by Andrea Stark | Elopement
Sara Sunshine (yes that’s her real last name) and Kevin were married while on a bike ride around Dillon Lake. They currently live in Brooklyn, NY, but are working remotely now due to COVID and decided to see some gorgeous places while they had the freedom to do so. In Colorado you can have a self-solemnization wedding ceremony so they pulled off the rec path, found a beautiful spot, said their vows, and made it official!
I met up with them at Sapphire Point for their newlywed session a few days later to capture some beautiful portraits of them together for them to remember this amazingly special time in the mountains.
by Andrea Stark | Elopement, Weddings
I am so excited to announce a collaboration with Petal and Bean and an all-star creative team to bring you an intimate, all-inclusive wedding package!
Take advantage of this amazing intimate wedding experience at the Lodge at Breckenridge this month. Petal and Bean, Officiant Phil Gallagher, The Cake Maker and myself as the exclusive photographer are collectively coordinating this special event. Let me capture this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have an all-inclusive and stress-free intimate wedding.
Choose Your Wedding Date and Time
July 19 and July 24, 2020
11 AM, 2 PM, and 5 PM
What You Get in Your All-Inclusive Package
You will arrive to stunning ceremony florals with your own personals created by Petal and Bean. Your all-inclusive wedding package will feature perfectly curated details for your small celebration courtesy of the floral and coordination team from Petal and Bean.
Say your vows in front of your closest loved ones from the Lodge’s panoramic wedding deck. Celebrate with champagne and toast to your love! Enjoy a beautiful 2-tier white cake, with vanilla frosting and chocolate ganache filling. They even take care of all the serviceware including the cake stand and cake server. You don’t have to worry about a thing!
Then, head out for a private portrait session with me. I’ll take you to Breckenridge’s most jaw-dropping mountain backdrops. You get a total of 2.5 hours with me. That’s the perfect amount of time for a first look, full coverage of the ceremony, family and group portraits, first dance and cake cutting, and newlywed portraits nearby.
This is an incredible opportunity for anyone still wanting to get married this summer in the mountains. This team is phenomenal, and every last detail has been taken care of. You’re in the best hands with these vendors!
How to book your ultimate, intimate wedding package
To book or find out more, please reach out to kayle@petalandbean.com. This package can be booked through Petal and Bean but make sure that the time slot you want is still available before booking! There’s only 6 spots available and booked on a first come basis.
by Andrea Stark | Elopement
We found out recently that Sapphire Point has closed as a Small Wedding Venue until 2021 due to the pandemic. It was one of the best elopement locations in Colorado. Now we will have to explore other options. Thankfully, there are several around Summit County and Colorado.
Benefits to Eloping
- When you elope, your own relationship and experience becomes the primary focus.
- Eloping in the mountains can really give you epic jaw-dropping backdrops in some of the most beautiful spots in the country.
- It can be almost anywhere you want. Some are even free and don’t require a permit or reservations.
- This place will become your spot, the place where you two sealed the deal and had one of those pic mountain top moments. Hopefully, actually on top of a mountain 🙂
Elopement Locations in Colorado
There are a ton of location options for eloping! I know it can be daunting trying to figure out the best spot when you don’t live here. I’ve helped my couples for years choose a location that is perfect for them and accessible for their older family members. I gave them even the nitty gritty details like when the sun goes down in that exact spot for the dreamiest golden hour lighting.
In June 2020, I received an email from a couple very quickly after they received the cancellation of their wedding ceremony reservation at Sapphire Point. We’ve all gone through so much change and uncertainty that the closing of Sapphire Point until 2021 felt like another low blow to couples who just want to get married.
I quickly put together a resource for any couple looking to get married in my area. I’m happy to share my elopement location guide to help my 2020 and 2021 couples see all of the options for locations in Breckenridge, Keystone, Vail, and Beaver Creek. Some of these locations don’t even require a reservation. Some are completely free to have your small ceremony.
This guide would be helpful even if you weren’t looking to get married at Sapphire Point. It offers great ideas for elopement locations around the county
Download My Elopement Location Guide
Most of my couples didn’t know how many places existed or were even an option here! I’m keeping this guide updated in real-time, so be sure to bookmark it if you are still making plans.
To download my Elopement Location Guide click here.
Once you book with me, I get so excited to share my favorite wedding vendors and accommodations in the area with you! If you’re considering having a small, intimate wedding or eloping in the Colorado Mountains, please let me help you!
by Andrea Stark | Elopement
It’s always nice to have a checklist when planning anything, especially something you may do only once in your life, like an elopement!
I totally understand how hard it can be to plan a wedding from afar. Regardless of how big or small your wedding day is, this is one day that everyone needs a little help to make it all come together.
Wedding Planning Checklist For Elopement
I’ve put together this simple checklist to help you keep track of the big and small details. You can download a PDF version here.
