Photos by Katie Dawn Photo
Jami and Gabe eloped in the San Juan Mountains outside Ouray, Colorado, in June 2026, after renting a Jeep and bouncing up a rough trail to a remote spot to say their vows. No venue, no ballroom, just a turquoise lake and a lot of mountains.
Jami wore a fitted lace gown with white cowboy boots and carried a bouquet of orange, red, yellow and white blooms. They’re from Florida and made the elopement the anchor of a big Colorado trip. They started at Rocky Mountain National Park, worked their way through Colorado Springs and ended up all the way down in Ouray, in the southwest corner of the state.
Why a Jeep for an Ouray elopement?
They wanted a wedding day built around adventure, and in the San Juans the best views sit at the top of trails a rental sedan won’t survive. A Jeep got them to a remote spot for vows and then kept going.
Alpine lakes and wildflower meadows
After the vows they kept exploring: turquoise and bright blue alpine lakes hidden in the trees, meadows dotted with pink and yellow wildflowers, and views that went on for miles. Katie Dawn calls it a simple day with a lot of love, out in the remote wilderness of southwest Colorado.
Katie Dawn also photographed a wildflower elopement in Crested Butte a month later, if you want to see how a different corner of Colorado looks in summer.
The idea worth stealing
Build the elopement into a road trip. Jami and Gabe saw half the state before the wedding day, so the day itself could stay simple: one trail, one remote spot, and the whole afternoon to wander.
Wedding vendors
- Location: San Juan Mountains, Ouray, CO
- Photographer: Katie Dawn Photo
