Fall Elopement in Rocky Mountain National Park | Morgan and Anthony — Colorado Wedding and Elopement Photographer

Something I love about the wedding industry today is the amount of freedom and creativity couples now have to create their own unique wedding day experiences! A perfect example of this is today’s blog topic, Morgan and Anthony’s fall elopement in Rocky Mountain National Park!! These two incredible people combined the best bits of elopements and weddings to make a day truly unique to them and I am SO here for it.

Still life portrait of Groom's accessories including his brown shoes, Skagen watch, orange tie, wedding band and cuff links all balanced on his shoes.

"Katie was AMAZING to work with. She took me and my husband's engagement and wedding day photos and both were such great experiences! I was completely blown away by the photographs she took! It was everything I could have hoped for - and more. Katie has a welcoming and down to earth vibe and is exactly the type of person you'd want to spend your wedding day with. I HIGHLY recommend going with Katie when booking a Colorado photographer!" -Morgan

Still life portrait of wedding details including Wedding Day Timeline, teal ring box with bride and groom's wedding rings and both of their hiking boots.

Getting Ready for their Rocky Mountain National Park Elopement

Like Morgan mentioned in her review, I actually got to take her and Anthony’s engagement photos, so it was all the more fun being able to reconnect and document their wedding day! The start of their day was very wedding-esque, with both Morgan and Anthony getting ready separately with the help of their family. This is such a special way to start a wedding day, and something I’m so happy these two chose to include in their plans! From there we had a couple emotional first looks, first with Morgan and her father who was on the verge of tears seeing his daughter in her wedding dress for the first time. After that was Morgan and Anthony’s first look which was a moment of just pure joy! After that we made our way to Rocky Mountain National Park as it was time for their elopement ceremony!!

Flower bouquet filled with sunflowers, dahlias and filler flowers in autumn colors of peach, gold, white and red.

Bride's engagement ring and band and Groom's band balances on one of the flowers in the Bride'sthe flower bouquet.

Bride's timeless wedding dress with buttons going all the way down the back hangs on a vintage brown armoire for display.

Bridesmaid sits on a bed as the bride stands and laughs with her as they get ready for her wedding at Rocky Mountain National Park.

Mother of the bride in a sandy brown dress zips up bride's dress as they get ready for wedding ceremony.

Bride puts in her earrings as she gets ready for wedding elopement ceremony.

Bridesmaid in dark yellow dress stands with and smiles at bride in a bedroom before elopement ceremony.

Groom puts on his tie in a bedroom while getting ready for elopement ceremony.

Father of the bride walks into bedroom and becomes emotional for first look with bride before elopement in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Bride stands waiting for Groom who has his back turned before their first look. They are outside surrounded by beautiful trees in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Bride and groom hug after first look surrounded by beautiful trees in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Their Elopement Ceremony at Rocky Mountain National Park

The stunning beauty of Rocky Mountain National Park is something I don’t think I’ll ever get over, and truth be told I don’t ever want to! For their elopement ceremony Morgan and Anthony chose 3M Curve which has breathtaking unobstructed views of Rocky Mountain National Park’s landscape. The space is also incredibly easy to access, which made it the perfect option so that their immediate family could join them for their ceremony as well! It meant SO much to Morgan and Anthony to have their loved ones at their side to share in this incredible moment in their love story. After the ceremony was done we of course had to take advantage of this gorgeous view we had behind us, so we knocked out some family portraits before Morgan, Anthony, and I headed out for a fun little adventure!!

Beautiful scenic view of Rocky Mountain National Park with Pine trees lining mountains and blue skies.

Mother of the bride in a pink dress and father of the groom walks with groom in a grey suit with a pink tie down a trail to the aisle surrounded by trees.

Father of the bride walks bride with a bright autumn flower bouquet down a trail in the Rocky Mountain National Park for elopement ceremony in Colorado.

Bride and Groom stand holding hands standing amongst rocks with family surrounding them during their intimate elopement ceremony. In the background is Rocky Mountain National park in Colorado.

Groom looks emotional as he holds bride's hands with the Rocky Mountains in the background during elopement ceremony in Colorado.

Groom puts wedding band on the bride during elopement ceremony with Rocky Mountains in the background.

Bride and groom hug after the completion of their elopement ceremony with faded Rocky Mountains in the background.

Bride and groom raise their arms in celebration after the completion of their elopement ceremony with the faded Rocky Mountains in the backdrop.

Groom uses bride's back to sign their marriage certificate with the Rocky Mountains in the background.

Bride and officiant lift up a baby and help the baby sign the Marriage Certificate as they use the Groom's back as a surface.

Bride and groom pose for elopement portraits with the Rocky Mountains and beautiful trees in the background.

Bride and groom pose looking towards each other elopement portraits with the Rocky Mountains and beautiful trees in the background.

Women of the bride's family holds up her skirt and and helps her create her bustle for elopement portraits hiking through Rocky Mountain National Park.

Portraits at Dream Lake and a Night of Dancing

This is where the elopement bit of Morgan and Anthony’s day at Rocky Mountain National Park really shines through! The three of us headed out on our own for a hike up to Dream Lake for some newlywed portraits in one of my favorite spots in RMNP. Surrounding us throughout the adventure were the most beautiful fall colors, which brought the experience to a whole new level! Morgan and Anthony’s portraits at Dream Lake are some of my favorites, not only because it’s such a spectacular location, but because it was a time for these two to just enjoy the moment together! One of the main draws of an elopement is how much time you and your partner are able to spend with one another, and I’m just SO in love with how these two incorporated that into their day!

Bride and groom walk hand and hand with hiking backpacks on a trail leading them through Rocky Mountain National Park.

Bride with a hiking backpack with bouquet coming out of the side pocket walks with Groom with hiking backpack as they walk through trails surrounded by trees in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Bride and groom hold hands as they hike through Rocky Mountain National Park with Pine trees surrounding them.

Bride and Groom turn and look at each other mid hike through Rocky Mountain National Park surrounded by golden autumn leaves.

View of bride and groom's hiking boots standing in gravel.

Scenic photo of Rocky Mountain National Park.

Bride poses on a cliff overlooking a creek with the Rocky Mountains in the background.

Bride and groom kiss on a cliffside with hiking backpacks overlooking Rocky Mountain National Park. They are surrounded by golden trees.

The last event of the day was an intimate reception with their loved ones back at their Vrbo. Delaying our return trip was a gang of elk, though we still made it back with plenty of time for Morgan and Anthony to enjoy a night of delicious food, first dances, and some emotional toasts from their guests! Their celebration in Rocky Mountain National Park was really the best combination of an elopement and a wedding, and I seriously cannot get enough of it!!

Beautiful table setting for autumn elopemreception. On a wooden table sits Gold chargers, white plates and light blue napkins. In the center of the table is colorful autumn flower bouquets in vases and pink candles in mismatched glass candle holders.

Bride and groom dance on lit balcony as guests cheer around them during elopement reception.

Bride and groom share a kiss during the first dance on a balcony at night during elopement reception.

Father of the bride dances with bride on lit balcony at night during elopement reception.

Father of the bride hugs bride on lit balcony at night during elopement reception.

Mother of the groom and the groom dance on an outdoor balcony at night during elopement reception.

Bride holds and dances with a baby during elopement reception.

Bride and groom raise their colored glasses to a toast with tears in their eyes as they sit at a table covered in florals and candles.

If you’re wanting to plan an elopement in RMNP be sure to check out my planning guide, and if you’re looking for other places in Colorado to elope check out this article on some of my favorites! Finally, if you’re looking to book me to document your wedding or elopement you can head to my contact page to send me an inquiry!!