Photography!
https://www.instagram.com/jendz/
Jen is about one of the coolest people I know. This woman is always off biking, hiking, camping in their van, or traveling! I’ve admired her work for years and got to work with her on an all day hiking elopement last fall!
What got you into elopements?
When I first started shooting professionally I did what everyone does – which was a little bit of everything. I found that while I really enjoyed photographing big weddings, I just didn’t personally connect with anything about the wedding industry. I hate how couples are made to feel like they HAVE to spend thousands and thousands of dollars on throwing the “perfect” big party for everyone else. It just felt so superficial to me and not at all in line with my own personal values. Also, as an introvert myself, those big weddings were just exhausting! I craved a deeper connection with my couples and helping them find a way to do this thing in a way that felt right to them. Elopements have given me an opportunity to do just that.
What do you love most about what you do?
Oh man, so many things!! Getting to connect with amazing humans in beautiful places makes my heart so damn happy. While the photography is obviously a really big part of what I do, it’s actually not what I love the most about this job. To me the photos will always come second to helping my couples have an incredible experience in a beautiful place. Also, as a recovering people please, I believe very strongly in enabling couples to figure out what THEY want their wedding experience to be like and hope that that same boldness can carry into the rest of their lives.
What has been your favorite elopement to date?
After planning and photographing 100+ elopements over the years it’s SO HARD to pick a favorite but the first one that jumps out at me is Stefanie and Danny’s elopement last summer. These two had planned a much bigger wedding for 2023 but when they found out one of their beloved dogs had cancer they changed their plans to make sure that he could be there. They contacted me less than a month out from their elopement day and we planned an INCREDIBLE elopement in no time. They drove out to Colorado from Chicago with each of their moms and their two dogs and we spent an entire day exploring. The day began with a first look at sunrise followed by a helicopter tour and ended with a hike to the top of a mountain (with their pups and moms) for their ceremony followed by one of the most incredible sunsets ever. I adore everything about this day right down to the kind, sweet humans who were involved! Dog people are my people.
https://jendzphotography.com/stefanie-dannys-colorado-elopement-with-their-dogs-and-a-helicopter/
What sets you apart from other photographers?
There are so many talented photographers who take incredible photos, especially of elopements. I believe what sets me apart is the way I truly emphasize a couple’s experience over the photos. My #1 priority is ALWAYS for this to feel like an adventure, not a photoshoot and feedback I’ve gotten from my couples tells me I nail it! I’ve also been at this elopement thing for a really long time now and have dealt with just about every challenge that can come up on a day. I’ve mastered the art of putting together a day that is fun and meaningful while also getting great photos. And I also really, really freaking love dogs!
OBVIOUSLY this isn’t a complete list. I could go on for ages about all the amazing people I’ve worked with over the years, but these are just a few of my favorite Colorado elopement photographers