Ouray Elopement Photographer
Elope IN OURAY
Elopement PHOTOGRAPHER IN OURAY
Ouray and the surrounding area is one of the prettiest places on earth. There are few things I love more than capturing the love of my couples in the shadow of a mountain! Between the Ouray Hot Springs, Red Mountain views, Box Canyon, Ouray breweries, off-roading for miles and miles, and hiking adventures to gulches, basins and waterfalls... there are nearly infinite beautiful backdrops that I live for as a Ouray elopement photographer, and a hundred things for you to do over your Ouray elopement weekend!
ouray Elopement transportation
ouray Elopement FLORISTS
ouray elopement CAKES
Switzerland of America
Alpine Scenic 4x4
Afternoon Delight Bakery
Sweet Cakes
Blue Sky Baking
Alpenglow Growers
Dahlia Floral Design
Hosanna Floral
TOP ouray Elopement Locations & Micro Wedding Venues
The Beaumont Hotel – One of the historic hotels on the main street in Ouray, this beautiful hotel and spa was renovated to reflect the period it was built. With prime main street location and views, ornate interiors for getting ready rooms, and a grand staircase make this Ouray venue stand out from the rest. There are options for location within this venue as well! The grand ballroom, lobby, and amazing courtyard space offer a variety of settings for your celebration. My favorite use of this Ouray venue is paired with a mountainside ceremony and reception following at the hotel!
Top of the Pines - While this venue is technically outside of Ridgway, the drive from Ouray is totally worth the astonishing views of Mt. Sneffels and its neighboring mountain peaks! A grassy meadow acts as a blank canvas to create the wedding design of your dreams.
Wright Opera House – This is another great historic venue downtown Ouray, with all the historic charm but complete with a new renovation that met its history with modern conveniences.
Gold Mountain Ranch - This newer Ouray wedding venue overlooks the town below with some of the most breathtaking views of the little mountain town you'll see, with very little effort in getting there!
Yankee Boy Basin – This stunning Ouray wedding venue is as “mountain” venue as you can get! Located in U.S. Forest Service, the road to the area is strictly 4×4 high clearance vehicle access only. With 360 degree amazing vistas, waterfalls and wildflowers during the season, it’s the perfect backdrop to your celebration! Check with Switzerland of America Jeeps for getting you and your guests to and from.
Ouray Amphitheater – Similar to Yankee Boy Basin, the amphitheater should be accessed by a jeeps company for easier transportation. This Ouray wedding venue has a stunning view of the rock formation it’s named for. The expansive grey cliffs were created by ancient volcanic and glacial activity, and form the perfect backdrop for your ceremony! There are also groves and groves of aspen and pine trees, perfect for photos.
Red Mountain Pass – The Forest Service land across Red Mountain Pass offers diverse and beautiful locations for your Ouray wedding ceremony. From the side of Crystal Lake to a grove of aspen trees, you’ve got to have an adventurous spirit to get married up here! Contact the local ranger station or wedding planners for more advice/ideas on locations within the forest that would perfectly suit your needs.
Alpine Lakes & Basins – You can hire a Jeep tour company to take you (and a few guests!) around to the backcountry places that are more wild and private, like alpine lakes, mountain passes, and beautiful basins. All the views without the hiking!
Location Scouting
So you can stop googling, posting to forums, and wasting your time trying to find the perfect spot. I've spent countless hours driving the back roads or with my nose in a map (you should see how many spots I've flagged) to help you narrow down and find the best spot for you to spend your day.
Timeline Planning
So we're in the best places at the best times - cuz this is probably your first elopement, right? Whether you’re planning activities for your elopement or just need help with timing the perfect sunset ceremony, I love to help my couples with creating the perfect timeline for the day. I’ll create an agenda, with as much specific or general timing as we want, and what spots and activities we’ll be doing there.
Permit Guidance
Eloping in the west means navigating permits and other legal requirements. OOF right? You can rest easy, though. I know alllll the requirements and what we need to do.
