Dream Lake Sunrise Elopement
How to Elope in Rocky Mountain National Park
Eloping in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) is a pretty straightforward process: you have to apply for a ceremony permit. Permits become available one year in advance during your desired wedding month. RMNP only accepts a certain number of permits per month, so as soon as you know you want to get married here, be sure to apply for the permit. If you want to get married in RMNP, you must have your ceremony at one of their 12 approved ceremony sites. You are allowed to take portraits anywhere else inside the park before or after your ceremony. Your ceremony permit also serves as your entrance pass for your car, your photographer’s car, and your officiant’s car – if you choose to have one.
More ceremony information: https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/weddings.htm
Molly + Louie’s Sunrise Hiking Elopement
Molly + Louie started their elopement day getting ready at 2am. Thankfully, they were staying nearby in Estes Park, so they didn’t have to travel very far! We met at the welcome center at 4am and drove to the Dream Lake trailhead. I always prefer to meet where we have cell service and drive in together. With us arriving this early, we didn’t need a timed entry pass. At the trailhead, we packed our bags, donned our headlamps and started on the trail. The Dream Lake trail isn’t very difficult, but there is a steady incline for the entire mile. We stopped for a few “shed the layers” and water breaks. By the time we got to Dream Lake, it was still fairly dark outside.
We waited a few minutes before Molly and Louie decided to put on their wedding attire. I was selfishly hoping for a stellar alpenglow on the range for their first look, but there was a layer of low clouds obstructing the sunrise. When we all couldn’t wait any longer, Molly + Louie had their first look and then BAM, not even 5 minutes later the alpenglow started. We had 5 minutes of glorious, glowy mountains, so we definitely took advantage of the glow with some portraits!
After some time on the overlook, Molly + Louie decided they wanted to explore the area a bit more. We walked to a little peninsula that jutted into the lake.
The wind started to pick up (Dream Lake is notoriously windy), so we headed down the mountain! We made a little pit stop at one of my favorite secret places with insane views. It does require some scrambling, but if Molly can do it in a wedding dress, so could you. As we made it back to the trailhead, we passed countless people wishing the newlyweds a heartfelt congratulations. This trail is very popular, so it’s likely you’ll be inundated with “congratulations” if you choose to do this hike on your elopement day.
Ceremony at Hidden Valley
Molly and Louie chose to have their elopement ceremony at Hidden Valley. Hidden Valley is situated on Trail Ridge Road. It was a fairly quiet area of the park, which was nice after passing so many people on the trail. I love when my couples can find a secluded area to say their vows. With none of us having been to this part of the park before, we explored quite a bit before finding the perfect spot for a ceremony! Eventually we crossed the stream and looked back down the hill towards where we came from. Those were ceremony-worthy views. Louie started the ceremony by reading a letter written by a family member. They quickly transitioned into their vows. I kept my distance, so I didn’t hear much of what they said (I really value giving my couples some privacy during their ceremony). But judging by the emotion in these photos, they said some really beautiful words to each other. :’)
Celebration
After their ceremony, Louie and Molly celebrated with carrot cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes – carrot cake is Louie’s favorite birthday cake, and his birthday happened to be the following day. What a fun celebratory week their anniversary will be in the coming years!
As a Colorado elopement photographer, I specialize in intimate and intentional wedding days. From suggestions during the planning process to documenting your elopement day, I’m here to help you create a unique wedding experience. If you love the idea of sharing an intimate and intentional elopement day with your partner, reach out and we’ll start the planning process. I would LOVE to help you dream up your perfect day!
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