Boulder Elopement Photographer | Katie and Brad | Sunrise Amphitheater Wedding

Katie and Brad | Sunrise Amphitheater Intimate Wedding
Savannah Chandler Photography | Boulder Elopement Photographer

 

 

boulder elopement photographer bride and groom at lost gulch overlook

Katie and Brad were wed up on Flagstaff Mountain at Sunrise Amphitheater, an overlook just above Boulder, Colorado with stunning views of the town below.   They had their families join them all the way from Indiana for their intimate ceremony up on the mountain.

One of the great things about having an intimate wedding is having flexibility – when we saw the weather forecast and impending storms heading towards Boulder in the evening, we decided to move their ceremony and portraits up to 11:30 in the morning.  This ended up being a fantastic decision, we were graced with a little bit of sunshine followed by some crazy intense pre-storm skies.

Once the decision was made to move our time together earlier in the day, I met Katie and Brad up at Sunrise Amphitheater for their intimate ceremony.  They wanted to do a first look out on the rocks, followed by a Sake shot together (which is most definitely a great way in my opinion to start the celebration of your union).  I headed down to greet their families and watch the bride and groom walk down the aisle to their ceremony together.  One thing that was important for Katie and Brad was to have a friend who knew the two of them be the person to officiate their ceremony.  Their good friend was able to fly out to Colorado to do just that – marry them after NINE YEARS together.  Yes, nine years.  Katie and Brad were high school sweethearts, and even have prom photos together.  I don’t know why, but I think that’s so awesome when couples have prom photos together as well as wedding photos.  Maybe it’s the photo nerd in me 🤓

After their intimate ceremony was concluded, we spend some time taking family portraits up at Sunrise Amphitheater.  I love to include portraits of just your guests individually alongside the formal family portraits, when was the last time your parents/aunt and uncle/crazy cousins had a professional photo taken of just them?!?  We said goodbye to Sunrise Amphitheater after a Champagne toast up on the mountain.

To finish our time together, we headed to a few spots up on Flagstaff Mountain for some couple’s portraits.  The sky started to turn a deep blue with distant rain once we headed over to Artist Point – which makes for some beautifully dramatic wedding portraits.  We finished our time as the rain started to approach the Boulder area at Lost Gulch Overlook – which is one of my favorite places to take couples for portraits due to the dramatic rocks with the Continental divide in the background.

Thank you, Katie and Brad, for inviting me to celebrate your Intimate Boulder Wedding with you!

Cheers –

Venue:  Sunrise Amphitheater

Savannah Chandler Photography | Boulder Elopement Photographer
Based in Denver, Colorado | Available for Travel Worldwide

Iceland Elopement Photographer | Amanda and Justin | Day After Session | Snaefellsness Peninsula

Amanda and Justin | Adventure Session | Snafellsness Peninsula
Savannah Chandler Photography | Iceland Elopement Photographer

iceland elopement photographer iceland wedding bride and groom on snafellsness peninsula

 

 

Day two of our Epic Iceland elopement photography adventure! 😉

We may have gotten home around midnight the night before on Amanda and Justin’s wedding day (which you can check out HERE), but that didn’t stop us from having another day full of crazy adventures.  We met Amanda and Justin at their hotel, Centerklopp, where my sister and I did her hair and makeup again before heading out to the Snafellsness Peninsula.  When I visited Iceland back in 2015 for Cici and Zach’s elopement (view HERE to check it out), they had their wedding ceremony on Snafellsness at the Church of Budir.  The difference in the way the landscape looked from a foggy day in October to a sunny day in April was pretty astounding.  I was so excited to see that there were large mountains with very interesting jagged peaks jetting out across the horizon.