Activity Ideas
From helping you brainstorm ideas you’ve never considered, to helping you with the logistics of making those ideas happen, consider me your go-to person to bounce things off of so you can craft the most amazing day you can imagine!
Vendor Recommendations
Small mountain and desert towns can be hard to find vendors at all, let alone ones who show up in an online search. Having helped couples elope in these areas for over nine years now, I’ve gotten to know all the pros to recommend to help bring your visions to life.
Group Photo List Creation
If you’re having guests along for the day, I will help create a formals list so that we have a list of groups to make sure we’re not missing any combos on the day-of.
Elopement Guide
You’ll receive access to my 124 page elopement guide full of everything you could ever have questions about for how to elope! From marriage license navigation, to emergency kit checklists, to advice for what to wear, to choosing your lodging, and so much more – this guide is your new best friend
Location Expertise
So you can stop googling, posting to forums, and wasting your time trying to find the perfect spot. I've spent countless hours driving the back roads or with my nose in a map (you should see how many spots I've flagged) to help you narrow down and find the best spot for you to spend your day.
Timeline Planning
From sunrise ceremonies to multi-location days, I'll create a timeline that gets you to the best spots at the best times—with buffer room so you're never rushing. I’ll create an agenda, with as much specific or general timing as we want, and what spots and activities we’ll be doing there.
Permit Navigation
Eloping in the west means navigating permits and other legal requirements. OOF right? You can rest easy, though. I know alllll the requirements and will walk you through every step.
Activity Ideas
Whether you want a picnic, a hot springs soak, a vineyard toast, or just stunning photos with minimal hiking—I'll help you design a day that feels authentically you.
Vendor Recommendations
Small mountain and desert towns can be hard to find vendors at all, let alone ones who show up in an online search. Having helped couples elope in these areas for over nine years now, I’ve gotten to know all the pros to recommend to help bring your visions to life.
Group Photo List Creation
If you’re having guests along for the day, I will help create a formals list so that we have a list of groups to make sure we’re not missing any combos on the day-of.
Elopement Guide
You’ll receive access to my 124 page elopement guide full of everything you could ever have questions about for how to elope! From marriage license navigation, to emergency kit checklists, to advice for what to wear, to choosing your lodging, and so much more – this guide is your new best friend
Elopement Planning Services
These planning services are included in all my elopement photography packages—AND are now available as standalone services for couples who've already hired a photographer or prefer to book planning separately.
COMPREHENSIVE ELOPEMENT SUPPORT
Because Your Day Should Feel As Good As It Looks
Since starting my business in 2012 and moving here in 2015, I've been helping couples navigate the beautiful chaos of planning and photographing elopements across Colorado's Western Slope, San Juan Mountains, and Moab, Utah.
I believe your wedding day should feel as beautiful as it looks—which means comfortable, stress-free, and entirely true to who you are.
Whether you need comprehensive planning support, photography that captures the story and scenery of your day, or both—I'm here to make sure the experience is exactly what you hoped for.
When I'm not helping couples, you can find me with a chai latte, binge-watching Gilmore Girls & Grey's Anatomy - again.
Hey there, I'm Amanda
she/her
Western Colorado & Moab elopement specialist
Couples I've worked with
350+
States I've visited
27
(and counting!)
Moose I've seen
8
Episodes of Gilmore Girls binged
100%
featured on
-Allison & Ethan
Amanda is the perfect wedding photographer. The photos perfectly captured the whole day and I feel like I can easily relive it just by looking back at the photos. I highly recommend Amanda.
"The Perfect Wedding Photographer"
-Megan & Jordan
Amanda was the best decision we made for our wedding day! The photos are exceptional and perfectly capture the scenery and vibe we were going for, but that’s only a portion of what Amanda provided. She helped give us planning guidance, organization, and reassurance throughout, which alleviated all the worries we had about eloping in a place we’d never been before.
"the best decision we made"
-Beth & Dustin
We used Amanda for our wedding and she is the BEST! Our photos turned out amazing and she captured the feel of our night perfectly. She’s also really fun to hang with. We didn’t want her to leave at the end of the night!
