Real Elopement - Skiing Elopement in Colorado
An adventurous skiing elopement in the mountains of Colorado...
BreAnn and Benjamin love to have fun. After a pretty wild love story between going in and out of long distance they now want to have their dream wedding; skiing in Vail and starting it off "on top of the world". With their black lab Charlie as a part of their day, they wanted their elopement day to feel like a fun celebration of their love :) And there was no celebration better than having a Colorado skiing elopement.
How It Began…
Funnily enough, what sparked this whole process of planning a skiing elopement for BreAnn and Ben came from watching a previous video I made about a snowboarding elopement in Vail. They thought to themselves, “well dang, I want to do that for my wedding day!”
So, they contacted me and we made it happen. A big goal of mine in creating elopement experiences for couples is crafting a day that’s true to who they are. Breann wanted to start their marriage “on the top of the world” so having some element of high altitude alpine hiking was a must. We tried to balance planning an adventure elopement that maintained that top of the world feeling while still giving them some amazing opportunities around a cute town. So, we settled on Vail - one of the best places for a skiing elopement you can have in Colorado. There’s big long ski runs, an amazing village to walk around and is relatively close to some amazing “top of the world” mountain passes.
How It Went…
I’ve planned a lot of adventure elopements and have seen people get pretty creative with how they want to celebrate their wedding day. Flying in airplanes, riding offroading vehicles up mountain passes and paddling a canoe in the ocean just to name a few. However, a skiing elopement is always a favorite of mine to plan. I’ve been skiing and snowboarding ever since I could walk so being able to film and photograph while flying down a mountain is like second nature to me. Being able to hang alongside couples that want to celebrate their marriage in such an exciting and adventurous way is one of the biggest perks of what I do.
We Started at their Mountain AirBnB…
I arrived at their AirBnB at around 5am to get some footage of them getting ready and mostly just hang out before the craziness of the day began. I always love these morning sessions because it gives us all a chance to connect beyond just our zoom calls or Facetime sessions. There’s a lot of anticipation during this time so I love to just hear couples’ thoughts and feelings during this time because the day is finally here!
Sunrise First Looks…
After we left their AirBnB we headed up a mountain pass near Vail to do a first look and give Breann and Ben a chance to recite their vows. As the sun rose and hit the tops of the mountains, they were able to express some incredibly thoughtful vows that had us all in tears. We then took a stroll up towards some of the 13,000+ foot peaks that surrounded us and while we didn’t summit, we were just there for the views too. They had a family member who is a glassblower so they symbolically mixed their two pieces of glass to be made into a sculpture when they return home.
Bacon and Gondola Rides…
Then, it was lunch time. We bopped over to a cute little diner in Vail while they dropped off their dog Charlie at a sitter so we they could hit the slopes. We got on our gear after a tasty round of late morning pancakes, bacon and mimosas. We walked to the gondola and, since it was Breann and Ben’s first time in Vail, their eyes were wide and overwhelmed with all the amazing vistas surrounding us. When we got to the top of the first run it was some nervous excitement and we dropped in…
*Quick Skiing Elopement Tip!
Breann’s dress was bustled making it easier for her skiing elopement. If you’re hoping to have a skiing elopement like this one, make sure you don’t have a train or have a somewhat loose fitting bottom section of the dress because it’s important to have some mobility, especially around the knees, if you want to ski hard.
The day ended with Breann and Ben getting their dog Charlie to sign their marriage license and make it official!
Let’s Plan Your Skiing Elopement!
If you’re wanting to have a ski elopement like this one, please reach out! I’m always happy to help plan, film and photograph skiing elopements or snowboarding elopements for those wanting to celebrate their wedding day out on the slopes.
Fill out that form below and let’s hit the slopes!