We began our morning by running into some Icelandic horses – with wind blown hair and all!  They were so sweet, and came right up to the fence to greet us.  One of them really liked to try and eat Amanda’s hair though, which made for some interesting moments.  😆Onward ho, we headed towards the iconic Kirkjufell and Kirkjufellsfoss.  One thing that we learned on this Iceland elopement adventure was that everything and everywhere was named to describe what it is – Kirkjufell means “Church Mountain”, and Kirkjufellsfoss means “Church Mountain Waterfall”.  As we approached the area where Kirkjufellsfoss is located, we noticed a stunning elongated mountain – which turns out is Kirkjufell from the side!  I had no idea that this cone shaped mountain was only cone shaped from the front.  #TheMoreYouKnow .  Some time was spent walking around the area of Kirkjufellsfoss as the light hit the ridge to the SouthEast.

Our next stop on our Iceland elopement adventure was to an amazing Lava and Moss field, just caddy corner from Bu∂ir.  The way the light was hitting the bright green moss was one of my favorite looks of the entire trip – and was quintessential Iceland (if there is such a thing as the whole island is SO DIVERSE!).

To end our evening together, we were headed off of the Snafellsness peninsula and back towards Reykjavik, planning to stop at some basalt columns.  As we were driving, we watched the sky turn colors and sunset started to descend upon us.  We decided to stop at a lovely field instead of driving on, as the sky became too beautiful to pass by.  Looking back, this was probably my favorite area we photographed at all day.  Sometimes, it’s the unstopped and spontaneous locations that end up being the best.

We capped off our second day by attempting to get some jumping shots of all the “wedding attendants” – Amanda, Justin, myself, and my siblings (Cassidee and Alex).  If you want to get a bunch of adults to laugh, get them to all jump and try to take a photo.  It was a blast, and a great way to end our time together in Iceland.

Amanda and Justin – I can’t describe in words the feelings I get thinking back upon your Iceland elopement adventure.  You were the most adventurous, loving, spontaneous, just all around awesome couple.  I wish you nothing but love, happiness, and amazing travels together.  I can’t wait to hear all about your upcoming travels, including ANTARCTICA!

Thank you for inviting me (and my family) to celebrate with you.

Cheers –

Savannah Chandler Photography | Iceland Elopement Photographer

Based in Denver, Colorado | Available for Travel Worldwide
Iceland Wedding Photographer | Snafellsness Peninsula

 

Ready to head to ICELAND and elope?  I’m more than happy to help with any details and planning that I can.  Let’s plan an adventure together!

Iceland Elopement Photographer | Amanda and Justin | Reykjavik and Vik Iceland Wedding

Amanda and Justin | Iceland Elopement

Iceland Elopement Photographer couple eloping at a glacier field near Vik Iceland

 

 

 

Savannah Chandler Photography | Iceland Elopement Photographer

Wedding Day:
Reykjavik and Vik Iceland

 

Iceland.  It’s not just a place, it’s a feeling.  One that I still can’t seem to verbalize.  The minute you step off the play at Keflavik, you know you’re somewhere incredible.  I’m fortunate enough for this to be my second time in Iceland for an elopement, and I’ll be back again this October and March.  If you’re looking for the most incredible, other worldly, breathtaking scenery – Iceland is hands down my favorite place on the planet for an elopement or intimate wedding.

Amanda and Justin were flying out to Reykjavik for EVE, an online gamers convention.  After talking it over with their family and friends, they decided that they’d elope while they were visiting the land of Fire and Ice.  I met Amanda through a few local Photographer groups here at home, as she’s also an amazing Colorado Wedding Photographer.  I was so ecstatic to help plan and celebrate her and Justin’s elopement.

Our original plan was to have the ceremony at Dyrholaey, a cliff overlook in Vik, Iceland.  When we got a look at the weather report for the area (which their weather patterns are CRAY CRAY), Amanda decided she’s like to get married inside then head out into the elements.  The conference was being held at Harpa in Reykjavik, and he was able to obtain special permission to hold their wedding ceremony at the convention center.  I’m not always a big fan of indoor weddings, but if you’re going to get married indoors – Harpa is most definitely the place!!  The reflections everywhere were STUNNING, the amazing architecture work and glass panes were visible in every direction.

For their wedding and ceremony, it was just the two of them (and my siblings, who were actually a HUGE help throughout our time there).  The five of us headed out of Harpa once they were officially married and headed down south to the village of Vik.  Amanda dreamed of having stunning waterfalls and glaciers for their wedding day – and waterfalls, glaciers, and hidden caves it was.

