Allie and Ryan’s Cold Plunge Telluride Adventure With Their Kids

Allie and Ryan decided to elope in Telluride, CO with their two kids. After adventuring together and exchanging vows, they took a cold plunge in the lake. Read about their elopement adventure below.

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About This Elopement in Telluride, CO

“Allie and Ryan love Telluride and the surrounding area, which led them to planning their Telluride elopement and cold plunge there! I met the four of them at their vacation rental to start with getting ready photos. After that we headed down from Mountain Village to take some pictures in downtown Telluride, capturing their favorite little town, and before heading into the mountains. The two exchanged vows up a gravel road surrounded by pine trees and silence; the tops of the trees glowed golden in the sunset light and the ground covered in a dusting of snow.

After their vows and rings were exchanged, we headed to a nearby lake for their unity ceremony and signing the papers. They had purchased the cutest unity ceremony item: an hourglass that each of the four of them poured a little bit of sand into! The four again signed the marriage certificate to make the day official, and the last activity of the day began as the sun set below the horizon. Allie and Ryan are big cold plunge people, and dreamed of doing a cold plunge in the alpine lake on their wedding day. Biting the bullet, the two walked hand-in-hand into the freezing water in their wedding attire, and the sunset provided the most magical backdrop possible!” [Amanda, the photographer]

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Permit and LNT For This Elopement

“The area is mostly private property, with the exception of this public shoreline, so be aware of boundaries and be sure to stay on public lands. No permit is required for the forest here, as long as you aren’t bringing in any arch or setups, and your gathering of people is small.

Make sure to pack out anything you bring in, and leave the space better than you found it! In the summer, don’t pick any wildflowers, and follow laws about what’s allowed on and in the lake.” [Amanda, the photographer]

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Top Tips When Eloping in the Telluride Area

“The Telluride area is incredibly popular, as you can imagine, so considering an off-season or weekday date is a huge factor in finding privacy if that’s your goal!

The busiest months for the mountain are July, September, and throughout the ski season. Be sure to also look up festival dates too, as those bring a large number of people to the area around those events and can limit availability of vendors or lodging.” [Amanda, the photographer]

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Deciding When to Elope in Telluride

“I would say not to overlook the off-season. November is a beautiful time of the year where the weather is still relatively nice, so you can stand being outside and travel isn’t too difficult, but the mountains have begun to get snow and are stunningly snow-capped for photos.” [Amanda, the photographer]

Memorable Moments During This Elopement

From the photographer:

“Their son loves chess, and catching him playing with his dad while the girls finished getting ready was so perfectly them. The connection between the girls getting ready as Allie’s friend did her hair while Allie put her daughter’s earrings in. The kids played in the snow as Allie and Ryan exchanged vows in the woods, running over to give them their rings. And the unity ceremony where each of them poured a vial of sand into the hourglass was a sweet moment to commemorate this unifying day.”

Taking The Plunge, LITERALLY

“The bravery of a cold plunge was surprisingly symbolic of the bravery of marriage. Diving into this lifelong adventure is not unlike diving into a freezing cold alpine lake. The rush of adrenaline is a lot like falling in love, and the support you need through both is what keeps a marriage strong. It’s exciting and scary and rewarding, and I loved the connection between the two!” [Amanda, the photographer]

Vendors

Photography |Amanda Matilda Photography 

Florist | Country Elegance Florist

Dress | Annelise Bridal 

Photos From This Colorado Elopement