70s Inspired Elopement at Great Sand Dunes National Park

This was one of the most unique elopements I’ve ever photographed. Brenna & Noah came to me because they knew they wanted their elopement to be photographed partially on film. They were working on a tight timeline — Brenna was due in November, so they chose a date in September. They have eclectic, 70s and 80s inspired style and brought that into their vision for their elopement. They wanted their elopement to feel easy and true to how they are together. This elopement was photographed on digital and 35mm film. GSD National Park is one of my favorite places to photograph tiny weddings on film — film drinks up all that light, and the colors of the sand and sky on film are just gorgeous.

We started at Great Sand Dunes National Park and hiked out to one of the dunes for their ceremony. We actually had to move behind a dune midway through their ceremony since the wind was SO fierce and whipping sand into our clothes and hair. They said their vows from the heart, kneeling in the sand and holding each other’s hands. After their vows, we did a few couples photos on our way back to the cars, then headed to the river slowly winding its way through nearby Alamosa. It was important to Brenna that we find a way to get into the water, so we found a bank that looked friendly and watched the sun go down behind the plains. After, we made a quick stop at Sonic (Brenna was craving a milkshake!). Note the “Just Married” cans of Liquid Death on the back of their Tesla. By this time, the sun had set, so we dropped them off at their retro inn, Frontier Drive Inn, with a quick bite of cake in front of the very cool neon sign.

And as for my favorite part of this elopement: Brenna’s dress. Custom created for her and her sweet belly by Madison Chamberlain.