Crested Butte Engagement Session || Colorado Adventure Photographer

Back in 2019, I photographed an elopement in Crested Butte, Colorado. Ever since then, my wife, Lauren, and I have been going back almost every year because we fell in love with everything Crested Butte has to offer. CB is a charming mountain town with stunning views of the mountains, wildflowers, and aspen trees that surround the area. Lauren and I love mountain biking and hiking with our friends, so it’s the perfect place for a beautiful and adventurous getaway.

On our most recent trip to Crested Butte, I had the pleasure of taking Hayli and Tyler’s engagement photos. They are from Texas, but they’re getting married in Branson, Missouri next summer. We talked about doing their engagement session in Springfield, but I threw out the idea of going to the mountains since travel was going to be part of the plan regardless. Hayli replied saying they would actually be in Crested Butte on the same dates my wife and I were going to be there! Needless to say, the stars aligned perfectly, so I began planning an epic engagement session for them.

On the evening of their shoot, our first location was a gorgeous, secluded aspen grove. We then worked our way along a mountain road with multiple stops for photos along the way. Colorado had a long winter last year, which delayed the full summer heat by a couple weeks. Because of this, we were able to catch the lupines in bloom! Lupines are my favorite flowers, so I was thrilled to find a meadow of them surrounded by aspen trees (which just so happen to be my favorite tree as well!).

After that, we went to an alpine lake where Tyler and Hayli wanted to do some row boat photos and I could not have been more on board with the idea. We concluded our shoot that evening with photos at a stunning overlook of the mountains, and while we were finished with photos for the night, their adventure session was just getting started!

The next morning at 3am, the alarms went off and the three of us met up to begin the next part of their session. We drove about 45 minutes to the trailhead and started our hike in complete darkness. Our hike began with 2 miles of straight uphill terrain, we had to cross some snow drifts, and we almost got lost once, but that’s all part of the adventure! Eventually, we made it to the top and Hayli changed into some flowy dresses. As the sun rose, the light kept getting better and better. The three of us would often just stop, take in the view together, and soak up the moment.

There’s something truly special about an adventure session. In my experience, when you say yes to a challenging hike, little-to-no sleep, and some cold temperatures, the end result is always beyond worth it.

I’m so excited to photograph Tyler and Hayli’s wedding next year in Missouri, and I’m incredibly glad we decided to make their Colorado adventure session happen!