Written by our rad team member, Kiersten Roy
When it comes to eloping outdoors, you never quite know what you are going to get for weather, and for Sarah and Andrew’s Telluride elopement, boy, did we get it all! From sun to rain to snow, Mother Nature gave us all the elements. Keep scrolling to see more from Sarah and Andrew’s elopement in the Colorado mountains and learn our top three things to consider when planning a Telluride elopement (seriously, you won’t want to miss this one!).
Meet Sarah & Andrew: The Couple of This Adventurous Telluride Elopement
Sarah and Andrew’s Telluride elopement started with a clear, sunny morning. After getting ready at their cabin and sharing a first look outdoors, we packed up and headed to their ceremony location by the lake. The couple exchanged their vows with a handful of their loved ones (and their pup of honor) as witnesses.
After saying ‘I Do’ Sarah and Andrew signed their marriage license and headed to a nearby picnic area. While celebrating their marriage with a bottle of champagne, it started to drizzle and then immediately turned into hail. We quickly packed up their picnic, hopped into the car, and made our way down the mountain, but not before stopping for a few Jeep photos on the way down.
Even though the weather was all over the place for Sarah and Andrew’s Telluride elopement, that didn’t keep them from having an epic day. This is also why having a Colorado photographer is so essential (shoutout to Whitney!). Having a local expert to help you know where to go and when it is safe to visit particular areas can help eliminate so many stressors on your elopement day.
Check out this post on Instagram to see more photos from Sarah and Andrew’s Telluride elopement!
Three Things to Consider When Planning a Telluride Elopement
The Best Time of Year
When it comes to planning a Telluride elopement, time of year is everything! Because this area is located at such a high elevation (~12,000 feet to be exact), there are a limited number of months where the roads are accessible.
Because of the high elevation, June tends to still have a lot of snow, making it difficult to access the roads. September can still be an ok month to visit, and is beautiful with the start of the fall colors coming in, however, the weather can vary, making plans a bit more unpredictable. Because of this, July and August are the best months to plan a Telluride elopement. During these months you’ll have complete access to almost any area and you’ll get to experience the beautiful wildflower meadows!
Want to learn more about eloping in Colorado? Check out our complete guide by clicking on the button below!
The Type of Adventure You Want to Have
Jeeping
There is no lack of adventures to be had when it comes to eloping in Colorado. One of the biggest activities (especially in the Telluride area) is jeeping, which is a fun term for off-roading…in a Jeep! Telluride is filled with tons of backcountry roads and trails which interconnect, so you could literally drive around the mountains for hours exploring and soaking in all the amazing views! The great thing about Jeeping is that you can get a lot of privacy. Imagine driving around and pulling off into a remote meadow for your Telluride elopement ceremony (yes, please!!).
Hiking
You don’t just have to explore Telluride by vehicle though. Yes, there are lots of high mountain passes and loops, but there are also tons of hiking trails that lead to beautiful alpine lakes, waterfalls, and wildflower meadows (specifically during July and August). Most of the trails are around 5-8 miles, giving you lots of options to choose from no matter you or your guests’ abilities.
Fishing
With so many alpine lakes in the area, Telluride is a great place for fishing. Water from the surrounding Rocky Mountains streams into the lakes, making for some of the best trout fishing around!
Alta Lakes
If you’re looking for a lodging and venue option all in one, Alta Lakes is a beautiful backcountry cabin nestled high in the mountains (in fact, it is only one of a few homes in the U.S. that sits at 11,000 feet above sea level). This is an ideal venue for elopements and weddings with 15 people or less. Not only are the cabins situated on a beautiful alpine lake but there are canoes available for you to take out onto the water, trails for hiking and mountain biking, and so much more!
If you are considering having an elopement at Alta Lakes, keep in mind that it takes around 45 minutes on a 4×4 road to get to the cabin (which we think just adds to the whole experience). What this means is that you may want to consider having you and your guests stay at the same location rather than attempting to drive back down into town in the dark. Think of it like adult summer camp vibes in a backcountry hut.
Accessibility + Elevation
One of the things we love about Telluride elopements is how remote this area is giving you lots of privacy on your best day ever! What this also means is that you may need to do a bit of planning if you are not local to the Telluride area.
The closest international airport is Denver, however, it is about a 6-hour drive to Telluride, so we recommend couples fly into a regional airport such as Montrose or Durango-La Plata if possible. While this means it is a little harder to get to than other popular destinations in Colorado (such as Rocky Mountain National Park) we think it’s totally worth it and the payoff is that there will be way fewer people around!
The other important thing to know about Telluride is that you and your guests will need some time to acclimate to the high elevation when you get there. The town sits at 8,700 feet above sea level, but if you plan to do any kind of adventure or go hiking or jeeping, you are going to gain several thousand feet. It’s best to ascend gradually (the CDC recommends spending a few days at 8,000–9,000 feet before traveling to a higher elevation) so give yourselves an extra day or two before the elopement to acclimate to the high elevation.
What You Need to Know About Packages For Your Telluride Elopement
When choosing to have a Telluride elopement, we highly recommend either our full-day or two-day elopement packages to our couples.
Our full-day Telluride elopement package includes first look photos at your cabin in the early afternoon. We will then head out to two unique locations for you and your partner to explore. After, we will head to your ceremony location, where you will elope in the mountains with the most stunning backdrop at sunset!
If you want to see all that this beautiful area has to offer, then we recommend our two-day Telluride elopement package. This will allow you the chance to get to experience multiple locations and is also a great option if you plan on inviting guests. Click here to learn more about our packages for your Telluride elopement.
Meet Your Telluride Elopement Photographers
We feel most at home in the outdoors, so it’s no surprise that is where we gravitate towards as your Telluride elopement photographers. Between the Pine was founded by Mollie in 2018 and she has hiked hundreds of miles all over the Pacific Northwest and Kauai, to capture couples during their best day ever. Since 2018, we’ve grown our team and continue to hire even more incredible photographers!
Our team at Between the Pine is passionate about our jobs and adventuring to the most beautiful locations to document your best day ever. We know the Pacific Northwest like the back of our hands and are dying for a reason to head back to the mountains, forest, and everything in between! Click here to learn more about the Between the Pine team, your Telluride elopement photographers!
View comments
+ Leave a comment