Mayflower Gulch Fall Elopement
I first have to start out by saying Amber and Dani are such a treat. I’ve never met two more beautiful, kind humans in this job. I hope nobody takes offense to that, but I don’t think anybody could ever hate them.
Dani found me on twitter. Weird, right?! My twitter was an outlet of personal thoughts and releasing frustrations. Never did I expect to book a client there. But somehow, Dani found me. I’m thankful for that! I’ve since deleted my twitter, so don’t go lookin’. 😉
Amber and Dani’s day started with a beautiful scenic fall drive into the mountains. We had gotten an early seasonal snow that weekend – the first weekend of October – and the aspens were still in their prime fall color. I remember descending from the Eisenhower tunnel into a cloud. When I emerged on the other side, the yellow aspen groves speckled the landscape in the most brilliant way.
Our plan was to meet in Vail. Amber and Dani had their hearts set on eloping in the White River National Forest near Piney Lake. We met in town, hoping to just take one car to the lake. As we were driving down the road, we hit a “closed” barrier. Even though Amber called two weeks prior to ensure the seasonal road would still be open, we couldn’t get past the barrier due to construction. That put a small damper on things, but Amber and Dani were so flexible and easy going.
Amber specifically told me that this sort of thing happens to them quite often, so they really know how to roll with the punches. Back to the drawing board – in the middle of the forest with no service. Where could we go??
I threw out a few locations near where they were staying in Breckenridge. They had really hoped for a water source but didn’t want something overdone like Lake Dillon. Ultimately, they ended up choosing Mayflower Gulch, which really surprised me, given the only water nearby was a stream.
This decision ended up working out perfectly. As we arrived, we saw the mountain range was dusted with snow, but the ground was totally dry. We hopped out of the car, and Dani grabbed her custom bridal hat, fringe jacket and bouquet – all of which I was obsessed with. We hiked a little ways and found a beautiful spot beneath the range for Amber and Dani to say their vows. Though I didn’t hear most of the words they spoke to each other, I could tell they were so sweet and meaningful by the reactions each was giving the other. They laughed, they cried, they laughed some more. It was truly a moment of “I’m marrying my best friend.”
Amber and Dani exchanged custom rings made by their favorite jeweler and shared their first kiss just as the sun peeked through the clouds. What a joyous day!
We explored the area a bit, visiting the stream and hiking up to the forested area. The higher we hiked, the more snow we had to trudge through. But being from North Carolina, Amber and Dani loved that there was a little snow on their wedding day. Amber and Dani are huge outdoorsy people and they wanted their elopement to reflect that. In fact, they both changed their last name to Woods. I loved that they wanted to start their own traditions instead of conforming to the patriarchal norms of our culture.
Amber and Dani rounded out their wedding day with some good, old-fashioned BBQ in Breckenridge. If you love whiskey and BBQ, I’d highly recommend Whiskey Star!
As a Colorado elopement photographer, I specialize in intimate and intentional wedding days like this. 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 wedding day with your partner, reach out and we’ll start the planning process. I would LOVE to help you dream up your beautiful day!
