maura + Brad’s colorado national monument elopement

When most people think of eloping in Colorado they think of mountains but the truth is that Colorado’s deserts are equally beautiful. If you’re thinking “Wait, hold up! Colorado has deserts????” you’re in good company! Remember, Colorado shares a border with Utah who is known for their deserts and we’ve got our share of them too!

Why they decided to elope in the Colorado National Monument

When Maura and Brad first reached out, they had some idea of what they wanted for their elopement but they needed some guidance. Since Maura is a teacher, they knew they wanted to elope during her spring break – which meant a March elopement. They also knew they wanted their dog, Max, to “sign” their marriage license with his paw print – which meant eloping in Colorado (one of the few states that allows this!)

We talked about the weather in the mountains in March and how a March elopement in Colorado could mean significant snow. I mentioned to them how our deserts are often PERFECT at that time of year and showed them photos of the Colorado National Monument and that was all they needed! They got their wedding permit and the planning began!

How I helped plan their colorado national monument elopement

Once they had picked a general location, it was time to design their day! They knew they wanted their dog Max to join in on the adventure, so the first spot was finding a location inside the park where Max was allowed. Fortunately, the Colorado National Monument has a few dog-friendly ceremony sites so we were in luck!

Knowing that they wanted a suuuuuper laid-back day, I was sure to not cram too much into their elopement. I wanted to make sure that they had time to chill and enjoy each other and those beautiful views – and it worked out perfectly!

their elopement day

Their elopement day began long before I met up with them! They made the long drive from Indiana to Grand Junction, Colorado stopping in Kansas for a night along the way – where they wrote their vows in the tiny house AirBnB they were staying at!

On the day of their elopement I met up with Maura at the salon where she was having her hair and makeup done and then we headed to their beautiful AirBnB where they got ready together – with Brad helping button her into her dress and getting Max’s collar (which held their wedding rings) ready for it’s big moment.

They had their ceremony at a dog-friendly picnic area inside the Colorado National Monument with absolutely NO ONE else around. After they said their vows they took their rings out of Max’s collar pouch, had their first kiss as husband and wife, and celebrated with whiskey. It was perfect.

We spent the rest of the evening enjoying the beautiful desert scenery and perfect weather (and solitude – the only people we saw the entire day were a couple friendly rangers) and they drank beers on a cliffside while watching the sunset. Once it got dark. we headed to my favorite pizza place in all of Colorado, the Hot Tomato in Fruita, for beers and pizza! I couldn’t have imagined a more perfect day.