Palisade Elopement Photographer
Elopements IN Palisade co
Elopement PHOTOGRAPHER IN palisade: colorado's wine country
Grand Junction is where I call home, so working in Palisade so often feels like a dream! Elopements in Palisade have a wide diversity in backdrops, from the dozens of wineries, to world famous peach orchards, the lavender fields and of course the Colorado River and wild spaces in the desert just outside town. The elopement venues in Palisade seem to form around the beautiful views that I die for as a Palisade elopement photographer.
If you love the romantic glow of winery weddings, Palisade’s sprawling vineyards are just for you! Drawing couples from all over the state and beyond, Colorado’s wine country is a top destination for weddings in Colorado. Palisade elopements are wonderful because of our longer season here. Outdoor weddings can be held from April through October (sometimes even November!) with relatively uneventful weather and warm evenings. While July and August are quite hot in the valley, the light lasts well into the evening allowing some of those golden hour celebrations I love the most, after the heat of the day has gone down. The purple glow of the mountains and the mesa at sunset is one of the prettiest colors in the world. With amazing wedding planners, bakers and florists with gorgeous work, your Palisade elopement is destined to be perfect!
Palisade elopement officiants
Palisade elopement FLORISTS
Palisade Elopement/WEDDING CAKES
Wine Country Ceremonies
Heart Centered Weddings
Country Elegance Florist
Blue Sky Bakery
The Baker's Boutique
Be Sweet Bakeshop
Garvey’s Gardens
Fiddlesticks Floral
Julie Adriansen
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
TOP Palisade elopement VENUES
Grand Junction and Palisade have so many great elopement venues that take advantage of the beautiful vistas here in the valley. Finding the perfect spot to elope is part of what I love helping couples with when they hire me!
Wineries – Beautiful wineries overlooking the Colorado River, with Mt. Garfield standing grandly on the horizon, offer such diverse backdrops in an elegant setting. Wine tasting and charcuterie - with amazing views and vibes?? What more could you want?
Orchards - Palisade's farmers are famous across the nation for their peaches. You can elope in one of these beautiful orchards, from the classic peaches to apple orchards in the fall, to plums, pluots, and pears.
Lavender Farms - Time your elopement right and celebrate among the rows of lavender growing in a few farms in Palisade!
BLM Land - 70% of Mesa County (the area around Grand Junction) is BLM Land. While some places are protected with permits, most of these areas are free and easy to use with few to no guests. There are stunning and isolated desert backdrops, riverfront canyons, and more.
Twee Wingerd Plaas – This winery and VRBO on the edge of Palisade's wine country offers a sophisticated and modern ambiance for your elopement if you're looking for a more structured but relaxed venue!
Elopement Planning Services
I include comprehensive elopement planning support -
because your day should feel as good as it looks.
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.
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. Plus I always carry the necessary photography permits for our areas!
Activity Ideas
Whether you're envisioning a picnic, a vineyard toast, a hot springs soak, or just beautiful photos with minimal effort — I'll help you design a day that sounds fun to you. Not what's trendy. What's actually your thing.
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 ten 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 140 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 Photo Gallery
I hear this constantly.
And after spending the day together, couples always tell me how natural and easy it felt.
"We're awkward in Photos"
When you're comfortable with the people you're with and genuinely enjoying yourself, everything else falls into place.
I'm not here to pose you for hours or make you perform.
I'm here to document your day as it unfolds—the real moments, the in-between glances, the way it actually felt to be there.
And here's what matters most:
You don't have to be extreme athletes.
You don't have to look a certain way.
You don't have to hike 10 miles for incredible images.
Come as you are. You're welcome here.
“When we got the photos, my husband said, 'She made us look like models!' She really did.”
-Rachel & Loren
The secret?
Palisade Elopement Photo Inspiration
You don't want an all-day Photoshoot?
Oh good, Me neither.
Elopement Timeline Example
2:00 - WALK WITH ALPACAS & PICK FRUIT
Whether you come dressed up or casual, walk some alpacas around a peach orchard and get pictures with them. Go to a nearby U-Pick orchard to pick your own fruit to enjoy too.
3:30 - GET READY
Now that you've spent time in the orchards, head back to the Vacation Rental to clean up and prepare for the formal festivities.
4:30 - HEAD TO CEREMONY
You head out to the Monument before sunset and take a short hike to where you'll exchange vows, rings, a unity ceremony and sign the papers to make things official as the sun begins to drop.
5:30 - CELEBRATE & SNACK
Share a toast (whatever you want!) to celebrate. Bring a picnic on our adventure in nature full of meats, cheeses, and the fruit we picked earlier in the day.
6:30 - ACTIVITIES
After snacking, you can spend the time until sunset exploring the area, hiking, sharing a first dance, 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. Click here for activity ideas!
7:30 - SUNSET
Watch the sunset together. Eat some cake while the canyons around you begin to glow purple and pink, and marvel at the way the desert changes as the sun dips below the horizon and we part ways.
-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"
-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"
-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"
Palisade Elopement Pricing
Packages begin at $1,400 but average $3-5k for local Grand Junction elopements.
Colorado and Utah elopements range from $3,600-$8,000.
All photography packages include comprehensive planning support.
PLUS Now Offering: Standalone Planning Services
For couples who've hired a different photographer or want planning-only support: À la carte consultations and full concierge packages available.
We're in... what now?
01
LET'S MEET
We'll hop on the phone or Zoom (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.
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
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.