Our first few stops were along a side road off of the Ring Road.  We found a beach overlook – where the wind whipped up over the overhangs at incredible speeds.  It was actually quite entertaining to watch Amanda’s dress keep flipping up over her head.  Once we headed along our route, we found a sulfur pit where we hiked up to the top and oversaw the entire valley.  And yes, the smell of eggs was quite prevalent.   #WorthIt.  Our last stop before we headed back to the 1 was a hidden cave in the middle of nowhere.  We drove along a washboard road, and parked off on the side of a dirt lot, then walked about a quarter of a mile to a giant hole in the ground.  The cave appeared out of nowhere, and was entered by climbing down an old rickety ladder that’s bolted down.  To say that Amanda and Justin were being adventurous troopers would be a gross understatement.  Justin was wearing dress shoes and a fitted suit to descend the ladder onto a pile of slushy snow, while Amanda hiked up her gown and held onto it to climb down – all in the name of amazing photos.

Our middle stop was at a lesser known Glacier field – where the wind whipped quite possibly harder than it did at the Ocean overlook.  We hiked down to the water’s edge, just as a rainbow followed the sprinkling of rain we got on our walk.  We *may* have ran down to make sure we made it in time to capture the amazing rainbow.

The last few stops that we made quite literally left us all soaked.  We stopped at 3 waterfalls in the south, starting at Skogafoss and ending at Seldjandsfoss, with a hidden waterfall inside a gorge thrown in the mix as well.  As we approached Skogafoss, we had the entire waterfall to ourselves, which I’ve been told is quite incredible as it’s usually really crowded.  If you ever want to feel very small in our large universe – stand under a massive waterfall – it’s an exhilarating experience.  The most heart racing and exhilarating of our adventures most certainly had to be when we walked through the gorge to stand on a rock directly underneath a waterfall.  The only thing you can hear is water and your heart racing in your chest.  Water spray was everywhere (including on my camera and lenses).  We ended our day together walking behind Seldjandsfoss, getting dirt and water in any remaining dry article of clothing.  I’m not sure I’ve ever been as exhausted as I was once we were done photographing.  But it was also one of the best days I’ve ever had in my life, personal or professional.

And this was all just Day One….. Day Two details coming soon!! 🙃

Iceland Elopement ceremony at HarpaIceland Elopement bride and groom at Skogafoss waterfall in Vik IcealndIceland Elopement Photograph Under a Hidden Waterfall

Hair:  Savannah Chandler
Makeup:  Cassidee Janke
Ceremony Venue:  Harpa
Shoes:  The North Face
Coat Sherpas, Light Holders, Drivers, General Helpers:  Cassidee and Alex Janke

Savannah Chandler | Savannah Chandler Photographer
Iceland Elopement Photographer | Available for travel throughout Iceland and worldwide
Based in Denver, Colorado

Colorado Engagement | Lindy and Dave | Littleton and Boulder Engagement

Lindy and Dave | Colorado Engagement
Savannah Chandler Photography | Colorado Engagement Photographer

 

Sometimes, it seems as if everything works out the way it does for a reason.  You can call it fate, you can call it the cosmos – but sometimes things line up without you knowing it.  When Lindy and Dave were trying to decide on a few locations for their Colorado Engagement, they wanted to incorporate areas that meant something to them as individuals as well as places that helped to tell their love story.  Dave grew up in Littleton, Lindy grew up in Boulder.  We knew we wanted to start our day in Littleton/Red Rocks, and end our time together in Boulder.

I had seen some images of a beautiful cave near the Red Rocks area, but after a few weeks of looking for where it might be I couldn’t find the exact spot I wanted to take them to.  We decided to meet at their wedding venue, the Manor House in Littleton, and Dave had a neighborhood park in the area that he grew up going to and thought would be great to photograph at.  We headed over there, and it was indeed a super cool place.  As we were walking around, he let me know that there was a cave at the park, and we could go check it out.  As we approached the cave, I recognized the light coming in – it was the area that I had been searching high and low for!  Anyone who’s photographed with me knows that I don’t have a “poker face”, my excitement was quite apparent.  WE FOUND IT, and all by chance.  Lindy and Dave let me know that this park was one of the places that they went when they first began dating – they would walk around the park together.

