Grand Lake Elopement at Point Park | Dominika + Govind

Posted On | January 31, 2020

Wedding couple dancing on the mountain
Can I tell you a little secret? I absolutely LOVE Grand Lake. My family has two cabins up there, and I eventually want to live up there part-time. It’s one of the most magical and beautiful places in the world!! Any opportunity I have to photograph a Grand Lake elopement or Grand Lake wedding is such a blessing.

how they met

Dominika and Govind met in Texas, while she was starting grad school and he was preparing the receive his PhD. The first time they met was at an Indian Student Association celebration for India’s Independence Day, but the timing just wasn’t quite right. Both of them were so deeply engrossed with school, that it took them bumping into each other again a couple of months later to take the next step. Dominika invited Govind to come to the TTU-UT football tailgate and they spent the entire day together.

It was that night that something sparked, and they’ve spent every single day together from then on.

 

the proposal

Govind told Dominika that he had actually planned the proposal for quite some time. He knew it was important to Dominika’s dad that Govind talked with him first, so he called her dad to ask his permission. Funny enough, Govind wasn’t scared about asking Dominika’s dad – but more about asking her! He knew she would say yes, but he said he was extremely nervous.

Govind originally planned to take Dominika up to Hanging Lake for the proposal, which is their favorite place to hike. Unfortunately, the weather was not ideal for hiking that day so he had to come up with a Plan B on the fly! He managed to convince her to go to Golden and do a small, quick hike there since they’d been talking about hiking and were already ready to go. When they got up there, Govind waited till there weren’t as many people around and asked Dominika to marry him.

 

their wintery Grand Lake elopement

When Dominika and Govind reached out to me about their Grand Lake elopement plans, I was so stoked. They didn’t quite know where to go, but they had visited Grand Lake over the summer and fell in love with it. They really wanted a place that was easy for their family to access but still wanted some epic mountain photos. Since I’m so familiar with getting married in the area, I suggested Point Park in Grand Lake for their ceremony. It is free to rent and has some of the best views of Grand Lake over the lake with Mt. Baldy in the background.

the night before

I met with Govind and Dominika on a Friday night at the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park, and together we headed into the park for photos with just the two of them. It was an INCREDIBLE night! We popped champagne, got caught in an insane wind storm and thought the evening was going to get rained out. At one point I asked them if they wanted to turn around and head back down to a lower area. But these two kept pushing through and we ended up with the most gorgeous, moody Colorado skies and a glowing sunset.
Dominika and Govind decided to privately exchange vows. On Saturday morning, they went on a little hike all by themselves and that’s when they exchanged their vows with each other. Later in the afternoon, I met up with Dominika, Govind and their family (some of them all the way from Poland and India) for their ceremony at Point Park. Officiant Carey Bjornes from Wandering Honeymooners performed their second ceremony, in front of their family and the beautiful mountains surrounding Grand Lake.
Ceremony Location | Point Park in Grand Lake, CO
Couples Portrait Location | Rocky Mountain National Park
Bride’s Dress | David’s Bridal

 

groom getting ready for mountain elopement

bride and groom on the top of a mountain

black and white groom kissing bride's neck

bride and groom popping a bottle of champagne

bride and groom in the forest

bride and groom looking at lake from behind

bride and groom climbing mountain together

wide shot of bride and groom on a mountain cliff

wedding couple climbing down mountain

romantic snuggle photos of wedding couple

 

bride with a sweeping veil

wedding couple taking selfies on trail ridge road

father escorting his daughter to wedding ceremony

groom seeing bride at wedding ceremony and hugs father

dream lake elopement ceremony

dream lake elopement vow recital

bride wiping tear at dream lake elopement

bride and groom's first kiss at dream lake elopement

couple celebrating being officially husband and wife

groom popping some bubbly to celebrate marriage

mixed culture wedding celebration for dream lake elopement

couple dancing after dream lake elopement wedding

black and white wedding photo at dream lake colorado

Need a Grand Lake Elopement Photographer?

Meet Larissa. Larissa is an adventure wedding and elopement photographer based out of Colorado. She’d take and adventure in the mountains over shopping any day! Larissa prefers and date night snuggling on the couch over dinner and a movie. She’s obsessed with: morning snuggles with her rescue pup, Hazel, hot chocolate, a good book and yoga pants. She believes in making you forget a camera’s even there, that your story is the actual thing she wants to capture on camera. Real, raw moments are way more important than perfectly curated poses! Book your Grand Lake elopement photographer today!

Are You Freakin’ REady?

We’re 100% here for whatever day you’re dreaming up. Fill out our contact form to start chatting.

Are You Freakin’ REady?

We’re 100% here for whatever day you’re dreaming up. Fill out our contact form to start chatting.

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2 responses to “Grand Lake Elopement at Point Park | Dominika + Govind”

  1. Grand Lake Elopement Locations For All Seasons

    […] is where my friends Dominika and Govind had their lakeside ceremony, and it was amazing. It is free to rent and has views of iconic Mt. […]

  2. How to Choose The Perfect Elopement Location in Colorado

    […] you’ll want to carefully consider their abilities before selecting your elopement location. View this Point Park elopement that is accessible all year long (and free to rent!). This Dream Lake elopement requires a hike and […]


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