Run Wild With Me Photography

As for metaphors of metamorphosis, the transformation of the autumn leaves is a pretty good one. Mackenzie & Landon reached out to us more than a year before their elopement to allow time for change. Landon was recovering from a significant knee injury, and together, they were solidifying better habits heading into their marriage 🍂💕🦋

When that sweet autumn evening finally arrived, their elopement felt deeply transcendent, triumphant, and purely jubilant. Mackenzie & Landon are loved & supported by many - a love that could be felt with joy from the many letters they read throughout their day written to them from friends & family. Some told stories of fond memories past. Some offered advice on the complexities of marriage. And their laughter - oh their laughter! - rang through the alpine sky with each one 💌😊

Our mountain hike led us to multiple overlooks and alpine lakes - each stop along the way its own mini adventure. Perhaps the sweetest was their personal vow exchange at a staggering mountain lake with the water so still, it made two mountains! A quick game of rock, paper, scissors determined who went first 🪨📃✂️

As a cigar aficionado, Landon brought a couple sticks for them to enjoy while soaking in the soft glow of sunset. After taking it all in, we headed back to the trailhead. Once back at the start, they signed their marriage license in between two lanterns and beneath the moonlit sky 🌝🖊️

Mackenzie & Landon are an inspiration, and if you walk the path they took on their elopement day, you can still hear their laughter echoing above ♥️

🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️Happy Pride 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Because LOVE, like nature, is made more beautiful by DIVERSITY ❤️🧡💛💚🩵💙💜🩷

Not just this month, but all year long we celebrate the full spectrum of love. Closets are dark, and we as a whole need to celebrate those who have burst forth to encourage all others to shine their light of love in all its divine forms 🚪💥🌞

We’re honored to celebrate our friends and couples who identify as LGBTQIA+ 🌈 their stories of resilience, of choosing themselves & their love despite societal pressures, and of persevering bigotry to become someone even more beautiful and who may have never existed is the truest form of inspiration.

Want to know our number one piece of advice when eloping in the mountains?! 

⭐Plan to stay in the area you are eloping at least 3-5 full days. 

You can acclimate to the elevation, immerse yourself in the adventure of it all, and allow yourselves to fully disconnect from your normal routine. We suggest packing your elopement day with lots of adventure and taking the day after to simply relax (and certainly to not have to get on a plane). 

To get the most out of your experience, it’s important that you allow yourself to be completely present in all that you do (especially on the day of). It usually takes a day or two to fully let go of your usual obligations & habits so give yourself at least a couple of days before your elopement and a couple of days after. ☺️

You probably don’t want to be thinking about packing your bags and heading to the airport when you’re exchanging vows. So give yourself the time & space to absorb all of the adventure. ⏳ After all, you absolutely deserve it!

There’s something wildly beautiful about beginning your marriage during a hike together 🤍

A hiking elopement isn’t just about the view at the end — it’s about the journey to get there. The slow steps. The deep breaths. The dusty boots. The way Nature strips everything back until it’s just the two of you committing your lives to each other beneath the mountains ✨

If you’ve been dreaming of an intentional wedding experience that feels adventurous, meaningful, and deeply connected to Mother Earth…we just dropped our Complete Hiking Elopement Guide on the blog 🏔️

From essentials to pack, what to wear, how to hike in a dress, helpful tips, sample timelines, prime locations, & more — we packed YEARS of experience into this guide for couples dreaming of an romantically rugged adventure 🥾🌿

Head to the link in our bio to check out the blog! & Save this for your future adventure wedding planning 💍

Every autumn, the leaves around Crested Butte get bright & colorful like Skittles - only these candy trees are actually good for you 🍭🌲 Taking it all in feels like exploring a technicolor cartoon. It’s truly surreal how vibrant & vast this endless wallpaper of fluffy rainbows really is 🌈

So every opportunity to photograph a couple celebrating their forever love in this magical space is priceless. We actually altered our plans the day before the elopement to include time at one of the cutest little rental homes around. It was situated in a quaint mountain nook and backed right on up to a peaceful stream surrounded by a grove of various trees 🏡 ⛰️

