Crested Butte Micro Wedding at Peanut Lake

Trenadee, Mason, and their closest friends and family drove all the way out from Indianapolis to get married in beautiful Crested Butte. While in most of the U.S., late June means early summer, it’s still springtime in the high country. Spring in Colorado means lush green meadows, rushing creeks and waterfalls, and snowcapped mountains. It can be muddy from the snowmelt, which is tricky, but we were blessed by a few warm days right before their date to dry out the passes!

Trenadee and Mason got ready in the mountain lodge they were staying at, then headed to the ceremony site at Peanut Lake. Peanut Lake is one of two reservable ceremony sites through the Crested Butte Land Trust. You’ll need to apply for a permit and make a $2000 payment — $500 of which is a refundable deposit, and $1000 of which will be a taxable donation to the trust. If you love the idea of a nature elopement in Crested Butte, but have too many folks to have your ceremony on the land, the Crested Butte Land Trust is one of the best options out there, plus you’ll be actively supporting a tiny mountain town and the land it protects.

After their ceremony, we headed up Gothic Road for their couples portraits. We saw so many waterfalls and early wildflowers. It was truly so magical, and still early in the season, so the crowds were much smaller. We drove back into town, parked on Main Street, and headed to a lovely dinner reception at The Wooden Nickel. EXCELLENT food, kind customer service, and a whole back room reservable for events.

Crested Butte is one of my favorite places on earth to spend time in nature, and the town itself is charming and bustling with small businesses. It has seen an explosion of tourism in recent years, which has put a lot of stress on the infrastructure and the land surrounding it. If you choose to visit Crested Butte, please support the local economy, drive mindfully, and LEAVE NO TRACE.

This micro wedding was photographed on digital and 35mm film.