Zak and Lauren live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The wonderful people at Wild Basin Lodge connected me with them. The couple are avid hikers and were looking for a photographer who could capture the beautiful mountains, as well as photos of them looking their best on their wedding day.
Wild Basin Lodge was their top choice for wedding venue after they looked at every venue in the Rocky Mountain National Park area. They felt it was rustic, yet elegant and represented them and their dream wedding day perfectly.
After all their Philadelphia based guests arrived on the limo bus driven by the outstanding NoCo Party Bus they got some cocktails in the bar area and headed down to the Meadow for the ceremony. The bridesmaids had on deep purple dresses that really popped amongst all the verdant green of summer in the mountains. Zak’s outfit was one of my favorites. He wore a classic tuxedo style reminiscent of old England. Their dog also looked amazing in his matching tuxedo color and was such a good boy!
Once the ceremony was over the wedding party walked through bubbles and then headed back to the “beer llamas”, yes that’s llamas with beer on their backs. We took a few formal photographs and then headed over to Camp St. Malo or “Chapel on the Rock” for some epic wedding photos. This is why Estes Park is host to some of the best weddings in the world. St. Catherine of Siena Chapel is a chapel set up on a rock with Mt. Meeker right behind it. Not a view you see every day! They looked like the elegant lords & ladies of… Philly!
After some toasts and dinner the couple wanted photos of just them at the nearby Copeland Lake, located just inside the Wild Basin section of Rocky Mountain National Park. We had just missed sunset, but not the color after the sunset! When we went back we finished up the formal photos of family and friends on the riverside deck and realized it was time for everyone to go! The day just flew by. I barely had a minute to get ring photos before everyone (except the couple, who stayed at Wild Basin Lodge) had to get back on the bus and head down the mountain.
