Emily and zach’s crested butte wildflower elopement with dogs

Emily and Zach knew they wanted to elope in Colorado among Crested Butte’s legendary wildflowers (seriously, have you seen the wildflowers there?!) with their two German Shepherds, Sable and Violet. They also knew they wanted to bring a few of their friends along for the adventure. So in mid-July, during the peak of CB’s wildflower season, they piled into a car and made the long drive out from Kentucky to Colorado, ready for the elopement adventure of their dreams.

How I helped plan their crested butte wildflower elopement

These two are incredibly laid-back and trusted me completely to put together their perfect day – which was so much fun. I suggested vendors and locations for them and came up with a loose timeline to make sure their day went smoothly (without feeling at all stressful). Crested Butte is one of my favorite places, especially during wildflower season, so I had a long list of locations in mind and we decided to roll with the punches and see where the wildflowers were popping the week of their elopement.

The day before their elopement I explored the area, trying to figure out the places where the flowers were best (and making sure there were places we could hang out without humans or dogs accidentally trampling wildflowers) and came up with the more precise plan for the day. Not everyone can roll with the punches like this but Emily and Zach were up for anything!

their elopement day

The afternoon of their elopement I met them, their pups, and their friends at the AirBnB they were all renting in town. Taylor Swift was on the radio (of course! Emily and I spent MONTHS before their elopement bonding over our love of Taylor and even accidentally wore the same outfits to the Eras Tour!) and the vibe was perfect.

Once everyone was ready, we headed out!

We headed deep into the mountains and stopped at a little pull off next to a creek where they did their first look. From there we headed to a TINY coffee shop I had visited the day before where the barista made them beautiful drinks and even let us stay beyond closing time so they could hang out (thanks Finnegan!), drink their coffee, and take pictures. Having this itty bitty rustic coffee shop in the middle of the mountains (way beyond cell service) felt really special.

After that we headed further up the road headed for wildflowers, big views, and the perfect spot for their ceremony. We ended up at a beautiful lake where they said their vows among the wildflowers, with their dogs and friends as their witnesses. We spent the rest of the evening hanging out at the lake, throwing sticks for the dogs, and just enjoying the perfect summer vibes.

And y’all? It was perfect.

Here are some photos from Emily and Zach’s Crested Butte wildflower elopement. Enjoy!