Run Wild With Me Photography

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 🥹