Phill + Thao’s Aspen Elopement

When Phill and Thao reached out to me back in January, they were already interested in Aspen for their elopement, and especially loved the look of Maroon Bells. But they also didn’t want to exchange their vows in front of a crowd, and so we set out to plan something more intimate.

Originally, the couple from San Francisco were supposed to elope at the top of a 12,000ft mountain pass overlooking the snow-capped Rocky Mountains. But when Colorado surprised us with an extra foot of snow at the end of May, the opening of the pass was postponed. We went back to the drawing board, and decided on a location closer to their lodging and at a lower elevation instead—saving us from spending half the day in the car, or post-holing through the wet spring snow.

Throughout the planning process, Phill and Thao kept making the decisions that in the end allowed them to be in the moment together, all day long. From getting ready at their vacation rental, to having a close friend officiate their ceremony, to having their adorable Pomeranian Seneca sign their marriage license, to ending the day with hot pot at the house instead of going out to a restaurant, they put so much of their relationship into their elopement—and I think it shows through in their photos, too.