We met Ali & Erik in the early afternoon as they finished getting ready. They had their first look near the stream and then enjoyed hanging out in a hammock as the autumn leaves fluttered about. At one point, a small leaf subtly landed in Ali’s hair. It was autumn perfection in the most simple of ways, and if you saw it, you might find your happy place right then and there. We all want to connect with Nature - remember that Nature also wants to connect with us 🍁

After a while, we headed to a high alpine lake where we found a clearing just up a hill on the north side of the water. After Zion changed into his tuxedo 🐾 it was time for Ali & Erik to exchange vows. Afterwards, they got on the water and canoed around the lake! 🛶

As the sun set, we found a pulloff on the dirt road to stop along the ridge. The clouds turned bright pink within the lavender sky. Next to the crimson, gold, and dark green leaves, it was seriously one of the wildest sunsets you can imagine! The colors of the sky are so ephemeral, and their fleeting appearance naturally inspires you to be present ⏳

To cap off the day, they set up a vibrant & colorful spread on a picnic table for blue hour, equipped with crystals, moody string lights, electric candles, and LOTS of yummy snacks! 🕯️🍓🍫

The feeling of eloping in the mountains ❄️🏔️

Colorado’s winter this year saw very little snowfall, though the 2 nights before M & M’s elopement, fresh powder arrived and added a very welcome layer of snow into Telluride! ❄️ We started the day walking on the surface of a frozen lake and stepping our way through the fresh white blanket on what felt like a bluebird day. Then we went up to a high alpine trail and meandered to an overlook in a small grove of pine trees 🌲

In unscripted fashion, M & M decided that this space and moment was the perfect time to exchange private vows 💌 A light breeze blew specks of snow from the trees and danced around the space. Somewhere near the base of the trail, families sledded down the freshly covered hills, children laughed, and all was at peace in these moments 🕊️

We eventually made our way back to that frozen lake and met up with guests for a ring exchange ceremony with a small group of guests 💍 The clouds parted during the ring ceremony, revealing the brightest and most beautiful patch of blue sky 🩵

Afterward, everyone celebrated at a nearby gazebo with champagne, cake, conversation, and hugs 🥰 Not too far from here, a few people swept snow off the frozen surface of the lake and put a net down to create a makeshift hockey rink 🏒

All day, there was so much joy in the air - so we decided to take to the skies and see what was going on there! We explored a bit of Telluride and went gondola hopping as the sun set on such an amazing day 🚠

Eloping in Nature is more than getting married with a pretty backdrop. When we are connected to Earth, we find ourselves more deeply connected to ourselves, each other, the world around us, and the Divine.

Mother Earth heals, renews, and inspires. She reminds us of our interconnectedness - that nothing in Nature exists alone. The Trees speak a language of giving. The Waters speak the language of reciprocity. The Creatures speak a language of creativity. Joy is what the Earth gives us daily, and we must return that gift.

Here’s to our Mama! 🌎🥂

It’s wild how much of a difference 5 years can make! 🌱

It feels like just yesterday we were meeting Rachelle and James in a coffee shop, dreaming up their wedding day. It all started as a bigger wedding back in 2019, as we photographed them for the first time while taking their engagement photos. Then the pandemic caused more than one change of plans, and before we knew it, we were hiking to an alpine lake for them to exchange their vows 🥾💍 Just them and Rachelle’s sister and her now husband.

It was such a bright spot amongst a darker time 🕯️🖤 I remember feeling that day so deeply aligned with purpose, inspiration, and love as I watched through my lens, James shedding tears as he read. My heart nearly jumping out of my chest as the sun burst through the clouds while they shared their first kiss as husband & wife.

Their images have become what we think of as cornerstone to our Run Wild brand. We visit them often for posts or inspiration. And beyond that…

Five years later, we met back along the same trail - this time with their little in tow 🐣. R+J gazed upon the landscape and said to their son: “that’s the mountain daddy cried on.”

You see, that day, it lives beyond just their elopement. It’s part of the greater story they’re always living - the story they tell their child as a way to show him that he is born of love, he is love, and he is a part of creating love.

As a photographer, hearing the story of how they shared the photos that we took with their little one is a humbling experience; that through our lens, their next of kin and future generation can see into the past and visualize something so sacred ✨

And with a bun in the oven, we got to be another snapshot within telling more of their story as we adventured amongst the mountains - this time, seeing the world through the eyes of their child 🥹