Madelyn & Sterling’s Hoosier Pass Elopement With Family

Madelyn and Sterling decided to plan an intimate wedding ceremony with their two immediate families along Hoosier Pass in Colorado. Instead of a lavish wedding day filled with bells and whistles, these two only shared intimate vows, toasts, and hugs with their loved ones on their special day. Get all the details below.

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About This Elopement

Photography by Ayla Rae Elopements

“This was a sunrise elopement in August. Madelyn and Sterling were originally planning to elope by themselves, but had a change of heart last minute and flew their parents and sisters out to join them. The two families are originally from the Knoxville, TN, area! They got ready at their Airbnb down the road at 3:30, then we drove to the trailhead and hiked the one mile up to their ceremony site (a backpacker’s campsite perfectly situated on the pass). We crested the pass right as the sun was beginning to rise. Their moms did a reading for their ceremony, then they exchanged vows. Afterward, we did a few bourbon and champagne toasts and some family photos. The families headed down first, while Madelyn, Sterling, and I took our time for a few more couples photos.

Madelyn and Sterling are from outside Knoxville, TN, and both went to UT. They are high school sweethearts and their families were close, which made their micro wedding all the sweeter to photograph. Madelyn and Sterling are quite introverted and reserved people, so privacy and quiet were a priority for their ceremony! Even being from out of town, they kicked my butt on the incline up to the ceremony site. They weren’t even out of breath!

Madelyn’s dress was stunning to photograph, and I loved the blue in their wedding flowers. Even the sunrise and alpenglow was gorgeous. Truly, it was one of those lovely August mornings where everything feels a little bit more magical.” [Ayla, the photographer]

Planning Your Elopement at Hoosier Pass

“Hoosier Pass is a public ceremony site. There is no Special Use permit required for parties under 10 people, vendors included. You can elope anywhere along the pass so long as you honor Leave No Trace!

Because the pass is a on a trail system a few miles long, there are so many spots to choose from. The spots where the views truly open up are about a mile from the trailhead, and you can choose to continue along the trail, or fork up to a separate trail. I found a backpacker’s campsite with beautiful views of the valley that was perfect. There’s a fair amount of elevation gain in that first mile, and we’re already at 12k feet. If you or any of your guests are sensitive to altitude, this may not be the best option! Half the folks from this wedding hiked up in their wedding clothes, and the other half changed at the top (I bring a portable changing tent for this reason). I also recommend a weekday or sunrise elopement since the trailhead fills up quickly.” [Ayla, the photographer]

Deciding to Elope

“We initially began planning for a traditional wedding, but nothing felt quite right. We always knew that we wanted to do something more intimate and unique for our wedding day. After seeing pictures and reading experiences from so many other couples who made the decision to elope, it all clicked. We knew that we wanted to visit Colorado for our honeymoon anyway, so we decided why not get married there as well? We loved the idea of combining our wedding day and honeymoon into one extended experience.

Living out of state, we weren’t going to have the opportunity to visit any of these locations prior to our wedding day. We would have normally been a little apprehensive about this, but Ayla was the biggest help during this search. She had so many great suggestions from prior experiences, it was tough for us to choose just one. We ultimately fell in love with Hoosier Pass on the Continental Divide. We felt like this location had it all – stunning mountain views and evergreen trees overlooking a nearby reservoir. Paired with a manageable hike and being close to a city, it was the perfect choice for us. Once we selected this location, Ayla went out and scouted for our exact ceremony spot. She took pictures and videos and helped us select the best one.” [The couple]

Check out these reasons to elope.

Planning Process

“The process started with finding our photographer. Once we did that, Ayla was our go to for the initial planning process. Her location suggestions and expertise helped set us on the right path. We wanted to get married at sunrise, so the planning and logistics were going to be very important to make sure we timed it correctly. She helped us create a timeline for that morning to keep us all on track. We were also lucky enough to find a house to rent within five minutes of the trailhead. The florist in Breckenridge was so helpful and allowed us to pick up flowers late in the evening the night before and gave us tips for how to keep everything fresh until the morning.” [The couple]

Memorable Moments From This Elopement

From the photographer:

“Both moms said a few words before their ceremony, and by the time Madelyn and Sterling finished their vows, almost everyone, including me, was in tears. It was such a heartfelt, happy ceremony, and then joy and laughter rang out with the champagne and bourbon toasts after.”

From the couple:

“Getting to witness and be a part of the sunrise was one of the most memorable things for us. The hike up together in the dark and dawn was so still and peaceful. Watching the sun slowly rise up over the peaks as we exchanged vows, it felt like we had the mountain all to ourselves. The walk back down the trail, married and in our wedding attire, felt even more special in the early morning light.”

Final Words of Advice

From the photographer:

“It’s tough to get up early for a sunrise elopement, even if you’re a morning person. And there’s a good chance that the wedding night butterflies and the 3:00am wakeup call mean you won’t sleep much at all. But I cannot emphasize enough how much I love a sunrise elopement. The air is cleaner, and it feels as if you have the whole world to yourselves. After your wedding, you can go out to breakfast to celebrate, and then back to the AirBnB and take a well deserved ‘Just Married’ nap!”

From the couple:

“Don’t be afraid to do what makes you happy or change your plans. We are so glad that we made the decision to have a destination elopement. It felt like a more authentic representation of our relationship and we found that it was the perfect mix of nature, family, and adventure.”

Vendors

Photography | Ayla Rae Elopements

Florals | Woodland Breck

Photos From This Elopement