Once we left the neighborhood park, we headed down highway 93 to Chautauqua park, a place that Lindy holds near and dear to her heart.  Something interesting about the infamous park in Boulder is that the sun dips behind the flatirons quite early.  We got to the park before the sun hit the ridge to try and capture some Colorado skies – we didn’t get a “bluebird day”, but we did get some photos wispy clouds.

To end our time together – we headed up to Lost Gulch Overlook on Flagstaff mountain.  I typically love to end up at this spot – it’s pretty dramatic with the rocks overlooking the sweeping mountain views.  We originally were planning to end here at sunset – but the good ol’ Colorado weather patterns had different plans for us.  There was a storm brewing to the West, and had already begun to pound Gross Reservoir with rain and high winds.  We photographed until the winds showed up (with quite some force at that).

As I drove down Flagstaff mountain, I thought about how much I love photographing in places that have meaning to my couples.  Lindy and Dave had so many fun stories to tell on our afternoon together.  I also love Engagement sessions for this reason – it’s a great opportunity for me to spend some one-on-one time and get to hear all of my couple’s fun, quirky, lovey stories.

Thank you for spending the afternoon with me, Lindy and Dave.  I can’t wait to celebrate your September wedding at the Manor House with you!

Savannah Chandler Photography | Colorado Engagement Photographer
Based in Denver, Colorado | Available for Travel Worldwide

Estes Park Engagement Photographer | Mandy and Nick | Dream Lake

Estes-park-engagement-photographer-Dream-lake-sunrise-engagement

Mandy and Nick | Dream Lake Engagement
Savannah Chandler Photography | Estes Park Engagement Photographer

 

Last October, I had the pleasure to Meet Angelique and Shane up in Rocky Mountain National Park for their fall engagement session (which you can check out here).  They were genuinely one of the sweetest couple’s I’ve ever met.  It just so happens that their friends are equally as awesome – like Mandy and Nick.  Mandy and Nick are planning a fall 2018 wedding in Conifer, Colorado (which I can’t wait for).  I was ecstatic when they agreed to meet me at the crack ass of dawn to hike up to Dream Lake for their engagement session.

Dream Lake is SUCH an amazing location for an Estes Park engagement session.

The hike is only just over 1 mile there, not too much elevation gain, and it’s open year round.  I did advise them to brink Yak Tracks, which I’m incredibly glad I did as the Mountain was a little slick from the cooling and warming we’ve been experiencing this winter.

We gave ourselves 30 minutes to make the trek up to Dream Lake, which is typically about right (especially when I’m schlepping 30 LBS of gear 😬).  We got there, and the wind greeted us with some forceful gusts.  Who needs a Microderm abrasion when you can climb to an Alpine Lake in the winter and have the snow crust take at least 2 layers of your skin off.  Mandy and Nick were troopers to say the least – they braved the roughly 40MPH winds whipping at us for photography’s sake.  And when you’re as adventurous as this couple is – the wind/snow crust flying at you makes for genuine laughs and smiles.

After a few minutes of Alpenglow up at Dream Lake, we headed for lower ground to get out of the wind.  Once we passed the corner leading to the lake, the temperature was a good 10* warmer and the wind was nearly non-existent.  Ahhh, good old Colorado Mountains.  Changing weather with every step.  For the last of sunrise, we captured some views of Longs Peak – the tallest mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park.

As we made the rest of our descent down the trail, we made a few stops capturing the Colorado winter sun.

Thank you for adventuring up the Mountain with me, Mandy and Nick.  I am incredibly excited to celebrate your wedding with you this upcoming August! <3

Savannah Chandler Photography
Estes Park Engagement Photographer | Colorado Wedding Photographer
Based in Denver, Colorado | Available for Travel Worldwide

Interested in a Hiking Session?  Contact me HERE to chat and for more details!

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