Winter Hiking Elopement | Rachel and Stephanie

Mayflower Gulch winter hiking elopement two brides in navy blue wedding dresses

We met up with Rachel and Stephanie and their wedding crew at the Mayflower Gulch trailhead in the early afternoon of mid-April.

Rachel and Stephanie hail from Texas, but were super excited to embrace the outdoors of Colorado for their winter hiking elopement.

Their crew were dressed in various shades of magenta and maroons and pinks to compliment the bride’s two navy blue dresses. The colors of everyone’s attire was the perfect pop against the white of the snow on the trail and the evergreen trees.

We slowly hiked the trail up to the cabin site at Mayflower Gulch, stopping to catch our breath and take some photos along the way. We waved to skiiers and snow boarders and petted some hiking dogs along the trail too.

Though the crew spread out on the hike, we all made it to the cabins just as some flurries were starting to roll in.

We chose a spot with the majestic mountains in the background, and everyone dropped their coats for Rachel and Steph to walk down the aisle between the semi-circle of their friends and cousins.

They exchanged vows and diamond earrings instead of rings, and then shared their first kiss as wife and wife.

They celebrated with photos, a round of beers and toasts with their friends, and some time for everyone to take in the beauty of their surroundings. There was no shortage of “this is incredible’ sentiments, even as people were bundled in coats to stay warm.

The sun eventually started to peak out and we got a little extra warmth and some blue skies for the last 30 minutes of our time in the valley. Then we all headed back down the trail to the waiting cars.

Rachel and Steph had burritos and green chili waiting for them at their airbnb and were prepared to soak in the hot tub with their friends to complete the celebration of their marriage in Colorado.