Drashti and Dylan celebrated their full-day elopement deep in the San Juan Mountains! It was an incredibly laid back day chalked full of adventurous locations and activities. They were so intentional in the activities and experiences for their day and it showed in how the day flowed from start to finish. I’m so excited to share the images and story of their day below!

Couple walking along alpine like on their elopement day in the San Juan Mountains. Photography by Trail Magic Elopements and Micro Weddings.

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Why they chose a full-day experience

These two are adventurers through and through, so when deciding their timeline for the day, we knew it would include multiple epic spots. To keep the timeline from feeling rushed or like a full-day photoshoot, we intentionally built in time to soak in each location, and gave buffer room to account for all of the driving we did between locations.

A full-day experience just made sense for them because they wanted time and plenty of epic photos amongst the tall mountains. They had never been to the San Juans before, so they wanted to see as much as they could and fill their day with endless beauty. It just made sense to take the whole day, slow down, and really enjoy the experience.

Starting the day slow

These two looove coffee and breakfast! So, we included it in their timeline. We arrived at their airbnb early in the morning and took plenty of time to get ready. Both Drashti and Dylan wrote their vows over coffee, and soaked in some private time together at their cute cabin tucked deep in the San Juan mountains.

Here’s how they structured their morning:

Making coffee and breakfast together, and then sitting down to write their vows. This took a bit of time, but neither of them felt pressured to move quickly, because they knew we had the space in their timeline. It gave them the ability to breathe and take in the views, and the full emotions of what this day meant for them.
Instead of getting ready separately, they were together during these moments of the day. Since it was an elopement, they opted not to do a first look, but to get ready together. This led to so many giggles and fun banter throughout the experience and felt so “them”!
After they were dressed, we took photos around their vacation rental. Their Airbnb was so cute, and we didn’t want to miss out on photos that showcased it! So, before we hopped in cars to pick up their rental car, we spent time getting some couple portraits around the Airbnb property to fully document that space and portion of the day.

Couple embracing close up on their elopement day in the San Juan Mountains. Photography by Trail Magic Elopements and Micro Weddings.

The pros of renting a jeep in the San Juans

Drashti and Dylan both love to be outdoors and explore, but weren’t sure they wanted to do any big hikes for their elopement, which is a completely normal sentiment! The San Juans are actually perfect for this, because you don’t need to hike to access some of their most breathtaking locations — most of them are accessible by jeep roads!

Instead of hiking, they rented a red Ford Bronco and that’s how they got around to a variety of different locations from a stunning, gatorade-blue waterfall, to an alpine lake basin, and even to the top of a mountain pass for sunset and blue hour. It was the perfect way to explore all of these spots, and escape the cold rain when it rolled through in the late afternoon before out last stop!

Jeeps are such a fun way to get around on your elopement day in style, and add a layer of adventure without needing to strap on your boots! We highly recommend them, and for certain locations actually require booking a private jeep tour with a guiding company, so you don’t have to worry about navigating the tough roads on your own!

Their real 12hr elopement timeline

To give you a sense of what their elopement experience really looked like in the San Juans, here is a simplified version of their timeline!

10:00 AM - Starting the morning slowly with coffee, vow writing, and detail images

11:30 AM - Begin getting ready and portraits at the Airbnb
1:00 PM - Pick up Jeep Rental
1:45 PM - Arrive at waterfall
2:45 PM - Leave waterfall for alpine lake and ceremony
3:30 PM - Arrive at alpine lake, get settled for ceremony
4:00 PM - Ceremony & portraits exploring the area (time for a snack & relax to enjoy the views)
5:30 PM - Head up to the final location for sunset
6:45 PM - Portraits up on the mountain pass for sunset and lantern photos during blue hour
7:30 PM - Head back down the mountain
8:15 PM - Return the jeep rental
9:00 PM - Private dinner at the Airbnb and cake cutting
10:00 PM - Coverage wraps up!

Conclusion

Drashti and Dylan’s full day experience in the San Juans was one for the books. They were able to relax and completely enjoy three epic locations without feeling rushed or overwhelmed in the process, and truly had the adventure of a lifetime for their wedding day. I’ll never forget how giddy we all were as we were running through a sleet storm as the sun dipped behind the horizon at our last location. We laughed the whole drive back into town, gushing about how beautiful of a day it was, that none of us will ever forget!

Hopefully you found the story of their elopement experience both helpful and inspiring! If you're looking for help to plan your own small wedding in the San Juans we'd love to chat with you to see how we can support you!

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Vendors
Here are the vendors they used:

Photography: Trail Magic Elopements
Accommodation: Airbnb
Flowers: Flowers by Ella
Jeep Rental: Silverton Jeep Rentals