Jessica + Nick’s Romantic Mountain Micro-Wedding

A groom "dips" his wife as he kisses her after their romantic mountain micro-wedding in Crested Butte in September.
 

Crested Butte in September: Golden Days + That Late Summer Glow

 
 

Love-Struck

I can tell you the way Jessica and Nick look at each other is the very definition of love-struck. She loves how handsome he is and his manners. He loves her beauty and sense of adventure.

It’s this sense of adventure that led them to plan a Crested Butte, Colorado, micro-wedding. Even Nick’s proposal embodied adventure—he asked her to marry him at sunset on a privately chartered sailboat somewhere between St. Thomas and St. John, USVI.

Wow!

They met at a Mexican restaurant that’s a favorite with locals in Daytona, Florida. Nick happened to know the friend Jessica was dining with, so he stopped to say hello.

According to Jessica, it was love at first sight. But their paths wouldn’t cross again for another three months. She was looking for a serving job and Nick’s family’s Italian restaurant was hiring. She got the job... and her guy!

 

Meeting My Couple

I instantly hit it off with Jessica and Nick on our initial phone call. Our schedules magically aligned, too, as I was heading to Crested Butte to scout locations at the same time they were going for wedding planning and vendor research! So we met in person at Camp 4 Coffee, and they immediately felt like old friends. They met my husband and toddler; I got to meet their two fur babies. It was so fun to connect in the very mountains where we’d later be doing the thing!

We spent the afternoon visiting a few of my recommended vendors.

  • Jessica worked with the highly praised Natalie Duke for her wedding day makeup. “Your talent transformed me into the bride I wanted to be,” glowed Jessica of Natalie’s artistry. Talk about a testimonial!

  • Pastor Tim Clark, a veteran Crested Butte wedding officiant (he’s done over 900 ceremonies locally!) was invited to perform the outdoor micro-wedding ceremony amid a backdrop of the monumental Elk Mountains.

  • Crested Butte private chef Tim Egelhoff was hired to craft an incredible reception dinner at the fabulous Sopris House.

I’m so glad I got that time to connect further with this adventure-loving couple and help solidify some of the details for the big day!


Check out more vendors, venues, and BnB’s in my complete


Sept 2, 2021:

On the big day, I met Jessica at her wedding party’s vacation rental, the stunning Sopris House. I helped her don her dress before the two of us drove to the ceremony site, where friends and family (and fiancé) were already gathered.

It was a classically warm early September day in Crested Butte. We drove an easy 20 mins from the downtown lodging to the private, secluded ceremony site.

The clouds were a photographer’s dream that day—making for perfect picture-taking light. We got some amazing family portraits, and then Pastor Tim Clark officiated a beautiful ceremony, as always. The micro-wedding party (about 12 guests total) returned to the Sopris House while Jessica and Nick and I stayed for more portraits of the couple basking in that newlywed glow.

When we rejoined the group at the BnB, private chef Tim Egelhoff was preparing a mouthwatering meal (hors d'oeuvre's and a full bar to start followed by a three-course dinner).

Sopris House has an incredible outdoor patio, but because of a short but sweet rain shower, we opted to move the setup inside.

Jessica and Nick’s First Dance took place to live music by Matt, a local multi-instrumental musician and singer who graced us with his many talents throughout the evening.

Officiant: Pastor Tim Clark, Union Congregational Church
HUMA:
Natalie Duke Beauty
Florals: Rocky Mountain Rose
Reception dinner:
Chef Tim Egelhoff
Wedding Party Lodging:
the Sopris House
Micro-Wedding Location:
Crested Butte, Co.
Photography:
Andrea Enger Photography

Enjoy these photos of Jessica and Nick’s absolutely perfect Crested Butte micro-wedding. These two can’t get enough of each other, and I’m so honored I got to capture the beginning of their forever!

Congratulations again, you two!

 

The Ceremony

A bride walks arm in arm with her father toward her waiting groom during their romantic mountain micro-wedding in Crested Butte in September.
A smiling groom waits next to a pastor as his bride approaches during their romantic mountain micro-wedding in Crested Butte in September.
A smiling groom, a pastor, and the groom's two brown dogs stand at the "altar," a field of golden grass romantic mountain micro-wedding in Crested Butte in September.
A father walks his daughter down the "aisle" during her romantic mountain micro-wedding in Crested Butte in September.
A father walks his daughter down the "aisle" during her romantic mountain micro-wedding in Crested Butte in September.
A father has finished walking his daughter down the "aisle" during her romantic mountain micro-wedding in Crested Butte in September.
A bride stands arm in arm with her father before a pastor during her A father walks his daughter down the "aisle" during her romantic mountain micro-wedding in Crested Butte in September.
A bride and groom stand before a pastor in a field of red and golden grasses for their mountain micro-wedding in Crested Butte in September.
An out of focus bride and groom stand before a pastor in a field of red and golden grasses for their mountain micro-wedding in Crested Butte in September.
Closeup of a bride and groom's clasped hands as they stand before a pastor in a field of red and golden grasses for their mountain micro-wedding in Crested Butte in September.
A bride and groom stand before a pastor in a field of red and golden grasses for their mountain micro-wedding in Crested Butte in September.
A bride and groom stand before a pastor in a field of red and golden grasses for their mountain micro-wedding in Crested Butte in September.
A bride and groom stand before a pastor in a field of red and golden grasses for their mountain micro-wedding in Crested Butte in September.

The Ambiance:

A young man sits in a wooded chair and plays guitar during the micro-wedding ceremony in Crested Butte in September

The Newlyweds!

Champagne Toast!

The (Micro) Wedding Party

Bridal Portraits

Newlywed Portraits

Back at the Sopris House

First Dance

Rest in Peace, Marley, Dog of Honor

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Ready to Book?

Elopement Photographer Andrea Enger (Portrait by Jennifer Garza Photography)

If you’re ready to get the ball rolling to secure your photographer, let’s do it!

You can do that by contacting me through my website, emailing me directly at andreaenger.photography@gmail.com, or by calling or texting me at (720) 739-0784. I look forward to hearing from you!

If you’re still in the research phase, I hear ya! Here are some more resources that my couples have found helpful. I hope you do, too!

Colorado Elopement Guide

Elopement Planning Toolkit (free download)

More Photo Galleries: