Alison and Trevor were planning their elopement for early October in hopes of catching the aspen trees changing colors for fall. But Colorado had other plans, and we all woke up to fresh snow on the morning of October 10th.
The first winter storms in Colorado are unpredictable at best. We knew it would keep snowing, but were determined to still go on a hike for their couples portraits. After getting ready in the incredibly beautiful See Me Lodge, that the couple had rented out for a long weekend, we drove up to the mountains and into the snow.
Alison had planned ahead with a long sleeve wedding dress, and more importantly, really good hiking boots and wool socks. It’s amazing how much cold you can handle when you have good shoes and socks – and a coat to warm up while hiking in between locations. While we didn’t get the mountain views we were hoping for, I’m so in love with the playfulness of these snowy photos.
After hiking around for a bit, we headed back to the lodge to warm up and grab lunch before the ceremony. Having a relaxed timeline with room for downtime was really important to Alison and Trevor. Their two kids, family, and friends had all come out from Atlanta to celebrate with them, and we wanted to make sure they had plenty time to hang out together. Nine hours of documenting their elopement day disappeared fast!
In the afternoon, we all headed out to Fish Creek Falls for the ceremony. Local Steamboat officiant Marlene Fisher led a moving ceremony, which includes Alison and Trevor giving gifts and making vows to their children. Afterwards, we made the bridesmaids and groomsmen suffer the cold a little longer to hike down to the base of the waterfall with us.
When everyone was sufficiently frozen, we all went back to the lodge, where a team of private chefs had prepared the most incredible spread of appetizers for us, and bartender was pouring drinks from the upstairs bar. Having the lodge as our home base for the day really made a world of difference in the snow, and was such a perfect setting for everyone to celebrate without freezing outside all day.
Alison and Trevor ended their elopement with a first dance in the big living room of their lodge, before enjoying a meal filled with local delicacies prepared fresh on site.
Shoutout to all the vendors who helped make this day so special!
Lodge: See Me Lodge
Ceremony venue: Fish Creek Falls
Officiant: Marlene Fisher
Florist: The Tall Tulip
Wedding dress: Tenley Gown at BHLDN
About Nina Larsen Reed
Nina is an elopement photographer based in Boulder, Colorado. She plans and captures adventure elopements and micro-weddings across the Rocky Mountains, and loves getting to share the mountains she calls home with couples who want a different wedding experience.
Do you know who the private chef was?! So beautiful ! My fiancé & I are looking to elope in steamboat as well.
Hey! I unfortunately don’t know who they were, but there are lots of great chefs in Steamboat so you shouldn’t have any problems finding someone!