Eloping in Eolorado is the best!

Ok ok - I am biased!

Let me properly introduce myself. My name is Erica and I live in Colorado Springs. I've lived here almost 10 years at this point, after growing up in Florida surrounded by beaches and humidity and flying cockroaches - or "palmetto bugs" as they are loving called by locals. I'd never seen mountains, REAL mountains, in my entire life before moving here. I remember I arrived just before sunset in March, and all I could see was a silhouette of the front range towering in the distance. I was in shock, in the best way. I've loved living here and exploring the surrounding states. Utah is just wild, and Arizona has a special... something. New Mexico is one of my favorite places to drive as Taos and Santa Fe can be a good weekend trip. Heading to Frontier Days in Wyoming is only a 2.5 hr drive. Everything is weird and beautiful and I am in love. I DO miss the ocean, very frequently, but I am happy.

Let's focus now - my ADHD WILL take us on a wild word adventure if I let it, so I need to reign it in!

When I was a little girl, I didn't dream of getting married or having a big wedding. I had anxiety many years of my life and the thought of being the center of attention made me want to vomit and yell. I never wanted a "regular" 9 to 5. I liked interesting people who had lived a little. I didn't listen to my parents. I made a lot of mistakes and lived a lot of life the first 30 years on this planet. Never, not once, did I want to do things the "normal" way. When I met my husband, he was on the USA Judo team and I was working at a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu gym and having the time of my life just training and floating. It's a funny story for another time, but I knew the first time we hung out that he would be in my life for a while. He's Japanese and looks the exact opposite of me. His black hair, deep brown eyes, and tanned skin, are in stark contrast to my almost translucent skin, my bright blue eyes, and light brownish/red hair. I love our contrasts and differences. We started dating almost immediately, and within 6 months, I was pregnant with our first daughter. A little miracle. We didn't get married then, in fact, when our daughter was 2.5 years old. I gave birth to boy/girl twins during COVID in 2020. I had 3 kids in a matter of 2.5 years, and we weren't married. Life was a little crazy and thinking about a wedding was not even on our radar.

My husband proposed while we were kayaking in a reservoir nestled near the top of Pikes Peak. It was wonderful. I guess it was time to get married! Nothing about our relationship to that point was traditional, especially to my mostly Catholic family and his Japanese family. We got engaged in September of 2020, our twins only about 4 months old, and our other daughter 2.5. We were TIRED. Like, I cannot describe the exhaustion and stress from that situation. However, a little stress to someone like me is nothing, and I knew that I wanted to marry this person.

If you've never been to Great Sand Dune National Park, you're missing out on a solid adventure in something that looks like it's from a different planet. I've felt drawn to it since my first visit and I knew that getting married there would be an epic time, especially in regards to photos. We talked about a wedding but with Covid and life, it wasn't feasible - and it wasn't something we wanted. I wanted fun, I wanted adventure, I wanted nature and the sky and the mountains. I wanted Great Sand Dunes National Park only a couple hours away in this beautiful state of Colorado. I wasn't photographing professionally at that time because having newborn twins and a toddler was killing me, but I was on the lookout for a photographer. I hopped on Google, Instagram, all of it, in search for someone who could capture my ideal photos.

Now, at this point, knowing we were going to elope was set in stone. We didn't have too much money, but I knew from the start that spending money on the photographer for an elopement would be worth it in every sense. Our elopement photographer helped secure necessary permits, discussed the dress colors - I already had 3 kids, I wasn't wearing white! - helped set up a timeline of events, and anything else I needed. She was so helpful in making everything a seamless event. One of my favorite things about eloping in Colorado is that it's a self-solemnization state which means you do NOT need an officiant! Applying for the license was incredibly easy and quick. No stress at all, just excitement.

We booked an AirBNB in Del Norte, CO which wasn't too far from the Sand Dunes. We got it for 4 days and invited some close friends to stay with us in the cabin for those 4 days, to not just hang with us but have the out-of-towners see the beautiful area. We got sand boards and played. My wedding cake was a tres leche from a home baker I found a few towns away, and my God it was scrumptious. The day of the ceremony, a crisp day in January, we arrived at the Sand Dunes before sunset with the intent of a sunset ceremony involving just us, our kids, and a few close friends/family. It was freezing and perfect. We walked around the Dunes with our photographer capturing the magnificence of the dunes nestled in the mountains. After the ceremony, we all returned to the cabin for an intimate celebration of love, and I basked in every moment. I was insanely exhausted and equally insanely in love with the day.

Our photographer stayed with us at the cabin that night, and the next morning she did another family photoshoot for us - minus the twins because they were tuckered out. We got precious photos of myself, my new husband, and our first love - our daughter. Our photographer went above and beyond, knowing how tired I was with newborn twins mixed with how excited I was to have these photos taken.

I still think about the entire elopement, and how everything cost under $4,500 - the photographer, the gigantic cabin, the food, all of it. When I received our photos, I cried. They were IT. They were epic. I still look at them and smile because I clearly remember the entire thing - nothing was rushed, nothing was stressful, everyone had the best time, and because of those things, I could clearly remember everything.