Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park is such a fantastic place to elope year-round! This spot offers gorgeous, 360 degree mountain views, an alpine lake, and easy accessibility. We were not surprised in the slightest that Jess and Rigo were immediately drawn to this location for their elopement!

Jess and Rigo chose early November for their Bear Lake elopement, which is a great time of year for a Rocky Mountain National Park wedding. November – May is considered the “shoulder season” in Colorado, meaning those months are typically less busy and can offer more privacy for your mountain wedding.

Colorado can be pretty unpredictable at any given time throughout the year (I’ve seen it snow in July!), especially in the shoulder season. However, I would say that we got pretty lucky with Jess and Rigo’s wedding because the weather was absolutely perfect! Sometimes the wind can be fierce up there but we were met with calm, clear skies and a beautiful evening.

Pre – Ceremony Portraits

Before Jess and Rigo’s Bear Lake elopement, we took some time for portraits. This is honestly one of my favorite parts about elopements, every moment means something and is completely centered around the couple. There is no pressure, no stress, and so much flexibility to do exactly what the couple wants to do when they want to do it.

I mean, look at how happy Jess and Rigo look on their wedding day! All smiles and so much love. We believe that every couple deserves to be this happy on their wedding day. And can we take a moment for Jess’s wedding dress?! Talk about snow mountain goddess!

Jess and Rigo’s Bear Lake Elopement Ceremony

Bear Lake is one of 13 designated ceremony sites in Rocky Mountain National Park. Read all about each designated site and get a feel for what they all look like here! If you want our to know our top three favorite ceremony sites in Rocky Mountain National Park, this blog is for you!

Anyway, back to Jess and Rigo. They are high school sweethearts and have an incredibly special relationship. You can tell just how much they love and support each other, it was really sweet to see the way they love each other. Their relationship is such an inspiration and they had us tearing up behind our cameras for their entire ceremony. You can watch their wedding in the video at the top of the page, but be sure to grab your box of tissues because this one is a tear jerker!

Post Bear Lake Elopement Portraits

After Jess and Rigo’s incredibly thoughtful and emotional wedding ceremony, we continued the adventure around Bear Lake with some blue hour portraits. Blue hour is such a cool time of night for portraits! We got to use our lanterns and were able to capture some of the most gorgeous mountain reflections on Bear Lake that I’ve ever seen!

After that they signed their marriage license on each others backs in the parking lot of Bear Lake. Jess and Rigo’s elopement was so incredibly special, meaningful, and one that we will never forget!

It was truly a magical evening and we are so grateful that Jess and Rigo invited us into that sacred space with them. It is never lost on us just how special it is to be the only people invited to a couple’s elopement and we couldn’t be more grateful for the trust that our couples have for us!

Ready To Start Planning Your Bear Lake Elopement in Rocky Mountain National Park?

Hey there! We’re a husband and wife Colorado elopement photography and videography team, passionate about Colorado elopements and helping couples craft unforgettable wedding experiences. Rocky Mountain National Park is right in our backyard and a place that we know like the backs of our hands! If you want to elope in this magical place, let’s get in touch and start planning your elopement!