This Silverthorne Colorado Elopement is one of those weddings I’ll probably be talking about for the rest of my career. Not just because it was beautiful, although it absolutely was. Not because it took place on a ranch tucked into the Colorado mountains where the couple lived and worked. Not even because Bigfoot made a surprise appearance during the wedding day.
I’ll remember this wedding because I photographed it while dealing with High Altitude Pulmonary Edema. The day before this wedding, I was sitting in an emergency room after coughing up blood on the drive back to Denver from an engagement session at Grand Lake. After a week of bouncing between airports, rental cars, and wedding venues, my body had finally decided it had enough.
The doctors told me not to photograph the wedding. I told them that wasn’t an option. I had never missed a wedding in my career, and I wasn’t willing to start then. Looking back, that entire week feels a little unbelievable. Within the span of a few days, I photographed four weddings across three different states. I traveled from Upstate New York to Colorado and then continued on to Utah afterward, driving all the way to Salt Lake City. It was one of the busiest stretches of my career and one that probably taught me a few lessons about rest and hydration.
Thankfully, I wasn’t alone. Mason Joel was there helping throughout the day, and Kaila from Klassey Productions was also part of the team. Having people I trusted beside me made a huge difference and allowed me to focus on documenting the wedding while trying not to think too much about the fact that my lungs were actively protesting my life choices.
The wedding itself was exactly what an intimate elopement should be. The couple chose to celebrate on the ranch where they lived and worked, making the day feel deeply personal from the very beginning. Instead of selecting a venue they barely knew, they exchanged vows in a place that was already part of their story. The mountains surrounded the property while the late summer light settled over the landscape. Family gathered close, and the entire day felt relaxed and intentional.
At one point, Bigfoot even made an appearance. Not many wedding galleries can say that.
As the sun disappeared behind the mountains, everyone gathered on the back porch for dinner. There wasn’t a packed reception ballroom or a crowded dance floor. It was simply the couple, two family members, Mason, and me sharing a meal together while the evening settled in around us. It felt less like a wedding reception and more like being welcomed into someone’s home.
Not the grand entrances or elaborate timelines. The quiet moments when everyone slows down and simply enjoys being together. This Silverthorne Colorado Elopement was a reminder that weddings don’t have to be large to be meaningful. Sometimes the most memorable celebrations happen in places that already feel like home, surrounded by the people who matter most.
Would I recommend photographing a wedding while recovering from High Altitude Pulmonary Edema? Absolutely not. Would I recommend having an intimate wedding on a Colorado ranch with mountain views, family, good food, and a surprise Bigfoot appearance? Without hesitation.