"She captured the feel of our night perfectly."
- Kylie & Murat
Amanda did an amazing job on our elopement photos! She was incredibly organized during all the planning and sent incredibly helpful tips and ideas in the months leading up.
"Incredibly organized & helpful"
Ouray Elopement Photo Inspiration
What's it like to Work with me?
Here's What People are Saying...
"Made us feel comfortable"
"Put us at ease"
"Incredibly organized & helpful"
"Made everything run really smoothly"
"Went above and beyond"
"The best decision we made"
"We never had to stress about photos"
"An effortless and fun experience"
"Made us feel so natural and relaxed"
Elopement Timeline Example
What do we DO all day?
It's not really about "What do we do all day??" -- it's more like "What CAN we do all day?" You should plan a day that sounds like the most fun you can imagine: whatever that looks like to you. Star gazing? Coffee and brunch? A trip to a book store? ATVing? Overlooking a cool new park? Get excited about the possibilities!
5:00 - DINNER
Whether you make dinner reservations at a nice restaurant in town, grab tacos from your favorite shop, hire a private chef to treat you to a fine meal in your vacation rental, or bring a picnic on our adventure in nature.
4:30 - GROUP PHOTOS
Spend some time taking photos with everyone in attendance in this beautiful place you've made this next step in your adventure together. Those images you'll look back at on their birthdays each year.
3:30 - CEREMONY
You (and any guests you have) head out to your ceremony location where you'll exchange vows, rings, a unity ceremony and sign the papers to make things official. Share a toast or speeches to celebrate.
2:30 - GETTING READY
Getting ready at your vacation rental or campsite. You help each other get ready, put on a pot of coffee, and take your time as you begin your elopement time. This is our ice breaker, so I'm not showing up at go-time.
6:30 - ACTIVITIES
After dinner, you can spend the time until sunset exploring the area, hiking, fishing, taking photos with amazing views, seeing new sights, eating dessert, and spending time however you would like to most! We'll get those iconic photos and those stunning candids you love so much and will hang on the wall to relive these moments any time.
8:30 - SUNSET & STARS
Watch the sunset together. Eat a snack or some cake while the stars begin to come out. Stargaze and take some photos with the milky way as you end your new favorite day.
Ouray Elopement Pricing
Ouray elopement packages range from $4-10k.
No matter the package, you always get:
Access to my Locations Database - see the best spots I've accumulated over the years, in a personalized guide to fit your needs
Timeline & Group Photo List collaboration - you probably haven't made dozens of these per year like I have, so let me help you with that!
The final digital files in an online gallery, unlimited downloads, and online access for at least 1 year. Plus free websize downloads for loved ones!
My travel included - I work in the places I know best, and I'll meet you there!
Award-winning & Hand Retouched Photography - As a recognized artist in the industry, I strive to deliver beautiful artwork from your day, hand edited by me.
We're in... what now?
03
The big day & after
The day is here and you're surprised you're nervous after all this time. I will capture your day in a way that tells the story for you to relive forever. You'll have sneak peaks within 24-48 hours and a full gallery of the whole day within a month or so.
01
Let's Meet
We'll hop on the phone or Google Meet (or grab coffee!) to get to know each other and talk all about your dreams and ideas for the big day, and how I can help make your life easier. When you're ready to book you'll put $1k down as a retainer and I'll get to work!
Planning journey
From there I'll send you my 124 page Elopement Guide and help with location ideas, scouting, emergency kit info, permits, activity suggestions, vendor recommendations, timeline creation, group photo lists, and so so much more. I will help you craft the most incredible day, with backup plans because life is life. You'll feel like you've never been so excited or prepared for anything before.
02
Ready to save your date?
Let's do this
Thank you!
I'll be in touch within 24-48 hours.
If you don’t hear from me soon, I’m probably in the mountains or desert capturing an adventurous couple.
Please feel free to reach out to me directly:
info@amandamatildaphotography.com
