Jessica and Derek’s Garden of the Gods Elopement in Colorado Springs was an adventure for the books! Jessica contacted me earlier this year via Instagram and asked if I travel for elopements. (The answer to that question is always yes!) Our consultation was two hours long, and I left worrying about if I revealed too much (I tend to do that when I get excited). Her and Derek had been together for years, and they were ready to make it official with 25 of their closest friends and family. The wedding day started out laid back while they got ready and did their first look in a nearby alley (because of course Colorado Springs alleyways are also gorgeous), and then we all headed to Garden of the Gods. The entire day was very free flowing, and as Texans, we thoroughly enjoyed the mild weather.

I say all that, but really, I was flying by the seat of my pants for part of it. I had 10 minutes to take their romantic portraits while a mountain thunderstorm rushed in. I also made a wrong turn, and we totally missed all of the locations we scouted the day before. But their adventurous spirit prevailed, and we STILL got amazing photos even if our plan didn’t work out quite the way we envisioned! Colorado is such a magical and enchanting state.

This might be a bit of an overshare, but I plan on writing more about what we’ve been going through on here later this month. This summer has been relentless with a lot of uncertainty/anxiety. Jessica and Derek’s wedding has been a light at the end of the tunnel for both of us. Even if Nick didn’t end up shooting with me, he was still able to come up to enjoy the beautiful Colorado climate and landscape, and we’re both very grateful for that. Shout-out to Alicia D’Elia for stepping in as my second shooter for this wedding! I look forward to more adventurous weddings and elopements in the future.