After 7 years together, building a relationship across the states and amongst the chaos of the medical lifestyle… these two said I do among the wild, Big Horn Mountains for their Mountain Elopement in Sheridan, Wyoming. We settled on a location that was easily accessible and absolutely breathtaking. Their elopement location had gorgeous views and ample space for us to be completely alone. The solitude created an idyllic late spring elopement where the backdrop was a mountain that was still mostly covered in snow.
Together, Lauren & Justin headed up the mountain with their officiant, Spencer. A few friends followed along behind us to help ring in their big day as well! Their friends also acted as the witnesses, so that everything could be made official, there and then! But – to kick this blog post off – We should rewind and address the hilarity of this COVID elopement!
Navigating Getting Married During COVID
After COVID hit, Lauren came to me asking about an elopement. Her and Justin were a bit more non-traditional and hadn’t really planned on getting married. And when the pandemic set in, they really started to rethink how they wanted to celebrate their enduring love.
At first my question was: Could they even get a marriage license during this time? And how were we going to create the most intimate, stress-free wedding we could during the chaos of a pandemic? Luckily, the court house was open and, to our surprise, they only required ONE person present to get the license. That’s right folks, Lauren went to the courthouse with a friend and was able to get their license with zero Justin in sight.
Lauren wanted to try to stick to a lower budget and keep sustainability in mind for their wedding. As a couple who is passionate about our environment and being as sustainable as possible this was critical! Which was fabulous because we were limited in a small community with most businesses closed due to COVID.
Luckily, Lauren had a gorgeous, white, designer dress that she picked up a few years back from Nordstroms! She also found a unique set of earrings on Poshmark for a little pop of color. Justin already had a suit, so it was easy to create the wedding without COVID impacting the details.
Scouting the Elopement Location
Next was LOCATION… cue me in because I friggin’ LIVE for location scouting. I sent Lauren several options to choose from for their mountain elopement. Also, with the weather playing a huge part (spring snow storms suck, y’all), we had to keep in mind that it could be wet/muddy.
Lauren and Justin settled on a great location off one of our main mountain roads. They really wanted to incorporate their love of the outdoors – after all, it’s one of the reasons they moved to the Big Horns – so, this location was a no brainer. Since the weather is unpredictable, and Lauren wanted a warmer day, we planned their mountain elopement in the beautiful Sheridan, Wyoming in May. We decided on an earlier time of day, just when the mountains were waking up and starting to get a little color.
Adding Special Touches with a Unique Floral Bouquet
Because we were planning this all last minute and had to change dates a few times due to weather, it was difficult to order a floral bouquet. I adore flowers (oh, guess what…I offer elopement florals to help make your day as fun and stress free as possible) and my amazing friend Myca over at Whirly Girl was doing weekly, curbside flower pickups, so as soon as we settled in on the big day, I sent her Myca’s weekly flower selection. We both went and picked up some of the tulips she had available and then I cut fresh greens out of my yard.
Because Lauren grew up in Florida & Puerto Rico and still has family there, I loved the idea of incorporating a palm leaf to bring in a little detail with a whole lot of meaning. In the end, we created her bouquet by pairing some of the florals from Myca with the greens and ribbons I brought.
A Perfect Mountainside Ceremony
The ceremony was simple, charming, and intimate. We walked up to the spot – and then the emotions hit. There is no way to fully prepare for the love and respect couples have for one another till they are in the moment. Every couple is so unique and this intimate elopement was just as emotional and intricate as a big wedding… maybe even a little more…
When the moment settled in, Spencer began the ceremony, the Wyoming wind helped to dry the tears as Lauren and Justin started their first moment as husband and wife. Just as the two kissed, our small group erupted into cheers along with a small group of folk down below us who had stopped to watch the ceremony take place. We all erupted into shouts of joy and laughed as strangers and friends cheered the two on. After the ceremony, hugs, kisses, and well wishes were expressed before we took our adventure a little further up the mountain for some sunset photos with mountain views.
Even in elopements, I still treasure getting to have alone time with the couple. It’s so special getting to capture them at the beginning of their newest adventure together.
