Nathan & Gavin’s Rainy Elopement at Lily Lake

Nathan and Gavin planned an intimate elopement ceremony overlooking gorgeous Lily Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. Even through the rain, these two had an unforgettable time together exploring and exchanging vows. Get all the details below.

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About This Elopement

Photography by Ayla Rae Elopements

“Nathan and Gavin are from Tulsa, Oklahoma. Nathan used to spend summers in Colorado with his family and grew up visiting Lily Lake. It’s an extremely sentimental place for him, so they decided to have their elopement ceremony there!

Like most of my couples, Nathan and Gavin scrapped the idea of a bigger wedding with their full families in favor of a Colorado elopement. Originally, they’d planned to elope with their families but decided to keep it between the two of them. Lily Lake in the summer can be crowded, even on a weekday. We got lucky with a last minute thunderstorm that cleared out 90% of folks! We basically had the lake to ourselves, and took our time exploring the full trail.

I loved that they were able to create a wedding experience exclusively for the two of them, and still feel celebrated by family as well! Having their family celebration and civil ceremony prior to the elopement invited a sense of calm, as they’d already had their party and now were focused on honoring the two of them alone.” [Ayla, the photographer]

Planning Your Elopement at Lily Lake

“Lily Lake is a part of Rocky Mountain National Park, so couples must apply for a ceremony permit ($300) and hold their ceremony only at designated locations within the park. The park releases permits one year in advance, and they sell out quickly for summer and fall dates!

Lily Lake is a public ceremony site and a popular spot for kayaking and hiking. If privacy is a priority, it may not be the best spot! A weekday wedding is a must for that reason, and a sunrise ceremony is even better. If you don’t mind having folks around the lake, it is truly so lovely, extraordinarily accessible, and pretty year round.” [Ayla, the photographer]

Explore more places to elope in Colorado.

Details We’re Loving

“My favorite detail from their wedding was that they wore almost identical outfits. Similar suits, the same shoes, the same wedding rings, and almost the same ties! They discovered during a couple of photos that the two ties were actually a shade apart. But I thought it was so sweet that they chose to match in almost every other way!” [Ayla, the photographer]

Memorable Moments From This Elopement

From the photographer:

“Summer thunderstorms in Colorado are no joke, especially at altitude. I was watching the sky and the radar the whole afternoon, but the storm went around us. We got epic lightning in the distance with only a few sprinkles on us, and the crowd around the lake cleared out big time. Nothing two cute clear umbrellas won’t fix!”

Film From This Elopement

Photos From This Elopement