Relax and Do Something Fun
I’ve got a long list of activities to do in the mountains. Depending on what area you’re planning on eloping in, check out my local activity guides and get started making those plans to do something really fun:
Want my Free Mountain Elopement Guide?
This download is FULL of more planning tips, lists of vendors, places to visit that you don’t want to miss, best locations to consider for Eloping, planning for photos, and more! I created it to be a treasure of information for you to best prepare for this day.
Download the Guide Now
by Andrea Stark | Elopement
You can’t predict the future, but you can create a plan. I don’t know about you, but I did not see this pandemic coming. Even when first reports were coming out of China about this virus, I am embarrassed to say I had the NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard) mentality. I wish I could go back in time and prepare a little better for myself, my family and business. We haven’t invented that time machine yet, so I just try daily to stay optimistic and think about ways I can transition and set different goals. Perhaps it’s the perfect time to ask, what if this was an opportunity to do something better?
I believe we are about to see a huge shift in 100+ guest lists to no more than 50 for intimate weddings. If you take a page out of Google’s book, they’ve cancelled all large, in-person events through 2021. Facebook and Microsoft have even joined suit in rescheduling large events into later next year. Taylor Swift is even postponing her tour 🙁 When all of this first started in Breckenridge, social distancing was recommended and groups of 50 or less people were still allowed to gather.
Having a destination wedding already lends itself well to having a smaller guest list. You can all stay together at the same hotel and better yet if your venue is at the same location to keep transportation super easy. I can think of so many benefits to having an intimate wedding. Here are just a few ideas below:
What are some of the benefits of having a small, intimate wedding?
- small sit down dinners with the opportunity to personalize the menu for your guests
- budget has the potential to be less because of guest count
- you can invest in other areas of the budget like videography, albums, upgrading to premium liquor, upgrading menu, or your honeymoon.
- your wedding can be eco-friendly, and you have more opportunities to use sustainable options in your wedding.
- More options for where you get married! Less people means more opportunities for locations. If you’ve always wanted to get married with an epic mountain backdrop, it’s a lot easier to get less guests to that location than more.
Budgetary items that are affected by guest count are stationary, cake, catering, linens and chairs, bar service, and transportation. You can save some serious money by having a smaller guest count and focusing on creating a more intimate experience for your friends and family. I envision lots of farm style long tables with luscious centerpieces and delicious plates of food in the future. It makes me happy thinking about it!
DJ and Dancing?
Also, in this new season of a pandemic virus, I don’t know that a band or DJ is necessary if dancing is not allowed. For you, that means that you don’t need as many hours of photography. You don’t need a dance floor, band, or DJ. Think about how intimate a wedding dinner can be if you just enjoy the people around you and the toasts toward you and your new spouse as a couple.
My Own Intimate Wedding Experience
A little insight to my own wedding. I only had 20 people, no dancing, and it was STILL the best day of my life. I know first hand how a small, intimate wedding can be a great decision for your wedding day. If you want a little peak into my own personal wedding, take a look here.
I have created custom wedding packages just for small, intimate weddings of 50 or less guests. My services include ceremony and portrait only coverage, ceremony and reception, and all-day wedding coverage starting at $1800. It still includes a personalized online gallery, digital downloads, and options to include a second professional photographer and custom heirloom albums. If you’re thinking about having a small, intimate wedding, send me a note here to get information about my small weddings packages.
My small, intimate wedding packages are perfect for weddings under 50 guests! I personally believe that this is going to be the immediate future of weddings and is inviting between 20-40 guests to keep the total count under 50. Remember, your vendors count as a part of your guest count if the government has restrictions for how many people can gather.
Need help navigating through this time and don’t have a planner?
You might not know this about me, but one of my other hats I wear is I’m a luxury wedding planner and stationery creator. I know, I’m a busy lady. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m very blessed to be in multiple specialties of this industry. The images in this post are from the last wedding I did before all this COVID-19 stuff starting happening. I assisted Emily Campbell with Go Bella Design and Planning with this wedding at Devil’s Thumb Ranch and the beautiful florals are from Bloom Flower Shop.
If you are engaged and don’t know where to start with your wedding planning in this season of life, please reach out to me. Let me support you through this! I love sharing ideas with couples. During quarantine I’ve taken lots of webinars and online workshops that have given me a new perspective on weddings going into the future. I’m excited to shift what we’ve always known about weddings and starting to transition to be prepared for the future.
Planning and Design: Go Bella Planning and Design
Florals: Bloom Flower Shop
Venue: Devil’s Thumb Ranch
Decor: Colorado Party Rentals
Portraits: My personal clients in Breckenridge, Colorado from Houston, TX
I'm a photographer and storyteller. Have a look around and let me know if I can help tell your story.