Short & Sweet Summer Sunset Elopement | Lauren & Ed

Some couples know exactly what they want their wedding day to feel like, and Lauren and Ed were clear from the start: keep it simple, keep it honest, and spend most of it together.

Their day started with a first look that hit hard in the best way. The kind of moment where you can see everything they’ve been building together land all at once. Tears, laughter, the whole thing. Then they gathered their people at Jaycee Plaza for a ceremony that felt less like a performance and more like an exhale. Everyone who mattered was there. Nothing extra, nothing missing.

After they said their vows, they did something we always love to see: they disappeared. Just the two of them, back into Garden of the Gods as the light started to shift. No timeline pressure, no group photos to wrangle, just space to soak it all in. They wandered the trails, sat on rocks, watched the sunset paint everything orange and pink, and remembered what the whole day was actually about.

That’s the thing about keeping your wedding small and intentional. You get to be in it instead of managing it. You get to feel the ground under your feet and the person next to you without splitting your attention in twelve directions.

Lauren and Ed trusted themselves, trusted the day, and gave themselves permission to do it their way. And honestly? It was perfect because of that, not in spite of it.

NEED A PHOTOGRAPHER FOR YOUR Garden of the Gods Elopement?

Meet Larissa + Bailey! As two born and raised Coloradans who have photographed 300+ couples in 100+ locations across Colorado, we specialize in creating a different kind of wedding day that is just as adventurous as you are. We use our experience and knowledge to craft a different kind of wedding day that feels completely authentic to you. Want to hike to a high alpine lake? We can give you trail options for that! Want to canoe along the banks of a mountain lake? We can tell you the best lakes to do it on! Want to watch the sunset from the top of the world? We’ll lead you to our favorite spots for sunset! Book your Garden of the Gods elopement photographer today!